Key Takeaways
- Crowdfunding platforms, like Kickstarter, can raise money from a large number of people and launch new businesses.
- Five founders who got their start on the platform share their best business advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Want to start a business, but not sure how to finance your idea?
You’re not alone: Running out of cash can be a major hurdle for entrepreneurs — and contributes to the nearly 20% of small businesses that fail within one year of launch.
Fortunately, there are many paths to funding, like raising venture capital, securing small business loans and initiating crowdfunding campaigns, which raise money for a business from a large number of people who typically don’t expect a financial return on their investment.
Kickstarter is one of the leading crowdfunding platforms for entrepreneurial endeavors: It’s helped successfully fund more than 290,000 projects with over $9 billion pledged from about 25 million backers.
Entrepreneur sat down with five entrepreneurs who used Kickstarter to help launch their businesses, all of which have generated millions, to hear some of their best business advice.
Jake Miller, founder and CEO of Fellow
Fellow is a nine-figure company dedicated to providing customers with the products, guidance and coffee to level up their home-brewing routines.
The company launched its Kickstarter campaign in 2013 and used it to fund its first product, the Duo Coffee Steeper.
Miller’s advice: “You have to believe in your heart that there is a product-market fit, that what you want to bring to life should exist and is solving a real problem. That’s what will help you push through the inevitable rejections, saying, The world needs this. I don’t care how many nos I get. I don’t care if I get laughed at. I’m going to keep going.”
Gabe Coyne, founder and CEO of Host Modern
Host Modern is a cookware and serveware brand that generated more than $2 million in sales in just six months.
Host Modern’s Kickstarter campaign brought in $120,000, helping the business launch on Shopify by the end of the year, then see another $600,000 in pre-order sales. Those pre-orders grew to $1.5 million before the product shipped the following spring.
Coyne’s advice: “So many people get so obsessed with their idea, or they think they have such a great idea and they immediately just go start building it like it’s going to be magic. Never believe that if you build it, they will come. Go make sure somebody wants that thing.”
Kristian Tapaninaho and Darina Garland, co-founders and CEOs of Ooni
Ooni is a pizza oven company that boasts $200 million in revenue.
The co-founders launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their first product in November 2012. The campaign paid off, raising £17,136 from 142 backers (roughly $27,000 at the time), exceeding the initial goal of £7,500.
Tapaninaho’s advice: “Get feedback, but on very specific areas, not necessarily for the whole idea. What is it you really need in order to help build it? Are you really sure there’s a customer for it? What is the unique proposition you have in the market?”
Garland’s advice: “Sadly, what you don’t think of much as an entrepreneur at the beginning is IP and protection. We won quite a lot of awards [in the] early days, and [the prize money] was all spent on IP. Protect what you own.”
Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBar
IQBar is a plant-based protein bar company that saw its fourth straight 100%-plus growth year in 2025 and will close out with more than nine figures in revenue.
The business launched with a Kickstarter and sold about $75,000 worth of product — generating significant revenue from the outset.
Nitze’s advice: “Keep your team lean as long as you possibly can. More people will not only add cost, but they will also make you move slower, not faster. The caveat here, of course, is that everyone on your team needs to be an animal (yourself included), and you need to augment with great third parties. We’ll do nine figures in revenue this year with just eight employees. It can be done.”
Key Takeaways
- Crowdfunding platforms, like Kickstarter, can raise money from a large number of people and launch new businesses.
- Five founders who got their start on the platform share their best business advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Want to start a business, but not sure how to finance your idea?
You’re not alone: Running out of cash can be a major hurdle for entrepreneurs — and contributes to the nearly 20% of small businesses that fail within one year of launch.
