Pebble Smartwatch Raises $3.7 Million (and Counting) on Kickstarter
When the team behind the Pebble smartwatch launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, they were looking for $100,000. To date, and with just over a month of fundraising time to go, the group has already raised over $3.7 million with over 25,000 backers. They claim it’s the most-funded Kickstarter project ever.
The Pebble is a smartwatch that uses e-paper for its screen, and the device is both compatible with iOS and Android and capable of running its own apps, which users can load via Bluetooth. The little four-button device is waterproof and offers customizable faces, an application switcher, 3 axis accelerometer, and an ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller.
Although the Pebble is itself a neat contraption that appeals to techies and average users alike, the story here is the amazing fundraising the project has enjoyed, a case of innovation helping innovation. Kickstarter has been a boon for projects large and small, giving those looking for a little startup cash a simple and effective way to raise however much capital they need.
Because these projects rely on individual contributors pledging as little as a dollar each, it’s easy way to gauge grassroots interest in a product, film, band, or what have you. It appears as though the Pebble has tickled the fancy of plenty of potential users, which may attract investors with deeper pockets.
In any case, we’d be glad ourselves to strap on a Pebble and go for a run. (OK, fine, a walk. To get ice cream.) Good luck to the Pebble team.
The Pebble is a smartwatch that uses e-paper for its screen, and the device is both compatible with iOS and Android and capable of running its own apps, which users can load via Bluetooth. The little four-button device is waterproof and offers customizable faces, an application switcher, 3 axis accelerometer, and an ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller.
Although the Pebble is itself a neat contraption that appeals to techies and average users alike, the story here is the amazing fundraising the project has enjoyed, a case of innovation helping innovation. Kickstarter has been a boon for projects large and small, giving those looking for a little startup cash a simple and effective way to raise however much capital they need.
Because these projects rely on individual contributors pledging as little as a dollar each, it’s easy way to gauge grassroots interest in a product, film, band, or what have you. It appears as though the Pebble has tickled the fancy of plenty of potential users, which may attract investors with deeper pockets.
In any case, we’d be glad ourselves to strap on a Pebble and go for a run. (OK, fine, a walk. To get ice cream.) Good luck to the Pebble team.
