Interesting Kickstarter Startups: Where Are They Now?

Every time I receive an email from Kickstarter about a new project that is looking for funding, I like to check out what offers are available and how many others have been backing to show their support. I have seen so many entrepreneurs and some of the most unique ideas on Kickstarter. (Yes, and some that really make you think, "Why in the world??") Then there are the times you find something that really stands out. You just know this thing is going to be on all of the shelves and everybody will be fighting for it on Black Friday. (Or Cyber Monday.) So, the best thing to do is invest and back the project and hope you see the creator succeed and meet their goal. (Kickstarter is pretty much all or nothing so, it gets a little nervewracking watching some projects go down to the wire!)

I've backed so many different types of projects on this site. It's a little addicting! Sometimes I forgot I even backed a project and then I find whatever my reward was in my mailbox a year or 2 later. Here are some of the rewards I wish I had known about before their campaigns ended: 

Exploding Kittens 

Ok, of course, I don't really want to see kittens explode and I'm sure nobody else really does either. Well, I guess 219,382 people would like to see it because Exploding Kittens is the most backed project of all time! (It is just a deck of cards so it isn't really exploding kittens. I swear!) 

Elan Lee, Matthew Inman, and Shane Small came up with the idea for this game and the original goal was $10,000. I bet they didn't expect to see the $8.7 million they ended up receiving in this clever 30-day project. This project ended in 2015 but you can visit their website and purchase the game itself, expansion packs, various swag, and new games. I think it's safe to say that this simple card game exploded into a fairly big kitten empire! 

Ouya 

Ouya is another project that really took off. Bringing in over $8 million on Kickstarter back in 2012, they are still around today. The only problem is that they aren't selling on their website. They last updated their Twitter account in April of 2017 and suggested that fans purchase parts needed from third-party sellers. 

Ouya is a video game console that doubles as a dev kit which means the user can create their own video games right from their Ouya console! (Kind of like a startup within a startup.) The creators or Ouya also brought Jambox to the mix. 

This seems like it should have done really well. It made the list of some of the best Kickstarter projects of all time but if you check the Ouya social media pages, there are a lot of disgruntled customers. Hopefully, somebody else picks up on this idea because $8 million isn't really chump change. 

I have to wonder if the Ouya game console/dev kit would have seen a lot more success had the creators studied at Kalu Yala...

Coolest Cooler

The Coolest Cooler also made it on the of the best Kickstarter projects and Time magazine named it"Innovation of the Year". Their Kickstarter campaign raked in over $13 million and you can still buy The Coolest Cooler online. 

So now you're asking, "What exactly is The Coolest Cooler?" Well, it's a cooler that comes with everything you need for tailgating, picnics, or hosting in your backyard. They come equipped with a blender, removable waterproof Bluetooth speakers, a cooler divider, cutting board, USB charger, LED lid light, bottle opener, integrated storage for plates and utensils. Maybe you're wondering, "Are people really buying these things?" The answer is, yes. Yes indeed they are still in business, still selling, and still active online. Matter of fact, they're having a sale right now!

If you want to check out some more fascinating startups and you finished the Kickstarter lists, don't forget to look into Shark Tank too! If you're thinking of the best thing that millions of people can't live without, you may want to look into Kalu Yala and apply for a scholarship that could help you get closer to your big dreams!

Help! My Internet Is Down!

One of the most frightening things that happen these days, sadly, is when the internet goes down. Of course, it isn't an emergency but, it is terribly annoying when you have a gazillion bills to pay, emails to open and reply to, several blog posts, scheduled social media posts, grocery orders, homeschool lessons, and you need to put money on your school kid's lunch accounts and check their grades.

Unfortunately, we seem to rely on the internet a little too much. Although, a lot of places, including schools, make it difficult not to. I also rely on it as a full-time job so it is necessary to have reliable service.

Verizon cell phone data is available but for a pretty hefty price. We do have data on our plan but my husband uses the majority of this while driving truck. He needs it to access maps, check traffic situations, most of the brokers and companies he deals with use some sort of website for everything. So, the leftover data allowance isn't much.

I tried to salvage what I could so I could check in on social media accounts, catch a few Pokemon, and check in with my internet service provider to see what kind of progress was being made on the outage. We have been having outages quite a bit lately. Since last fall to be exact. So, I'm in the market for a new provider. We live in a very rural area so we don't have much to choose from. matter of fact, we have just 2 options. (We had just one option until about a year ago.)

The kids have been a little annoyed due to not having access to certain games, apps, Youtube, and Instagram accounts, (Our 10-year-old was recently allowed to create an Instagram.) Apparently, this was only for her to follow One Direction and everybody in One Direction and post pictures of none other than, One Direction. She does manage to fit in a few minutes a day to message a couple of her friends, though! But when they start asking things like, "What are we supposed to do?" (Actually, it's more like, "WAT are we supposed to doooooowhohoooo?") I start to think that maybe they're on to much.

We do have times they are allowed to be online and there are "no screen times" each day and at meals. But, if they seriously can't find something to do with their time when the internet is down, it makes me think I should cut that time in half yet again. I mean, after all, I found plenty to do when I was a kid without internet!

Times are different and most kids have learning apps and even their schools have different websites and accounts to log onto. They read books on their tablets nowadays and can even play video games. They can chat with friends who live far away or just across town. This all got me thinking of each individual activity that is done online and what could replace it offline?

It is very hard to replace everything since it seems to be so hard to find a house phone that isn't being used as just a fax. I haven't even seen a pay phone in years! Letter writing is nice but we can't mail to an @ symbol. We need a physical address. (Pen pals are being worked on, though!) Video games can be played on a console or in the form of board games, card games, or any of the other several games we have. (We love board games and cards at our house!) Books and research, well, I am not particularly fond of eBooks so we have an extensive, physical library inside the house. Research is done often online since I haven't purchased a new set of encyclopedias in many years. There are plenty of toys here, plenty of crafts, we all love to bake and cook so we have that too! (If the weather was nicer outside, they'd be out there digging holes and drawing with sidewalk chalk.) I decided to add more things to our "power is out" or "the internet is out" bins.

We have a toy bench filled to the brim with board games and cards. There are some crafts in there as well. Then there is a massive bin filled with googly eyes, paper, crayons, colored pencils, various pipe cleaners, pom poms, paints, foam stickers, fabric paints, everything and anything that can be used to occupy kids of all ages. My favorite would be the drawer in the end table that has every set of Rory's Story Cubes ever created, tons of National Geographic books and Mad Libs and a few Farmers Almanacs. Believe it or not, that is the most used drawer in the whole house.

Even when the internet is up and running, the most fun times at our house are family time. Whether that is just watching movies, baking cookies, or playing games, it really doesn't matter.

What are some fun things you do when the power is out or you don't have WiFi?