From sock-of-the-month clubs to lady bow ties, the next big thing is why we get out of bed every day. But even the most brilliant business needs cold hard cash to get off the ground.
Click through for thirteen start-ups we bet will thrive this year, all culled from our favorite biz-boosting site, Kickstarter.
Filmmaker and 2010 Sundance Film Festival fellow Adele Romanski’s forthcoming flick follows a lovesick couple’s breakup, makeup, and poorly timed camping trip.
Screen the preview and donate at kickstarter.com.
Connecticut illustrator Chris Piascik committed to a drawing every weekday for four years. The resulting tome promises a mix of random doodles, short-lived mantras, and hilarious personal confessions.
Donate at kickstarter.com.
Throw a handful of NPR-loving storytellers, including a former French Vogue editor and Savannah, Georgia-born playwright, on a 1975 school bus trucking through Appalachia, and this is what you get. Help them take their travels nationwide.
Sign up for the mailing list at theunchainedtour.org.
Just when you thought Siri was the coolest, your iPhone went sun powered — with help from this nifty sleeve. (Gotta love the pop-off color bumpers, too.)
Check out the prototypes (and reserve one) at kickstarter.com.
This spring the SCAD-trained design duo (who have already charmed us with teacup lights and interior design services) breathe new life into a would-be Brooklyn parking lot using only their bare hands and heads full of smart design tricks.
Get a sneak peek at the progress on Facebook.
We were thrilled to give the Chicago-based label some love (and a Kickstarter boost) just before the holidays. Thanks to a successful project, it has the new loom to take the brand to the next level.
Shop them at aportashop.com.
Finally, a carb binge we can sink our sweet tooth into. Cali baker Akiva Resnikoff’s cookies are blended to cure what ails you (caffeinated Awaken Baked for the drowsy, hangover-helping ginger Snap Back).
Donate at kickstarter.com.
Ecofriendly fashion whiz Suzanne Rae is anything but crunchy, so we’re gunning for her big break. Act fast: Her project ends today, and she’s gifting supporters with everything from sketches to front-row runway seats.
Donate at kickstarter.com.
The design mag-worthy building sets for tykes come courtesy of a gent who grew up playing with Charles Eames prototypes. (The slotted wooden panels and wheels are so sleek, you’ll think twice about gifting them to your niece.)
Get in on the fun (and reserve a set) at kickstarter.com.
Modern takes on traditional Japanese playing cards are sure to catch on big — especially given how pretty they are. Play games ranging from Koi-Koi (a Hawaii-loved matching game) to blackjack.
Pony up and donate at kickstarter.com.
Founder Britta Riley has come a long way since her DIY hydroponic contraptions caught our attention last January. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter project (now fully funded), she’s on her way to nonprofit status and hopes to start shipping kits nationwide later this year.
Reserve one at windowfarms.org.
Sustainable Bay Area food activist Liz Snyder’s mission: to bring her fruit- and honey-sweetened frozen treats to the world via a fleet of bicycle-powered ice cream carts. Support her goal of bringing more “happy, healthy, crap-free childhoods” to kids nationwide.
Donate at kickstarter.com.
Pastry dynamo Katie Rosenhouse has slung sweets for everyone from acclaimed chef David Burke to the Food Network. We’re champing at the bit to support her newest concoction: a custom dessert business baking up caramel pecan brownies, mini whoopie pies, and beyond.
Donate at kickstarter.com.
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