Hallelujah—it’s here! Finally, an intelligent twist within the crowdfunding platform that speaks to creators (musicians, filmmakers, software developers, artists, etc.), and aims to put the “$-kaching” back into the hands of developers, versus middlemen. IgnitionDeck is a newly launched WordPress plugin allowing artists to self-fund their projects without asking for permission, or giving away more money than they have to when using a crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter or IndieGogo.
Last week I ran across a post on Facebook talking about IgnitionDeck and instantly became smitten with the “take charge, empowering concept,” so I reached out for a quick “Startup Spotlight Q&A” with the IgnitionDeck Founders—Nathan Hangen and Shawn Christenson. Super smart guys, awesome concept twist—enjoy the Q&A!
1. What is the IgnitionDeck app? Who is the intended, or target audience?
Here. We. Go. IgnitionDeck is a DIY crowdfunding platform for WordPress that installs as a plugin and allows creators to raise money without the restrictions of other platforms. The problem we see with Kickstarter and similar platforms is that if your campaign fails to raise, you end up with zero investment despite the fact that you’ve worked your tail off trying to drive traffic to the Kickstarter site. We’re building IgnitionDeck for those people, and anyone else that wants to crowdfund on their own terms, rather than the terms of the middle man. It’s perfect for musicians, filmmakers, software developers, artists, and anyone else that has something cool to sell.
2. How is IgnitionDeck different from Kickstarter, or other crowdfunding platforms, like IndieGogo?
For starters, it’s the only product of its kind that empowers the creator, rather than the middle man. With ID, the creator is in complete control—they get to drive traffic to their site instead of another platform, get to keep the SEO benefit of linking/sharing, and get to keep all of the money (outside of Paypal’s fees). Another big benefit is that it works outside of the U.S., so anywhere you can use Paypal, you can use IgnitionDeck.
3. Are you the sole Founder/Creator of IgnitionDeck? If not, who are the other team members? Backgrounds?
The team is made of two co-founders, Nathan Hangen & Shawn Christenson, who live in Florida and Alberta, respectively. We both do a little bit of everything, but Shawn, being the better designer by far, does much of the product design, while Nathan focuses heavily on development and product management.
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Welcome to the second installment of ‘The Techie Minute’—a ‘one minute dish’ on tech gossip of the week—like Talk Soup meets MTV News for the tech world. Yes, this is a homemade video—recorded using PhotoBooth, edited using iMovie and Picasa—trying something a little fresh here at HOLLYISCO—a boutique press site covering entertainment technology from Silicon Valley, to Silicon Beach, to Silicon Hills.
HOLLYISCO – The Techie Minute – Video 2
In this video:
BOOTSTRAPPING:
What is ‘bootstrapping’ your business? Bootstrapping is the art of building your business without much external help and on a budget. Two bootstrap concepts introduced this week on “The Techie Minute” are 1) Bootstrap Lighting—for when you don’t have the Hollywood budget, or a P.A., and 2) Bootstrap Branding—how to make a mockup product using just your business card and packing tape only—kaching! The featured mockup product this week on “The Techie Minute” is WineBeer by HOLLYISCO.
THE DISH:
#1. FACEBOOK and the ‘No Email, Email Announcement’
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Welcome to the very first installment of ‘The Techie Minute’—a one minute dish on tech gossip of the week, like Talk Soup meets MTV News for the tech world. Yes, this is a raw, homemade video—we’re trying something a little fresh here at HOLLYISCO—a boutique press site covering entertainment technology from Silicon Valley, to Silicon Beach, to Silicon Hills.
HOLLYISCO – The Techie Minute (Demo)
#1. TechCrunch/AOL Brouhaha
A couple nights ago, I spent some time spinning Turntable.fm—the latest social music site currently in beta. Well, not literally spinning, rather perusing this precious new site and I wound up spending the majority of my time in the “Coding Soundtrack” room developed by Andrew Brackin, a young entrepreneur-coder in South London. It was quite delicious. The “Coding Soundtrack” room had the most visitors that night with a steady stream of social chat in the mix. At last check-in on Turntable.fm just minutes ago, there were 200 visitors in the “Coding Soundtrack” room—up 105 from two nights ago—and yep, the chat stream was still cranking. Turntable.fm hosts a really cool vibe—tune in and take a listen today.
Turntable.fm ‘Coding Soundtrack’ Room Created by Andrew Brackin
“Be fair, don’t spam, no bots, play coding tunes and chill!” — Andrew Brackin
Watch How To Use Turntable.fm—Overview:
HOW TO USE TURNTABLE.FM
Radiohead’s 2000 masterpiece, Kid A, came with a song called “How to Disappear Completely.” On the band’s eighth album, Thom Yorke has a new magic trick up his sleeve. “I will disappear,” he sings. “I will slip into the groove.” Yorke sings that line on a track called “Lotus Flower” over gray electronic scrapple and the iciest version of a good-footin’ James Brown hustle imaginable. It sets the tone for Radiohead’s funkiest record, and one of their most elusive. For these guys, disappearing completely and disappearing into the groove are pretty much the same thing.
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