IndieGoGo raises $15M from Khosla Ventures, doesn’t use Kickstarter to get it
Claire Harlam
IndieGogo has some hopeful investors in its corner, which could mean the crowd-funding platform is developing a competitive edge in its battle with Kickstarter. The IndieGogo vs. Kickstarter question is already interesting. Most filmmakers (or other campaigners) realize that IndieGogo allows them to keep whatever money they raise, unlike Kickstarter which lets no money exchange hands if the filmmaker falls short of his goal. Still, Kickstarter is the more popular platform, both in terms of projects hosted and money pledged. People are obviously spurred by the all-or-nothing mentality--spurred to donate and to promote. So, what will be IndieGogo's $15 million response?
Who knows. But I am interested by one function IndieGogo has already unveiled--their new proprietary algorithm that promotes projects based on a number of inputs having to do with their popularity and engagement (of creator and fans). People like to talk about the "democratizing" power of the internets, but it seems obvious that politics are often as much at play on platforms for online funding and distribution as at film festivals. IndieGogo's algorithm provides for some legit democratization. I'm excited to see whether they move further in this direction, though also weary of the caliber of projects given their current wholesale dearth of curation.
Article here.