From time to time we love to venture out of the BackerKit HQ and take field trips visiting different creators and communities that shape the crowdfunding landscape. 

Last week we were invited to the SF Hardware Startup Meetup at the Autodesk Gallery located in downtown San Francisco. It was an absolutely beautiful space filled with dozens of inspirational hardware creations. I was invited to the meetup by Kickstarter’s Design and Technology Outreach Lead for the West Coast Clarissa Redwine who organized the event. Her role is to forge relationships with potential partners, speak with influencers about their projects, and host community events.

This meetup was geared towards helping designers, artists, engineers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality. When I arrived, attendees were already networking and mingling while taking advantage of the catered food and drinks. The environment was welcoming and it was easy to strike up conversations. After about an hour, creators had the opportunity to talk about their project on a mic for 2 minutes. Creators lined up and took turns introducing and pitching their ideas. Once everyone was finished, people continued to network honing in on creations that peaked their interest. The format was simple, yet effective.

Each creator had 2 minutes to share their project

There were a wide variety of projects on display, and most of the creators sharing were close to launching a crowdfunding project. I saw many interesting ideas including a smart-folding bicycle, an indoor hydroponic system to grow crops indoors, a fun and colorful memory based cube game called Smart Lumies, and a cute project called LoveBox used to send sweet messages to that special someone. It was an eclectic mix of creations showcasing a wide variety of creative ideas.

Autodesk and Kickstarter are incredibly supportive of the hardware community. Teaming up for this meetup seemed like a natural fit. The format was fun, the attendees were all excited to be there, and the creations on display were impressive. I highly recommend attending this event if you have a project to show off or if you just want to network and gain some insight.

The SF Hardware Startup Meetup is once a month and is almost always a packed event.  If you want to check out the event for yourself, be sure to keep an eye on the official Meetup group.

And be sure to check out our other BackerKit Field Trip Adventures.