2021 left us seeking ways to settle into being perpetually unsettled. Backers around the globe navigated returns to offices, classrooms, and social lives, and for many, those aspects of their lives are permanently changed. So how did that affect crowdfunding this year? What happened on the Indiegogo platform in 2021? What did backers come together to fund and what did their behavior collectively indicate? We dug into the data to find out how backers engaged with campaigns and some clear trends emerged. 

Here are some of our top takeaways from 2021.

Home products were 2021’s biggest winner

Home products were our overall most funded category on Indiegogo this year. Not only that, but 40% of our top 10 InDemand products of 2021 were for the home. We had a lot of amazing home products find their footing on Indiegogo this year. Bird Buddy, a smart bird feeder that alerts you of avian visitors and captures bird photos, raised over $8M USD. BeYou, a transforming chair that allows you to sit in 10 different positions, raised $3.7M USD. (Be sure to also check out four tips from the BeYou creators on working from home comfortably.) Pepper Cannon, a pepper mill for pepper lovers who really want to kick things up a notch, raised $3M USD. Deeper Network’s Decentralized VPN & Firewall raised $2.7M USD. Mella, the smart mushroom fruiting chamber, grows gourmet mushrooms for its users and raised $550K USD. In 2021, people spent a lot of time at home. The home also became the office and the classroom, so it makes sense that backers wanted to outfit their spaces with the best tech to make their surroundings comfortable and convenient.

Campaigners relaunched on Indiegogo in a big way

This was a year of many standout relaunches on Indiegogo. We had a ton of Indiegogo cult favorite campaigners coming back to do new launches for the Indiegogo community. SIRUI, maker of innovative camera lenses and accessories, ran a total of five campaigns in 2021 for its fan favorite camera gear. Their most recent campaign is for the 50mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens. Green tech company GoSun launched its tenth Indiegogo campaign this summer for the GoSun Chillest Solar Cooler. The team behind the Babymaker eBike, Indiegogo’s most funded campaign of 2020, is currently raising funds for the Miles Mini electric skateboard in InDemand. And last month Hyper Products, makers of groundbreaking IT accessories, launched their 19th Indiegogo campaign to date: HyperJuice 245W USB-C Battery Pack & GaN Charger. After building a community and finding a loyal following on Indiegogo, it’s understandable that an entrepreneur would want to return for subsequent launches.

Gamers are our most engaged users

Earlier this year, Indiegogo enhanced its comments features to allow for more engagement on campaign pages. And when it comes to analyzing which projects get the most comments, there was a clear winner: Gaming projects tend to have more comment activities than other campaigns. The two campaigns that received the most comments in 2021 were both gaming consoles: ONEXPLAYER, a handheld gaming console that boasts a 2560 x 1600 resolution, and Ayaneo, a AAA gaming device that offers superior performance. But those aren’t the only gaming campaigns that got people talking. Queeng came back to the platform to launch a multi-ethnic deck of cards where men and women are equal. The Ever Forward Club is an adventure card game from BIPOC creators that teaches kids social and emotional skills. Odin is a gaming handheld that generated a lot of buzz on and off the Indiegogo platform. To join the conversation for these or any other game, check out the tabletop games and video games currently live on Indiegogo. 

Funding for camera gear nearly doubled

2021 was a busy year for content creators, as evidenced by the uptick in camera gear funding on Indiegogo last year. Funds raised for camera gear nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021, raising more than $12.6M USD overall. We only had a few more projects launch in 2021 as compared to 2020, but each project in the camera gear category was more successful on average than 2020. There were a lot of incredible camera gear campaigns that found a community on Indiegogo in 2021. Gitzo, a tripod and camera backpack built to survive the elements, raised $990K. Center Cam, a webcam that sits in the middle of your screen, raised $1.7M. Lumina 4K Webcam, which helps you look your best on every video call, raised $891K. Freewell’s Magnetic VND camera filter, which provides an extended range of exposure values from two to nine stops using only two filters, raised $759K. Alice Camera, an AI camera for content creators that found success, raised $191K thanks in part to the Arrow Certification Program helping the team source parts amidst a global semiconductor shortage. Be sure to check out more Indiegogo camera gear campaigns. 

Campaigns were more likely to hit their funding goals this year

In 2021, campaigns were 3% more likely to hit their fundraising goals than in previous years. We had some truly enormous blockbuster campaigns this last year. VAVA Chroma Triple Laser Projector raised a whopping $7.3M USD last year. Lomi, a countertop gadget that turns waste into compost, raised $7.2M USD. And speaking of repeat campaigners, GPD HK has run 14 gaming  campaigns on Indiegogo and their campaign for the GPD WIN3 raised $4.4M USD. But there were also a lot of smaller campaigns that had great years on Indiegogo. Under the Umbrella, a queer bookstore in Salt Lake City, smashed its campaign goal by raising $54K USD. (You can explore the owner’s LGBTQIA+ book recs here.) The Black Queer Tarot Deck, which features beautiful collage and photography of Black queer people thriving, raised $37K. (Check out our interview with the artist.)  Monch Bar, a snack for dogs on the go, raised $8K, and you can also check out Monch Bar’s five tips for traveling with your dog. Robe Curls, a viral TikTok headband that gives you curls without using heat, raised $17K. (You can also check out this exclusive interview with the Robe Curls creator.) Big or small, thanks to our emphasis on community and our resources for campaigners, Indiegogo is a platform where any kind of project can find success.

WATCH our special Year in Review video where we take a look back at the Top 10 Crowdfunding Campaigns of 2021, along with a few honorable mentions. Did your favorites make the list?

Want to see the rest of our Year in Review? Take a look back at 2021 and read about the year’s top campaigns, our predictions for 2022, and why we dubbed 2021 the Year of the Backer.