Kickstarter :: Empowering Artists, Inventors, Designers & Entrepreneurs to Raise Funds Directly From Their Communities

Kickstarter is the world’s largest crowdfunding platform dedicated to helping independent creators bring creative projects to life. Launched in April 2009 by Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler, the company operates as a Public Benefit Corporation headquartered in New York City. Its mission centers on empowering artists, inventors, designers, and entrepreneurs to raise funds directly from their communities without traditional gatekeepers such as investors or grant committees.

The platform spans 13 major categories including Art, Comics, Design, Film & Video, Games, Music, Publishing, and Technology. Within Technology, Kickstarter has hosted thousands of robot-based projects ranging from consumer-facing gadgets to advanced industrial prototypes. Popular robot campaigns have included autonomous home assistants, educational robot kits, collaborative robot arms, drone delivery systems, robotic lawn mowers, and AI-powered pet companions. Many have gone on to become successful companies after raising millions of dollars from backers worldwide.

Kickstarter does not manufacture or sell its own robot products. Instead, it provides the infrastructure—pledge management, reward fulfillment tools, project updates, and community engagement—that allows creators of robotic projects to secure pre-orders, validate demand, and iterate based on backer feedback. The platform’s open format has enabled numerous robotics success stories, from small tabletop robot kits that reached tens of thousands of backers to sophisticated open-source robot arms funded by makers and researchers.

Beyond individual projects, Kickstarter has introduced initiatives such as the Next Wave Fund with Google and a new Partner Program to connect creators with trusted manufacturers and fulfillment services. The company also maintains The Creative Independent, a resource hub offering guidance on everything from prototyping to shipping robotic devices. Over its history, the platform has helped creators in more than 200 countries fund projects, with a strong emphasis on creative and technological innovation.