What does Carsifi develop?

Carsifi is an adapter that helps you connect your phone to the Android Auto head unit wirelessly. Early versions of this system were not equipped with wireless technology — so the only way to use it with smartphones was a cable connection.

You do not need Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to use Carsifi, as the adapter works as a Wi-Fi hotspot itself. The adapter connects to the Android Auto head unit via USB, then Carsifi links with your Android device via Bluetooth. Your car detects the adapter as an Android device and starts transmitting data to it, which Carsifi redirects to your Android smartphone via Wi-Fi.

Carsifi works on all cars and multimedia head units that have wired Android Auto. It also works with all Android smartphones (starting Android 9) and supports 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.

Fundrising

Carsifi has raised over $650,000 in total, $175,000 of which was crowdfunded on Indiegogo and $475,000 on Kickstarter. In October, the project even got into the list of five startups that raised far more money on Kickstarter than planned.

However, the original stated goal on Kickstarter was only $10,000, but this was a deliberate approach by the developer.

“If we hit the $10,000 goal on the first day, the startup would appear in a high position for search queries on Kickstarter, meaning the campaign would be considered a success. That’s what happened: $10,000 was raised in a few days,” Igor Martsekha, co-founder of Carsifi, told Ekonomichna Pravda.

The largest number of devices on Kickstarter was ordered by backers from the United States — 70%. In second place is Germany — 4.7%. Next comes Canada (3.7%), Australia (3.4%), the UK (3.2%), Spain (1.6%), and Italy (1.4%).

What is MySat Kit

MySat Kit is a fully functional small satellite that can be assembled without any special knowledge. The mini-satellite consists of a pack of sensors and operating elements. It includes the mainboard, the camera, LEDs, pressure, temperature, humidity sensors, and other elements that help space fans understand how real satellites work.

MySat Kit has all the features of a real nanosatellite: receiving and processing commands for the camera, collecting telemetry about the state of the satellite and the environment (lighting of each side, temperature, battery parameters, position in space, position relative to the Earth’s magnetic field, etc.), power control module, as reported on the MySat website.

The project was launched by Joseph Konrad and Dmytro Khmara in 2021.

About the campaign on Kickstarter

The team’s fundraising goal is $7,000. The MySat Kit team says that the funds will allow them to develop an upgraded version of the mini-satellites with solar panels and launch small-scale production. MySat has managed to raise over $9,500 in just seven days from the start of the campaign. At the time of writing, the end of the fundraising campaign is more than a month away.

“We believe that this project has enough technical, scientific, and outreach value to successfully give new opportunities to schools and space fans,” comments the project team on Kickstarter.

Pricing for the MySat Kits starts at $98. Delivery to the first backers is scheduled for March 2022.

Senstone is a Ukrainian startup that develops a wearable compact voice assistant. You can attach it to clothing and take your notes on the go.

• People first heard about the company in 2017, when Senstone launched a campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for a product of the same name. That time, the team managed to raise $302,000 from 2,700 backers.
• In November 2021, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign for its second-generation assistant, called Scripter. It is an improved version of the previous model.
• Scripter, like its predecessor, can convert voice notes into text, record them on a dictaphone, and is water and dust resistant. The second device has improved recording quality and faster voice-to-text conversion. The new battery of Scripter can work 3.5 times longer: 10 days in standby mode and 6 hours of continuous recording. The storage capacity has also increased.
• In 2021, the company also introduced The Accurate Notes, a mobile app that works in tandem with the device. It collects all the notes allowing you to edit or share them.
• The price of Scripter on Kickstarter is $100. At the time this article was published, 748 people had already ordered it. The previous version cost $120 for backers on Kickstarter and retailed for $145.

The startup Senstone was founded by Nazar Fedorchuk in 2015. A year later, Markiyan Matsekh joined the project as co-founder. But already in 2019, he left the startup by mutual decision of the partners.

