Looking Back on a Year of Clever Things for Curious Humans

In 2017, we saw people challenging the status quo and fearlessly speaking up for what they believe in. Indiegogo was built to unify people around ideas that matter to them, and we are thrilled to provide a platform where voices are heard, ideas are launched and dreams are brought to life. Through all the change we’ve seen in 2017, our mission always stayed the same.

While campaigners like Jibo, Mous, Eve V and Travis were busy delivering products to their eager backers, we continued to launch solutions that helped make the road to entrepreneurship a little less rocky, and help backers get their perks faster. We created our very own Entrepreneur Resource Center to provide the support and education campaigners need to succeed at every stage – from prototyping to shipping. We grew our team to connect Fortune 500 companies with their customers. We empowered backers with updated policies, ensuring their voices are heard and that Indiegogo remains a trusted platform for everyone. In line with this, backers found a place to shop for products for the holidays with the launch of our Pop-Up Store for Marketplace products. Finally, we continued to democratize access to finance by launching our first ever ICO sale – bringing cryptocurrency to the masses.

Looking back on this year, we saw almost 2 million backers from 172 countries support a range of different ideas from bat houses to nano drones to bringing the Moomins back to the big screen. We believe this diversity is made possible by building a diverse team at Indiegogo too, so we renewed our commitment to sharing what we’re doing. We’re even taking this commitment beyond Indiegogo, because we believe that the world, and our country, is better when everyone gets a chance to succeed, whether they were born here or not. We spoke out against the travel ban and launched our first ever Indiegogo-run campaign the International Rescue Committee, and we joined the Coalition for the American Dream to protect Dreamers from deportation.

Since our team is what makes us the diverse, inclusive, and empowering platform that we are, we asked them to look back on 2017 and reflect on their favorite campaigns. Read on to learn about the range of ideas that were brought to life on Indiegogo and thanks for joining us in 2017, it was quite a year!

The Year in Numbers

Favorites From Our Team

“We are fortunate to have Project for Awesome come back to Indiegogo every year to raise money for great causes. They’re experts at mobilizing their community for positive change. I love seeing this one every year, and 2017 was no different!”

Adeeti, Campaign Strategy

“There are 1.4 million people in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, but there are ZERO bookstores. One woman launched the Let’s Build A Goddamn Bookstore in the Bronx campaign to change that. Without a team, without outside funding, and without quiting her busy day job, Noelle relentlessly pushed this campaign past its goal.”

Alana, Campaign Strategy

“Who doesn’t love a good pun? The adorable Punny Book Lover Tea campaign brings together two of my favorite things in life: puns and tea. Pippi Oolongstocking. Matcha Do About Nothing. Oliver Lemon Twist. These fun book-themed teas are a great find amongst all of the clever and innovative things on Indiegogo.”

Amy, Marketing

“The title really says it all: Let’s Bring Axe Making Back To Maine. Who knew axe making was a lost art? Plus it’s the coolest perk I’ve ever received: a hand-forged bottle opener in the shape of an axe head. “

Andrew, People Operations

“I loved the ZERA Food Recycler campaign because it turns food scraps into soil in under 24 hours! They’ve sped up the composting process by almost a year.”

Andrew, Enterprise

“Cotopaxi is a B Corp that is not only creating high quality products but also doing so in an impactful way. Their Gear for Good supports entrepreneurs in developing countries and incorporates sustainable materials. They have already delivered most of their Cotopaxi Allpa packs and I LOVE mine!”

Bre, Vertical Team

“Viviva Colorsheets are clever and simple, and the campaign fulfilled on time. The colors are beautiful, and it’s so convenient to be able to watercolor anywhere!”

Caitlin, Business Intelligence

“Sleep is such an important aspect of our life and I’m super excited to see how much positive change the Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds brought to people all over the world trying to get a good night’s sleep. This campaign also marked an historic moment of Bose using our platform to break into the sleep space for the first time in order to make their latest innovation even better for humans.”

E.J., Vertical Team

“Coros helmets puts safety at the forefront of their technology. The OMNI helmet campaign is allowing cyclists to safely maneuver through today’s increasingly congested streets without sacrificing comfort or style.”

