With the new year on the horizon, its time to celebrate the year gone past by sharing some of the best and brightest campaigns on IndieGoGo. These are campaigns that have knocked it out of the park with their GoGoFactor, fundraising goals, or overall idea and execution. For the first two days we began with the best Creative and Cause campaigns. Today we will be sharing the best entrepreneurial campaigns with you, and will finish the week with the "Best of IndieGoGo" awards. The diversity and quality of campaigns this year is truly amazing – we are so proud of everyone helping to raise funds through IndieGoGo! Now…enough from us….on to the Best Entrepreneurial Campaigns of 2011:
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FOOD:
The ingenious team behind in.gredients has been living sustainably for years. More recently they had a vision for something different: starting the first package-free and zero waste grocery store in the United States. In addition to renewable packaging for all groceries, they will feature rainwater collectors, greywater systems, and a community garden. You can track its construction, as well as as some delicious recipes, on their official site.
Runners Up:
After being laid off in 2008, Ian Gaffney and Samantha Abrams started a small business producing delicious vegan, raw, and allergen-free foods. They were quickly growing and needed to build capacity in order to expand. They started an IndieGoGo campaign to reconfigure their infrastructure, rebrand, and repackage their product. They now operate in over 25 U.S. states and are still growing!
Thanks to funds from IndieGoGo this unique bakery in New York City now provides delicious baked goods, employs community members (a community which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the city), and helps fund the operations of a local soup kitchen. This is a small business with a big social impact!
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SMALL BUSINESS:
This local mother-owned pregnancy, birth, and early parenting resource center has been serving parents of all walks of life for almost 25 years! Recently, due to economic hardship, it seemed like they would have to close. Thanks to their successful IndieGoGo campaign, they've raised enough money to keep the doors open and continue to offer their resources to the community.
Runners Up:
Staying open through the economic crisis in Greece and the new digital-economy has been a challenge, but this bookstore continues to evolve its model to include an in-house publishing outfit and a literary festival. This small business successfully raised funds on IndieGoGo, allowing them to renovate their shop interior, transform a terrace into a flexible retail and performance space, and bring in a fresh stock of books to improve inventory.
This campaign is funding the startup costs of creating a social enterprise that will transform the lives of marginalized "untouchable" caste women in India. By designing and offering handmade heirloom baby blankets as perks, they've managed to exceed their goal, putting them one step closer to achieving this impactful venture.
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TECHNOLOGY:
This video accessory for your smartphone has the capacity to follow your movements – a kind of robotic tripod! After being rejected by Venture Capitalists and banks this team decided to fundraise through an IndieGoGo campaign. Now called the Swivl, this successful product has blown-up and will begin selling in Apple stores soon!
Runners Up:
In a year full of 3D Printers, eMAKERshop made one of the most portable 3D printers accessible and affordable to the general public for the first time. Because of their innovative design and proven track record they raised over $150,000.
The Fayetteville Free Library Fabrication Laboratory is an ambitious open space which gives the public access to a cutting-edge 3D-printer workstation. This space equips people to innovate, create, and fabricate 3D objects. The campaign wants to expand the spaces toolkit to include more 3D printers, a CNC router, a Lazor Cutter and a MAC lab.
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SPORTS:
The Villanova sailing team is a club team – this means they receive limited resources and funds from their university. This year they raised $8,000 on IndieGoGo to support the program and keep the team competitive.
Runners Up:
Carnegie Mellon- Quidditch Team
Quidditch isn't just for wizards anymore! Carnegie Mellon University has a quidditch team and needed to raised funds to go to the Quidditch World Cup. Through IndieGoGo, they've secured over $250 per player to allow their team to travel from Pittsburgh to New York to compete.
The Vanuatu Men's National Hockey Team is composed of 16 young men from the South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu.Thanks to the over $6,000 they've raised through IndieGoGo they were able to compete at the Oceania Pacific Cup in Suva, Fiji for the very first time!
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ALSO SEE:
Year in Review Part I: Best Creative Campaigns
Year in Review Part II: Best Cause Campaigns
Year in Review Part IV: Best of the Rest