About LeMat

• LeMat is a leather desk mat with a built-in wireless charger for Qi-enabled devices. The pad also has an organizer for cables and stationery.
• LeMat’s retail price for the 13.7 x 27-inch size is $79; and $99 for the 15.7 x 31.5-inch mat.
• According to the team, the mat helps reduce clutter on a table and organize the workspace. It is made of genuine leather, which is a durable and water-repellent material.

The startup has managed to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter. Also, the team has completed a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, where backers have invested $27,284.

About Metal Time construction sets

All the construction sets are manufactured by Metal Time from the stainless steel AISI 304. It is an eco-friendly, chemically neutral, and hypoallergenic steel designed for the food industry. The startup got the required safety certificates. The steel is easy to recycle.

The specialists do mostly replicate models of legendary cars, machines, and mechanisms. Metal Time has the following sets: International Space Station, Captain Nemo’s Submarine Nautilus, Oil Platform, and many others.

No glue or other connecting substances are needed to assemble the sets — all the parts can be fastened to each other only by the mechanical connection of metal.

The Kickstarter campaign succeeded after one day

To start manufacturing the construction sets, Metal Time organized a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The platform users supported the startup with over $19,000. So, the desired $10,000 was collected within a single day.

“It appeared that our team managed to inspire our sponsors in the right way, and we collected the desired amount within a day. And it means that all sponsors will receive the sets they liked for sure, and we will be able to extend our assortment and start the serial production of the Metal Time construction sets,” summarized the startup reps.

This is a new collection of such watches. For the previous version of the NIXOID Classic, the team also raised funds on Kickstarter in 2018. In this line, the team promises new technological improvements (in particular, improved accelerometer performance) and different-colored cases, which buyers can have engraved in many styles, including Fallout, Metro, and the SpaceX logo, etc.

A special feature of this watch is the use of IN-16 and IV-9 tubes created back in the USSR to display the time. The startup team explains this step by its design decision and the desire to use old technology.

Recall that previously, this startup has raised over $48,000 for the production of tube wristwatches on the Japanese crowdfunding platform CampFire.

The Ukrainian startup managed to get there after a successful campaign on Kickstarter in 2018. After that, more than half of the orders came from Japan. So, CampFire representatives contacted the team and suggested additional fundraising. Based on the comments under the first version, the startup had no problems with the delivery of its devices.

About memoryOS

memoryOS is an application that trains the user’s memory in a gamified way. It offers a series of interactive, quizzes-based micro-lessons designed to help the user to remember information quickly without getting them tired of the learning process.

“We’ve merged together the latest virtual technology with immersive 3D gaming and created the most enjoyable and efficient tool for improving your memory and mental sharpness and keeping your brain alive,” reads the description on Kickstarter.

As the founders state, even after a short demo session, app users were able to improve their results by 60-70%.

Startup founders and team

The Ukrainian Alex Ruzh is CEO and co-founder of memoryOS. About ten people are working on the project in total. The development of the app involved cooperation with Jonas von Essen, a two-time world memory champion who is listed as a co-founder of the startup.

One of the backers who has supported the project on Kickstarter contacted the editorial of AIN.UA and told us that he considers it to be a fraud. We have talked to other backers and authors of the campaign to find out what is going on with Air Metal Detector and whether Kickstarter users will ever get their devices.

About the project

Air Metal Detector is a device for metal detection, which connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth through the application. The device was invented and developed in Ukraine under the leadership of Oleksii Samkov.

Oleksii is a well-known figure among Ukrainian treasure hunters. He has his own specialized store, Kamrad, in Kyiv. He also develops a community of metal detectorists in Ukraine and conducts festivals and events regularly. Oleksii travels a lot. He has repeatedly appeared in reports on Ukrainian TV channels giving comments or interviews. He has over 33,000 followers on Instagram.

