Top 10 Austin Kickstarter campaigns of 2015

It’s been a good couple years at Kickstarter. The crowdfunding site is the cradle of life for so many startups, born from the projects that reach their fundraising goals through pledges from the site’s donors.

 

In 2014, those pledges came from 3.3 million users in almost every country on the planet. LeVar Burton headed up one of the most successful campaigns, raising $5 million to revive the beloved children’s series he hosted, Reading Rainbow, for another generation.

 

In honor of setting records, here are the top 10 Austin-based tech projects whose Kickstarter campaigns smashed their goals in 2015. We’ve ranked them by percent funding, a measure of how dramatically they surpassed their goal. Here are the top 10—and here’s to setting our sights even higher in 2016.

 

Goal: $50,000

Amount raised: $86,733

Percent funded: 173%

 

Lynx Laboratories used their campaign to build a 3D motion capture camera. Turns out success breed more success—they were acquired late last month by Occipital, which develops 3D motion capture software. The entire Lynx team will join Occipital in Boulder, CO. 

 

Goal: $50,000

Amount raised: $95,783

Percent funded: 192%

 

The first of several slick music tech items on our list, the Parva Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer blends analog sound synthesis with digital controls. Control it with any class-compliant USB MIDI keyboard and Parva’s on-board, high-visibility OLED display.

 

Goal: $100,000

Amount raised: $199,988

Percent funded: 200%

 

It’s not surprising Gest doubled its goal. It’s a subtle wearable for wirelessly controlling mobile devices and desktops with a sci-fi vibe—think of the gestures from Minority Report.

 

Goal: $5,000

Amount raised: $14,055

Percent funded: 281%

 

Let's get this out of the way: It’s pronounced “mill tone.” And it might be the coolest piece of music tech to come out of Austin this year. And that’s a close contest, after Parva’s sleek, brushed aluminum finish and the rows of soft and glowing buttons on Livid Instruments’ MIDI controllers.

 

The m!lTone is part Parva MIDI controller, part theremin. Program a tone and use the distance sensor to play the instrument without touching it. For an instrument that sounds like the wave of the future, its gorgeous wood finish gives it a decidedly old world look.

Goal: $20,000

Amount raised: $64,144

Percent funded: 321%

 

If you’re a musician with long-distance collaborators, JamBlaster might be the tool that finally lets you have virtual band practice. Just plug your instrument and headphones into the audio interface and connect it to your mobile device, and JamBlaster will sync you up with your bandmates in real time. It’s good as a lightweight, low-frills recording setup, too.

 

Goal: $40,000

Amount raised: $145,170

Percent funded: 363%

 

Ah, Livid Instruments. We never get tired of admiring your gear. Each instrument’s a work of art the size and weight of a child’s toy—but don’t underestimate their power. The Minim may be the cutest of them all, but as you’ll see in the demo video, it’s more than capable equipment for grooving on the go.

 

Goal: $70,000

Amount raised: $296,588

Percent funded: 424%

 

This solar-powered battery pack will power anything with a USB cable, plus provide light for an entire week. The battery and solar panel come in two sizes, so you can gear up with the kit that’s right for your next adventure.

 

Goal: $7,500

Amount raised: $33,632

Percent funded: 448%

 

Laurie Frick is an artist whose work explores neuroscience and personal data gathering, often turning it into captivating visuals. Her Kickstarter campaign funded the development of FRICKbits, a free iPhone app that will make the visuals automatically using location data by tracking your movements. Frick argues your device and the apps on it are tracking you anyway—you might as well use that data to make something beautiful.

 

Goal: $25,000

Amount raised: $162,598

Percent funded: 650%

 

If you find yourself using a Windows machine or fixing them for relatives, Jumpshot has a useful—and adorable—tool for you. The company’s diagnostic software promises to eliminate bloatware, spyware and viruses to improve your PC’s performance. Best of all, it’s sold on USB drives fashioned after a cast of cartoonish characters with names like Kobayashi (a sleepy looking, virus-killing ninja), Officer Pete (diagnostic cop) and Sir Jeffrey (a blue… squid?).

 

Goal: $50,000

Amount raised: $454,976

Percent funded: 910%

 

Everyone’s in a race to make the next great leap in Internet of Things, a blanket term rapidly expanding to cover every tool, toy and trinket that can connect to the web and each other. WigWag may have the coolest offering in Austin.

 

The WigWag sensor block can detect vibration, temperature, humidity, sound, infrared, ambient light and more, with inputs for additional sensors the company plans to roll out in the future, including moisture sensors for your plants.

 

The data collected by the block becomes input to be collected and used to trigger programmable actions by other devices and online services using WigWag’s intuitive mobile interface.