If you happen to frequent many bicycle news sites, you may notice that nearly every article about a new product has an associated Kickstarter campaign. And this isn't limited to small upstarts that don't have the capital necessary for development and initial manufacturing. No, even mature companies that already have a solid product line are asking for their customers to plop down money for something that doesn't exist and may not ever exist. Or if it does end up getting to market, it could be very different from what was initially shown. Part of product development is doing market research to make sure you are bringing the right product out at the right time. There is inherent risk to this but you, as a product developer, have to take those risks and believe in your decisions. These Kickstarter campaigns represent companies saying "eh, we aren't sure enough about this to plunk down the cash to do it, but we'll let our customers front us the money." Additionally, making this money so easy to acquire will result in a lot of budding entrepreneurs getting in way over their heads. I learned the hard way there is SO much more to a successful business than the product. In fact, the product is probably 5% of the whole and if you can't manage the big stuff, having the coolest fat-bike on the market won't help you feed your children or pay the rent. Another gripe is why Kickstarter is even necessary for a product that requires zero capital for tooling and related manufacturing costs. I saw a pannier yesterday with a new campaign and had to wonder why the company even needed to use Kickstarter? My guess is that's a great way to get the money in their pockets before committing to anything. Am I jealous Kickstarter wasn't around when I went searching for investment? Hell yes I am!! But I also know that even if I'd been given a $1M through Kickstarter I doubt I would have been successful. You need guidance from people that know business.