Kickstarter

Inventors of every kind know about the trials and tribulations associated with financing their projects. While it is frustrating to be so passionate about an idea - but be roadblocked by the inability to fund its production, I recently came across a resource that may be of some use called Kickstarter.

Kickstarter calls itself a "funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, investors, explorers..."

This innovative website, which is based in Brooklyn and was founded by five men residing across the U.S., gives creative people the opportunity to put their ideas out there, get funding, and yet, still maintain 100% ownership and control of their ideas and inventions. Although some aspects of the process are a little daunting - it's all or nothing (i.e. if an artist needs $5,000 in funding and only $4,999 is pledged, that artist gets nothing) - this resource is a novel approach for inventors struggling to find a way to fund their projects.

Current popular projects that have received over 100% funding include: "Designing Obama" (a book of art and design from Obama's campaign), "Robin Writes a Book" (A detective story set halfway between San Francisco and the Internet), "OpenIndie: 100 Pioneering Filmmakers Embrace Modern Cinema" (a project for a user generated film screening website), and "Poorcraft: A Comic Book Guide to Frugal Urban and Suburban Living."

Read more about this exciting resource here.