Enzo, Vertical Team

“The INSTRUMENT 1 allows me to use my skills as a guitarist to play and compose music with any instrument under the sun.”

Jake, Marketplace

“The 5-part documentary series Line in the Street, highlights the history and political and legal stakes of gerrymandering in Pennsylavania, an issue of vital importance to the future of our democracy.”

Jetti, Design & Research

“I support the Geeks Doing Good organization every year. They’ve raised almost $7 million for the charities they support!”

Joanna, Customer Happiness

“There were so many wonderful campaigns on Indiegogo this year, but I loved the Letter & Ink Pin Project. It was a small but mighty campaign with a story of empowering change while contributing to causes that were being impacted earlier this year (and still are). Not only that, the pins are gorgeous and well-made; they far exceeded expectations!”

Kerry, Trust & Safety

“I backed the Populele campaign in 2017 because I was excited to teach my son (and myself) to play the ukulele! Plus, my son got 5 seconds of fame when an image of him playing the Populele popped up on Indiegogo’s Twitter account.”

Marcus, Finance

“Combining sustainable fashion with the ubiquitous subscription model, Wearwell is my pick of 2017 because it makes it easy to find unique items without compromising your values.”

Mary, InDemand

“My favorite campaign of 2017 is the BatBnB because their team has the X factor I wish more campaigners had: a voracious appetite to educate themselves on how to crowdfund, build a community, launch a business, and save an animal species. They are amazing!”

Sarah, Vertical Team

“When Orly Wahba came to Indiegogo HQ to speak about her project, Kindness Boomerang, her passion and positive mindset really resonated with me; I think she’s supposed to be my spirit guide or something. What she’s doing is inarguably amazing and good.”

Mike, Product & Engineering

“The What the Health documentary entertains, shocks, informs, angers and inspires you. This project has really made difference in people’s lives. It really changed my life; the statistics and insights this movie shared have been invaluable to me.”

Natasha, Marketing

“Shivani realized that word processors just give you a blank page without any goals, encouragement, or suggestions. So she set out to build TheRightMargin, a clean, beautiful writing app that smartly breaks down ambitious writing goals into actionable milestones and tasks.”

Orly, Design & Research

“I loved seeing this project — Maine Girls — from my home state, especially since it was for a documentary film that feels especially important this year: bringing together and empowering girls from many different backgrounds.”

Rebecca, Product & Engineering

“I first saw this project on the Facebook page of one of my favorite DJs, Clozee. Amplify Her is a multi-medium art project (graphic novel, documentary, and animated comic) asking “what unique expression does the feminine have to offer at this time?” about female electronic music artists.”

Sasha, Trust & Safety

“I love seeing musical instruments pop up on Indiegogo. The one that stood out for me in 2017 was the Spolum Drum — an unusual metal instrument that’s halfway between a marimba and a xylophone. Bonus points because it’s the brainchild of a young entrepreneur and his father!”

Shaun, Design & Research

“The beauty industry is a behemoth, but there are movers and shakers out there pushing for inclusivity and changing the beauty standard. Pound Cake is a brand that is setting out to provide the perfect red lipstick for all skin and lip tones, and is challening perceptions of Black women in beauty along the way. It’s so great that they chose Indiegogo for their awesome product launch!”

Siena, Product & Engineering

“As a musician and music-lover, Indiegogo campaigns that help spread the joy of music are some of my favorites. Learning a new instrument is daunting, but the Piano Hi-Lite campaigners were able to give all of their backers the opportunity to create beautiful music. In the end, Indiegogo is all about discovering new opportunities and giving anyone access to great ideas and products.”

Sophia, Marketing

“I contributed to the Torguga 1667 boardgame when it was in InDemand, and since I received the perk a few months later it’s become of my favorite games that I own!”

Sophia, Business Intelligence

“After seeing a Wheelys Cafe in Finland and interviewing the founder, I instantly fell in love with the mission of the company. Anyone can become an entrepreneur with this portable cafe and network of like-minded people!”

Tess, Marketing