According to the description on Kickstarter, the idea to create the smart detector came to the team in 2014. The first prototype was assembled in 2018 and presented at the CES Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. After that, they launched a crowdfunding campaign.

The minimum price for the detector on Kickstarter was $200. It was planned that the devices would retail in the US for $299 per device. The company is focused on the US and Western European markets.

Something (everything) went wrong

One of the backers of Air Metal Detector, Alex A. (name changed), wrote to the editorial team of AIN.UA in August 2020. He said that the founders of the project haven’t been in touch on the official pages for months. This makes users, who paid for their pre-orders through Kickstarter, nervous. In the comments on the website, the backers demand refunds and accuse the developers of fraud. Some of them are even trying to initiate a class-action lawsuit.

Commentators on Facebook are also running out of patience. Most of the reactions to the last update of March 5 are skeptical and negative.

It should be noted that updates on the project are very irregular. For the last six months, the team only publishes news on Facebook (the page on Kickstarter has not been updated since November 2020) and no more than once a month. Sometimes there are no updates for several months.

In the updates, the management writes about the problems that led to another postponement of supplies, but users do not believe them.

“They always have fake excuses. They are constantly making excuses about this or that: the virus has spoiled everything, or they’ve already done everything and brought it to people, but lost it on the road. In general, it looks like people were stupidly duped for money,” comments Yakov S. (name changed).

Yakov has invested $400 in Air Metal Detector – for two detectors. The other backers, with whom the AIN.UA editor spoke, invested between $200 and $300 in the campaign.

“I ordered a detector from them in 2019. Now it’s March 2021, time is passing, and nothing happens – just excuses. I think it’s a scam. The way they keep putting excuses out stops, or they think it stops, us wanting our money back. I think that’s how scammers work,” Kevin Frost, a UK backer, told AIN.UA.

What the company says

The editor of AIN.UA talked to a representative of the company, Konstantin Tymonkin. He assured that Air Metal Detector does not refuse its obligations and hopes to start the first shipments by the end of March.

The company explained a delay of nearly two years by a series of force majeure events caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Supply disruptions and communication problems with the factory resulted in many processes being significantly delayed. Moreover, the team had to raise additional investments, as only 30% of the project was funded with the help of Kickstarter.

According to Konstantin, the first batch of 50 detectors was already ready in October – the team was preparing to send them to backers after the final testing. Five detectors from that batch were brought to Ukraine (also not without adventures – according to the developers, FedEx lost them and found them only three weeks later), but the testing process revealed a noise that was not supposed to be there

As it turned out, the Chinese manufacturer had replaced the circuit board without consulting the developers. That led to a noticeable deterioration in the quality of the detector. So, it was decided to redo the batch. But at that moment, the Chinese New Year began, and in February, the whole country shut down for almost a month. This caused another downtime.

“Now they have printed new circuit boards and are starting testing. If all goes well, the first batch will go to the backers by the end of March,” said the representative of Air Metal Detector.

According to him, those who previously pledged to the project on Kickstarter will be the first to receive the product. Konstantin explained the lack of updates by the absence of an SMM specialist.

“Now we are hiring an SMM specialist who will do regular publications. While the company was in limbo, it wasn’t rational to have such a specialist – we didn’t want to spend the backers’ money on that,” Tymonkin explained.

According to Tymonkin, Air Metal Detector in Kyiv has several test samples that work perfectly. The company is ready to demonstrate them to Ukraine’s backers at any time. But they are not good for the shipment because they don’t look very marketable.

“It is not a scam. If it were a scam, it would be easier just to disappear. There would be no need to write updates every month since we wouldn’t get any more money out of it,” he said.

AIN.UA is monitoring the situation. The article will be updated.

Jadil is a smart desk lamp with a futuristic design. It has three lighting sides, and also you can apply a logo to the front surface. It’s based on RGBW diodes. You can use a remote control or special phone app to adjust light modes, or also to connect the lamp to smart assistants from Amazon and Google.

