The beauty of crowdfunding.
I’ve got a to-do list a mile long, a sick toddler who has alternated between limpeting to me all day and throwing anything in sight and four loads of washing that won’t fold itself (and that’s without even mentioning the emails I owe replies to… #sorry).
Today was a really tough mum / business owner day.
But, I’ve finished the day in happy tears, contrary to every expectation — and I thought that I’d just explain why.
Today, a little startup named adaptdefy launched their Kickstarter campaign [full disclosure: we’ve assisted from the sidelines, asking questions, providing encouragement / prompts / suggestions and sharing what we know about crowdfunding campaigns].
As of tonight — 13 hours after launching — they’re at over two-thirds of their NZD$15,000 goal.
Now, the process of crowdfunding is always cool. And the sentiment that comes with it is pretty special.
But these guys? These guys are the Real. Freakin’. Deal. They have created what (I think) we will look back on as a piece of world-leading kiwi ingenuity. Their product? The LapStacker™ — a retractable strap system for wheelchair users.
Basically — as Mike explained it to me — if you’re a wheelchair user, you drop shit. All the time. At the supermarket, at home, crossing the street, boarding a flight, picking up your takeaways. And, that’s incredibly disempowering. In Mike’s words (the first time I met him), “Erin, you just feel disabled.”
He had me sold and we — of course — leapt on board to play a small supportive role.
So, why have I got emotional about their success tonight? (In all honesty, not helped by Ted not sleeping past 4am any morning this week!). But, more seriously, it’s because it’s about the power of the crowd.
Mike, Tim & Tim have taken a really simple idea, worked unbelievably hard on it and then taken it to the world. And, the world likes it. That — that — is the power of crowdfunding.
Adaptdefy’s mission is to bring freedom and confidence to millions of wheelchair users around the world. Mike’s own story is both equal parts inspirational, tragic and motivating (he doesn’t know this, but I am SO glad I stalked him online after meeting him, because I’m not sure I would have kept it together otherwise).
I, personally, am lucky to have full mobility. A LapStacker™ isn’t something I need today — but that’s not to say that a) I’ll never need it and b) I don’t have friends and colleagues who could do with this nifty little tool to make their lives a fraction easier. And, given that 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability (according to the World Health Organisation) — and approximately 10% of those people require a wheelchair (which also isn’t to say that they have one, but that’s another conversation) — it’s awesome to see a company like adaptdefy leading the way to increase freedom for wheelchair users and providing a platform for those who have defied the odds.
So, I come back to today’s emotions. We’ve worked on a number of campaigns and I’m always guilty of signing up emotionally — but, for me, today just highlighted the power of the crowd. $10K in the first day says that people are excited. They’re ready for this. They need it.
And, it makes me wonder — how many more hurdles, barriers and hoops would the adaptdefy team have had to jump through if crowdfunding wasn’t an option? Obviously, the lost / gained opportunity cannot be quantified exactly, but — for me — there is truly magic in a process that enables a well-prepared, researched and highly competent team to come direct to market.
Here’s to more of this in 2019!
In the meantime, read more about the LapStacker™ here & follow along with adaptdefy’s journey.
And, if you’re inspired to launch your own crowdfunding campaign, we’d love to chat!