Every day we get to see amazing products come out, but only half of those ever enter the market simply because most of them aren’t able to achieve their funding goals.
Hello and welcome to our channel, today I am going to talk about the five products we can’t believe didn’t meet their crowdfunding goals.
The Bixpy Jet
The revolutionary Bixpy Jet was set to change the way we experience the water forever. Whether riding a kayak or stand-up paddleboard, this compact water propulsion gadget could be readily mounted to your vessel. The addition of the Bixby Jet to your arsenal would have opened up previously inaccessible avenues of exploration. Envision yourself zipping along the water at speeds up to 7 mph on Bixpy’s powerful propulsion system. It would give you the ability to swim against the tide, discover new places, and go where no one has gone before. The many features of this flexible and modular device were carefully designed with you in mind.
The Bixpy Jet stood out since it could be used with any small boat or paddleboard. Adding the Bixpy Jet to your kayak or paddleboard would have given you a noticeable performance boost without the expense of purchasing a new vessel. This state-of-the-art tool had been put through extensive testing, with each iteration leading to further improvements in performance. According to the production company, 500 jets needed to be made for the entire project to be feasible. For that purpose, the producers started a crowdfunding campaign. During the campaign, the producers were able to get 165 backers with an average pledge of $570 from each backer. Unfortunately, that left them roughly $30,000.00 short of their $125,000.00 goal. After 35 days, the campaign was cancelled.
The IgniteX JS6
The IgniteX JS6 was a revolutionary tool that every vehicle owner should have in their toolkit. This all-in-one tool is designed to help you tackle any roadside emergency with ease. The device included essential tools such as a flashlight, a seatbelt cutter, a glass breaker, and a rechargeable battery. Additionally, the JS6 was equipped with powerful magnets that allow you to mount it on any metal surface and work hands-free.
One of the unique features of the IgniteX JS6 was its modular design. The device came with a set of interchangeable heads that can be swapped out depending on your needs. For example, you can switch from a flathead screwdriver to a Phillips head screwdriver or change the hex driver to a socket driver. This makes the JS6 incredibly versatile and ensures that you always have the right tool for the job. Whether you are changing a tire, fixing an engine problem, or simply need a flashlight, the JS6 had you covered. Unfortunately, the IgniteX JS6 fell well short of its goal of just $5,000. The 11 backers who were interested in the project contributed an average of $244 per person. This equated to only 53% of the overall goal, and after 30 days, the campaign was cancelled.
The Grasp Lock
From 2014 to 2016, a group of Waterloo Engineering alums worked on creating a revolutionary “smart bike lock” called the Grasp Lock.
The unique locking mechanism is what made this smart bike lock stand out from the competition. It looked a lot like a U-lock, but it wasn’t made out of the standard U-shaped shackle and a straight crossbar. Instead, it was constructed out of two spring-loaded, hinged “claws”, that would open when pushed against your bike frame and then snap shut when the lock was wrapped around the immovable object.
It was a classy alternative to the typical method of locking your bike. Your bike could be secured with a single, swift thrust of the lock. When you release the Grasp Lock, it would immediately secure itself. The base of the lock featured a biometric fingerprint sensor that managed this. The sensor, which is conveniently located where your thumb naturally rests when you grab the lock’s base, can identify your thumbprint among a database of up to 20 users. So, by simply grasping the base, it became accessible. The lock would self-lock when the button was released. Classy!
The Grasp Lock was designed to revolutionize bike security. And it did so in a way that we’ve rarely seen before: by providing one of the most elegant answers to the common problems associated with locking mechanisms. Unfortunately, despite its many features, the Grasp lock feel 2% short of their funding goal. During the campaign, the creators were able to amass 530 backers with an average pledge of $140 per backer. They raised $74,067 of their $75,000 goal during the 60-day campaign. Afterwards, the project was cancelled.
The Haven Home Lock
Some people don’t take deadbolts seriously because they believe that nothing can stop a determined thief. Haven seemed to disagree. The company explained that “weak” locks are the main cause of successfully forced intrusions. As a result, they developed a new benchmark for your home’s weak access points: the Haven Smart Lock, a gadget that bypasses the lock altogether.
The Haven Smart Lock is a strip made of steel, glass, reinforced nylon, and aluminum that is mounted inside the door’s threshold. It was designed to function like a doorjamb, pressing against the door while locked and releasing when the door is opened. This Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled device was compatible with Android, iOS, and wearable devices. The lock could also be opened manually from the inside in case of an emergency. With this lock, you and your loved ones would have always had unrestricted access to your home, without having to worry about losing or forgetting keys. This Smart Lock ran on batteries and had backup relays in case the power went out or the internet connection was lost. Haven was also working on support for the Nest Developer Program and Apple’s iOS 8 HomeKit.
During a 31-day crowdfunding campaign, the Haven Home Lock received support from 469 backers, with an average pledge of $248 per backer. Sadly, this was short of their $150,000 goal. The campaign was ended due to unsuccessful funding.
The Motus
The Motus was the perfect solution for anyone who loves to capture videos using their smartphone while performing some action. It was a smart robot cameraman, designed to follow you wherever you go and capture your movements in real-time. It was easy to use and could be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Once connected, you could set the device to track your movements automatically and capture photos and videos from different angles. To ensure you got the perfect shot every time, the had a lightweight tag that would send cues to your phone’s camera, letting to know where to focus, when to zoom in and out, and where to track. And with its robotic arm, you never had to worry about holding the phone.
The Motus also came with the ability to allow you to customize your shots, and add a professional touch to your videos. It came with a variety of shooting modes such as portrait, landscape, and action, which allowed you to capture different types of videos with ease. Additionally, the device was compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry around with you wherever you go. Whether you are a professional videographer or someone who loves to capture everyday moments, the Motus was the perfect tool to help you take your videos to the next level. Unfortunately, during a 30-day crowdfunding campaign, the motus was only able to raise $40,336 of it’s $45,000 goal. 129 backers signed up for the project with an average pledge of $313 per backer. This left the Motus 11% short of its funding goal.
Conclusion
How would the world look today if any of these gadgets had reached their crowd funding goals? We can only imagine. One thing is for certain though, we will be keeping an eye out on the crowdfunding platforms to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