You also can play music using the application or just turn on the microphone and the lamp will respond to sounds or music filling the space with light effects.

The price for Jadil on Kickstarter starts from $77, the first copies promise to be delivered in July 2020.

About Jollylook Auto

Jollylook Auto is the second version of the analog vintage camera that instantly develops film photos. The cost of the device for backers starts from $79.

The startup already had the campaign on Kickstarter and raised $377,000, exceeding the goal 25 times.

The team made a completely green project – Jollylook’s parts include only recyclable cardboard, lenses, and cartridge. The device develops film on Fujifilm Instax cassettes within minutes.

What the creators have faced

It took 14 months to develop Jollylook Auto. One of the reasons the team started a new campaign is financial problems.

The previous camera collected over 8,000 orders. But the founders couldn’t even cover the delivery costs of all the cameras, despite the personal investments. Besides, they had to move the production site from China to Ukraine.

To fulfill all their obligations to the backers, Jollylook kicked off a second crowdfunding campaign. Some of the funds raised in this campaign will be used to deliver previous orders.

About the product

• Ochis Coffee is a startup of Maksym Havrylenko from Kyiv.
• The idea is to produce eco-friendly eyewear with biodegradable compounds consisting of natural coffee and flax.
• The startup uses natural glue made of soybean oil to assemble their eyewear.
• As a result, Ochis Coffee produces the glasses frames completely safe for the environment.

• Six types of lenses are available to the customer, which can be selected according to their needs.
• The price of the glasses starts at $89.

A little more than a day, the project was supported by 52 backers for $11,419.

In 2018, Ochis Coffee also launched its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Back then, it raised $13,343.

PhotonLMS is a mini-studio with constant LED lighting that can be controlled with the help of a mobile application.

As the founder of the project explained to AIN.UA, the device solves quite a common problem for today.

A lot of equipment is needed for detailed object shooting (4 mini-flashes, umbrellas, reflectors, a table for object shooting, screens, backgrounds, fastening systems and a place to accommodate all this. PhotonLMS replaces the entire aforementioned list.

In addition to the above constant monitoring and adjustment in the formulation of the correct light are required, and the photographer sees the result only after he takes the picture.

“Let us take one example, you have an online store selling shoes with a constantly changing product and you always need new high-quality content. You need the photographer, but he must first receive the goods, shoot, process – it takes time and it is expensive. With the help of PhotonLMS, you get quality content without photography skills at home, in the office or in the store. ”

With the help of РhotonLMS you can instantly change the lighting of the object with the help of a mobile application and see the result immediately.

РhotonLMS costs $599 and takes space of 1/4 sq.m. Standard equipment includes:

• 3 light modules,
• 3 backgrounds (white, black, colourful),
• power supply unit,
• fasteners for fixing modules and backgrounds,
• power wires,
• screens for isolated shooting,
• mini tripods for camera and smartphone.

The configuration of the modules varies depending on the size of the object, the need for backgrounds, and screens.

The project received support from 343 backers who pledged $46,600 at an initial goal of $15,000. The initial goal was achieved in the first 6 hours on Kickstarter.

The cost of the Pix Mini for backers started at $69. In retail, it will be more expensive – $130. The creators promise to deliver the first batch already in September 2019.

Pix Mini LED screen can be controlled from the app. The backpack is powered by the user’s own battery. According to the developers of the project, the backpack will help kids socialize and nurture their creativity. It is also equipped with an orthopedic frame, and the exterior material is waterproof.

The fundraising campaign on Kickstarter was closed on June 9 with $533,530 pledged by 1,851 backers. The company managed to exceed 100 times the original goal. EnjoyTheWood wanted to raise a minimum of $5,000, but they raised this amount in just 6 hours into the campaign. The map was sold in four sizes with price ranging from $119 to $356. They also offered a more expensive LED illuminated map.

You can also buy various add-ons like aircraft metal push pins or wooden historical sight pins.

