As the use of Kickstarter to fund creative projects has increased, so has the use of professional Kickstarter backers. These services provide a way for people with money to pledge to a project in exchange for rewards, without having to go through the hassle of creating and managing a Kickstarter campaign themselves. While some people see this as a positive development that allows more people to get funding for their projects, others worry that it takes away from the grassroots nature of Kickstarter and could lead to projects being funded primarily by a few wealthy individuals.
Kickstarter is a US-based public-benefit corporation that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity and merchandising. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of March 2019, Kickstarter has received more than $4 billion in pledges from 9.4 million backers to fund 445,000 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects. Kickstarter operates on a rewards-based system, where project creators choose a minimum funding goal and deadline. If the goal is not met by the deadline, no funds are collected. Project creators are offered the option of setting up a profile page with information about themselves and their project. They can also offer rewards for different pledge levels, which can include anything from a thank you note to exclusive access to the project or product. Kickstarter takes a 5% fee on the total amount of the project, and a 3% fee for payment processing.
Overall, Kickstarter seems to be a great way for people to get funding for their projects. However, there are some drawbacks, such as the high fees, that people should be aware of before using the service.