Because many people don’t have the proper funds to make their innovations come to life, creators often times go to crowdfunding sites to fund their projects. One of the products that the RDM Team created in the past, Band.it, was fully funded on Kickstarter, allowing the team to raise over $10,000. Crowdfunding allowed the team to be able to have all of the money necessary to purchase equipment and space to properly develop and manufacture their product.

Likewise, Kickstarter is great for anyone that has a product idea but doesn’t know if it has enough demand. By creating a Kickstarter campaign, one can test their idea without having to make the product unless the campaign is successful. It is a great way to test the viability of a product to make sure people will buy it without having to spend all of the money testing and producing products in bulk. In addition to Kickstarter, Indiegogo is a great site to crowdfund if you are wanting to raise money and receive the money as you raise it. Indiegogo allows you to take and use all money raised, while Kickstarter has a policy of only giving you funds if you raise all of the money that you claimed you needed to fund your project. 

Some of RDM’S favorite Crowdfunded products of 2019 include:

1. Boost Surfing Fin: Electric Motorized Fin for any Surfboard-

This motorized surfing fin is easily attachable and helps surfers paddle faster when trying to catch a wave, ultimately reduces fatigue and helping surfers to last longer in the water. The device allows the board to go up to 11 miles per hour and lasts 4 hours. It also allows the surfer to catch 3 times the amount of waves and has a motor thrust of 20 pounds. The creator’s name is Alex Ostanin, who has a mechanical engineering background and holds an MBA from the University of Louisville. He managed to raise over $200,000 and still has over 2 days to go until the end of the project. Click Here for Boost Surfing Fin Kickstarter

2. FoldEat-

Some projects seem so simple, but sometimes simple things can make a lot of money. The FoldEat is essentially a lunchbox or carrying pack, but it unfolds and becomes a full-sized eating mat that lays all of your items flat when you are ready to eat. The design is patent pending and overall has a really simple, yet exciting look to it as it is made in a light gray and bright orange color. The folding mat has raised over 1.1 million dollars when fundraising, but originally only had the intention of raising $10,000 dollars. There is still over 2 days to pledge money and buy one yourself if interested. Click Here for FoldEat Kickstarter

3. Park & Diamond: Foldable Bike Helmet-

Although this project was fundraised on Indiegogo, we thought this project is very noteworthy and deserved to be in our top 5 favorites as it is a fantastic idea and has raised almost $3 million dollars to this date and over $1.3 million dollars by its fundraising deadline. Park & Diamond ™ is a bike helmet that fits very similarly to a traditional baseball cap. There have been many other bike helmet designs that try to do this, but Park & Diamond is the only one to make it look sleek and like an actual hat. It complies with the US, Canada, and EU safety certification standards that ensures its ability to protect. Click Here for Park & Diamond Indiegogo

4. Cool Human™ Portable Body Cooler. Beat the Heat.-

This fantastic project has been funded in Tokyo Japan and has raised over $27,000. This really COOL invention is a hands-free cooler that clips on to the belt or pants and is designed to be worn hidden under the clothes and blow a steady stream of air up UNDER your shirt, thus cooling your entire upper body by cooling the microclimate that surrounds you”. The Cool Human Portable Body Cooler keeps cool air in one’s shirt while letting sweat evaporate. Click Here for Cool Human Portable Body Cooler Kickstarter

5. Care GO™: Personal Alarm Designed to Save Lives-

This device is a lifeline that helps someone when they are in trouble. One of the best benefits of this product is that it pushes alerts into phones that use iOS and make sure they hear a emergency noise, even if their phone is on silent, from the person that used the device. It will allow the emergency contacts to also be able to track the person in trouble and will give them their location. Lastly, the Care GO™ has a battery that last one year long and doesn’t make you recharge it constantly like other devices that are out there. This project raised $41,243 when they only originally needed $5,000 to fund their project. Click Here for Care GO Kickstarter

These are just some of RDM’s favorite crowdfunding projects of 2019; we are looking forward to seeing all of the innovative projects that come to life in 2020!