We have finished editing the video for Kickstarter. I look and sound ridiculous so you’ll at least get a laugh out it!

Today I was hoping to complete the Kickstarter project submission. It has been quite some time since I logged into the Kickstarter account. Some new steps have been added.

In particular there are some more requirements for Product Design projects. Here are the main requirements that have been added since I last looked :

  • “Product simulations are prohibited. Projects cannot simulate events to demonstrate what a product might do in the future. Products can only be shown performing actions that they’re able to perform in their current state of development.”
  • “Photorealistic product renderings are prohibited. Renderings that could be mistaken for finished products are prohibited. Sketches, technical drawings, CAD designs, and other parts of the design process are permitted.”
  • “Projects must have at least a functional prototype before launching on Kickstarter.”
HiLO Lens is well advanced so I don’t think this will be a problem. Our video does include renderings – but they show the same thing as the prototype so I hope that is not a problem. They are not what I would call photorealistic renderings – but that is up for interpretation. If it is an issue then we can edit the video.
There is also a new “Identity verification” step where it seems I need to enter a US home address. This is a major issue because I am not resident in the US. In the past Kickstarter were comfortable with someone living outside of the USA using a USA based company to create an Amazon Payments account.
This might be a big step backwards if after all this exercise we can’t launch a Kickstarter campaign unless the person leading the project is physically in the USA.
I wish we had not lost so much time with the earlier prototypes because Kickstarter is a moving target…