The 10 Most Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns of All Time: Lessons Learned

Crowdfunding has come a long way since its inception, and today it’s a popular way for people to raise money for their projects and ideas. Whether it’s a new product, a film, a video game, or a piece of technology, crowdfunding has proven to be a powerful tool for bringing innovative ideas to life. In this article, we’ll take a look at 10 of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns of all time, and explore what made them so successful.

1. Pebble Time – Awesome Smartwatch: Pebble Time was one of the first smartwatches on the market, and it was also one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns of all time. Pebble raised $20.3 million on Kickstarter in 2015, making it the most funded Kickstarter campaign ever at the time. The success of the Pebble Time campaign can be attributed to several factors, including its unique design, the appeal of the product to a wide range of consumers, and the company’s use of social media to generate buzz. Pebble’s campaign was also helped by the fact that it had a clear and realistic funding goal, and offered backers a range of rewards at different levels of funding.
2. The Coolest Cooler: The Coolest Cooler is a portable cooler that includes a built-in blender, speakers, and USB charging ports. The campaign raised over $13 million in 2014, making it one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time. The Coolest Cooler’s campaign was successful because of the appeal of the product, which solves a common problem in an innovative way, and the company’s use of social media and influencer marketing to build buzz. Additionally, the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including early bird discounts, which helped drive pledges.
3. Exploding Kittens: Exploding Kittens is a card game that raised over $8.7 million on Kickstarter in 2015, becoming the most-funded game in Kickstarter history. The campaign was successful because it had a unique concept, the game was fun and engaging, the marketing campaign was well-executed, and it offered backers a range of rewards at different funding levels. The company also used social media and influencer marketing to build buzz and drive pledges.
4. Oculus Rift: Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that raised $2.5 million on Kickstarter in 2012. The campaign was successful because of the appeal of the product, which offered an immersive and innovative gaming experience, as well as the company’s use of social media to generate buzz. Additionally, the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including early bird discounts, which helped drive pledges.
5. The Veronica Mars Movie: The Veronica Mars Movie was a crowdfunded film that raised over $5.7 million on Kickstarter in 2013, making it the most funded film in Kickstarter history. The campaign was successful because it appealed to the show’s dedicated fanbase, who were eager to see a film adaptation, and because the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including exclusive merchandise and access to the premiere.
6. Double Fine Adventure: Double Fine Adventure was a video game that raised over $3.3 million on Kickstarter in 2012, becoming the highest funded video game on the platform at the time. The campaign was successful because it had a unique concept, the game was fun and engaging, and the company’s use of social media and influencer marketing to build buzz. Additionally, the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including early bird discounts, which helped drive pledges.
7. Star Citizen: Star Citizen is a space simulation game that raised over $2.1 million on Kickstarter in 2012, becoming one of the highest funded videogames on the platform at the time. The campaign was successful because it had a unique concept, the game was highly ambitious and offered a wide range of features and gameplay options, and the company’s use of social media and influencer marketing to build buzz. Additionally, the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including early access to the game, which helped drive pledges.
8. Shenmue III: Shenmue III is a video game that raised over $6.3 million on Kickstarter in 2015, becoming the highest funded video game on the platform at the time. The campaign was successful because it had a dedicated fanbase, the game was highly anticipated and had a unique concept, and the company’s use of social media and influencer marketing to build buzz. Additionally, the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including early access to the game and exclusive merchandise, which helped drive pledges.
9. The Pebble E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android: Pebble is a smartwatch that raised over $10.3 million on Kickstarter in 2012, becoming the most funded project on the platform at the time. The campaign was successful because it had a unique design, the appeal of the product to a wide range of consumers, and the company’s use of social media to generate buzz. Additionally, the campaign offered backers a range of rewards, including early bird discounts, which helped drive pledges.
10. The game “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning”: The game “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning” raised over $1.2 million on Kickstarter in 2012, it become one of the highest funded video games on the platform at the time. The campaign was successful because of the appeal of the game’s concept, the game was fun and engaging, the marketing campaign was well-executed, and it offered backers a range of rewards at different funding levels.

In conclusion, these 10 most successful crowdfunding campaigns of all time have a few things in common. They had a unique and appealing product or idea, a clear and realistic funding goal, a well-executed marketing campaign and social media strategy, and offered a range of rewards to backers. By studying these campaigns and identifying the strategies that made them successful, entrepreneurs and creators can gain valuable insights that can be applied to their own crowdfunding campaigns.