10 crowdfunded products that actually delivered on the hype

However, not all hope is lost! Some crowdfunded products didn’t just meet expectations—they knocked it out of the park. From a smartwatch that started a tech revolution to a simple card game that became a cultural phenomenon, these are the crowdfunded projects that actually delivered on their promises—and in some cases, even exceeded them.

Let’s dive into 10 Kickstarter and Indiegogo success stories that proved crowdfunding can work when done right.

1. Pebble Smartwatch

Before Apple and Samsung dominated the smartwatch scene, there was Pebble. It launched on Kickstarter in 2012 and raised over $10 million, making it one of the biggest crowdfunding successes at the time. With its e-paper display, week-long battery life, and smartphone connectivity, Pebble proved the demand for smartwatches. While it was later acquired and discontinued by Fitbit, it set the stage for the smartwatch boom.
📌 Read more

2. Exploding Kittens (Card Game)

This hilarious, cat-themed card game—co-created by The Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman—became the most-backed game on Kickstarter, raising over $8.7 million in 2015. It didn’t just ship on time; it went on to become a global hit, selling millions of copies. If you haven’t played it yet, you’re missing out on some serious fun.
📌 Official site

3. Oculus Rift (VR Headset)

The Oculus Rift campaign raised $2.4 million in 2012, and boy, did it deliver. Facebook (now Meta) saw its potential and bought it for $2 billion, kickstarting (pun intended) the modern virtual reality revolution. Today, Oculus is a leader in consumer VR, proving that this wasn’t just another overhyped tech gadget.
📌 More on Oculus

4. Gravity Blanket

If you’ve ever struggled with sleep or anxiety, you’ve probably heard of weighted blankets. Gravity Blanket turned that niche idea into a blockbuster, raising $4.7 million on Kickstarter in 2017. It became a sensation and is now sold in major retail stores, proving that sometimes, simple ideas work best.
📌 Buy one

5. Critical Role’s Animated Series

The Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role launched a Kickstarter in 2019 to fund an animated special. Fans went wild, throwing in over $11 million, making it the most-funded film project in Kickstarter history. The project exceeded expectations and led to a full-fledged Amazon Prime series.
📌 Watch it on Prime

6. The Coolest Cooler

A cooler with a blender, Bluetooth speakers, a USB charger, and LED lights? Shut up and take my money! That was the internet’s reaction in 2014 when the Coolest Cooler raised $13 million on Kickstarter. Despite some major hiccups in production, it did ship, proving that people love their summer gadgets.
📌 More details

7. Fidget Cube

Before the fidget spinner craze, there was Fidget Cube—a desk toy for restless hands. It became one of the most-backed Kickstarter projects ever, raising $6.4 million in 2016. True to its promise, it shipped successfully, sparking a massive trend in fidget toys.
📌 See it here

8. The Veronica Mars Movie

Fans of the cult TV show Veronica Mars weren’t ready to say goodbye, so they took matters into their own hands. The Kickstarter campaign raised $5.7 million, bringing back Kristen Bell for a feature-length film. It proved that fan-funded media could work, setting the stage for future projects.
📌 Watch it here

9. Gloomhaven (Board Game)

For hardcore board game fans, Gloomhaven is legendary. It raised $386,000 in 2015, but its sequel campaign smashed records with over $12 million in 2020. With incredible storytelling, deep mechanics, and epic replayability, it became one of the highest-rated board games ever.
📌 Buy it here

10. The Glowing Plant Project

Imagine a houseplant that glows in the dark. That’s exactly what this bioengineered plant promised, raising $484,000 on Kickstarter. While it didn’t glow as brightly as some hoped, it did successfully ship, proving that synthetic biology could create functional bioluminescent plants.
📌 Read more

Crowdfunding is a gamble—some projects soar, others crash and burn. But these 10 success stories prove that with the right idea, the right team, and the right backers, dreams can become reality.

Have you ever backed a crowdfunded product? Let me know which one and how it turned out!