Geek Girl Report: From E-watches to 3D Printers – The Most Successful Kickstarter Technology Campaigns

I've spoken about the incredibly popular crowd-funding platform Kickstarter before, and how much I love the idea of thousands of people coming together to support a good cause or new endeavor. One of the biggest projects to come across the site, and social media as well, has been the return of Reading Rainbow, the well-loved PBS program that championed literacy and encouraged kids everywhere to love reading. The project aimed to raise one million dollars. The total amount raised so far is over 4.5 million dollars. And with 1 day still left in the campaign and over 96,000 backers, the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter is the most popular, and is on track to being one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever.

So that begs the question: what are some other incredibly successful Kickstarter campaigns? Since this is the Geek Girl Report, we'll just be focusing on the technology-based projects. And fortunately, these also happen to be the biggest successes and biggest money-makers on the site.

Pebble

Goal: $100,000
Total Pledged: $10,266,845
Reached Goal In: 37 days

By and large, the Pebble smartwatch is the most well-funded project in Kickstarter's history. In a nutshell, Pebble syncs up with your iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to see when you receive phone calls, texts, and E-mails, all without checking your phone. It also has its own set of apps, ranging from calendars, to heart rate monitors, and is completely customizable. It was the first smartwatch of its kind, and to date is still the most successful smartwatch on the market, all thanks to Kickstarter.

Ouya

Goal: $950,000
Total pledged: $8,596,474
Reached Goal In: 29 days

Video games aren't cheap to make, and consoles are an even more expensive endeavor. However, Ouya is one of the first console to be successfully crowd-funded. The console operates on Android and prides itself on its open-source, free to play games. (or at least, free to try) Gamers flocked to the console in record time, raising over $2 million dollars on Day One alone, and Ouya was able to hit the shelves. But unlike Pebble, Ouya has not enjoyed the same level of success after Kickstarter, ironically due to the lack of games for the system.

Double Fine's Broken Age

Goal: $400,000
Total Pledged: $3,336,371
Reached Goal In: 33 days

It's not just consoles that Kickstarter has gotten of the ground. Numerous video games, such as the popular 2D-fighter Skullgirls and the recently-released platformer Shovel Knight, owe their existence to their fans and supporters on Kickstarter. One of the biggest games to come out of Kickstarter is Double Fine's Broken Age, a classic point-and-click adventure game in the same vein as Secret of Monkey Island and King's Quest. The game came out to somewhat mixed reviews, but

Form 1 3D Printer

Goal: $100,000
Total Pledged: $2,945,885
Reached Goal In: 30 days

3D printing is finally a reality, but for many it's still either too low-quality or way too expensive. The Form 1 3D Printer looks to be an answer for both parties. It was billed at the first affordable, high-quality 3D printer for professional creators, bringing the power and performance of the large-scale 3D printers to a home desktop. It met with great success on Kickstarter, although the $3,000+ price tag isn't exactly affordable for everyone.