World Map 2.0 is the third crowdfunding project of EnjoyTheWood. Previously, the company founded by Igor and Marina Fostenko, launched wooden map crowdfunding projects to the tune of $100k and $50k.

In addition, the company is testing the launch of its own iOS app with the support of augmented reality — EnjoyTheWood AR.

First backers will get their maps as soon as in July 2019.

The new Pix Mini does not differ much from the first backpack of the startup. It also has an ambient screen on the front side, on which custom images and animations in the pixel graphics style can be displayed. This backpack is smaller than its predecessor: its height is about 42 centimeters with a volume of 15 liters.

Pix Mini is designed for students. The startup team has no doubt that the backpack will help the child to show his creativity, socialize, and be more protected – for example, while riding a bike.

As explained by the project CEO Margaret Rimek, the team came up with the idea of launching a product for children back in December. In January, it gained a concept and was completely ready by the end of May: “We have decided to create such a version of the backpack, after receiving numerous requests from the Pix followers to make a more compact version for children.”

Among other peculiarities of the Pix Mini there is resistance to minor damage and moisture. The price of a backpack on Kickstarter is $89. A set of two retails for $169, a set of four – $312.

EnjoyTheWood has raised more than $50,000 for the previous project, 3D wooden maps of cities all over the world. When the company developed its first world map, the total collected amount was $100,000.

Comparing to the latter, World Map 2.0 can boast of three layers, with a different color for each country. Maps are available in three sizes:  M (60*100 cm), L (90*150), XL (120*200). Anyone can purchase them on Kickstarter for prices ranging from $119 to $356, depending on map package and size.

The founders of EnjoyTheWood are the couple Igor and Marina Fostenko. At the beginning of March 2018, the brand has purchased the patent for maps production. Today, the project team of the company comprises 15 people. Throughout its history, the startup has sold over 20,000 maps around the world.

In the related news: Ukrainian project Time 4 Machine, which produces metal 3D puzzles, raised over $430,000 on Kickstarter.

• As part of the Kickstarter campaign, nine new models were offered: a train, a plane, cars, a tractor, a tank, a watch, and a holder for business cards.
• Individually, models cost from $18 to $112. Different sets were also offered, and the whole set would cost $432. These were ordered 143 times.
• All models are made of metal and have a precise design. For example, there are propellers launched on airplanes, cars have doors, a trunk and a hood that opens.
• Time 4 Machine was launched in 2016 by Denys Okhrymenko, now the company employs more than 20 people. In 2017, the company conducted its first Kickstarter campaign, collecting more than $50,000.

In related news: earlier on Kickstarter, the Ukrainian startup Nuka appeared with the project of “eternal stationery”. They managed to collect $20,000 and achieved their goal in one day.

What Nuka makes

Nuka makes “eternal stationery”: this is a special notebook and pencil. The peculiarity of the notebook is that you can erase unnecessary information. In addition, it does not tear and does not get wet when in contact with moisture. Notebook notes can be stored in digital form using the Nuka application. The pencil is made of an alloy of five metals. It is characterized by durability and the fact that it does not need to be regularly eroded. Not so long ago, the pencil received the Red Dot Awards, more details about it can be found here.

On Kickstarter, you can pre-order a set with a discount of $30 starting from $59. The delivery of the products is promised closer to the end of 2019, approximately in November.

Who founded Nuka

The startup was founded by a 17-year-old Kateryna Mykhalko and Mykyta Vladykin, as well as 20-year-old Eugene Shylo. According to Mykhalko, they were preparing for the launch of the campaign for 2 years, and the launch of the startup itself was postponed 9 times for various reasons.

Glower model

NIXOID Lab collected funds for three models – Nixoid, Glower, and Era VFD. Their feature is the use of the nixie tubes IN-16 and IV-9, which were created in the USSR to display time. The startup team explains this step as a design decision and the desire to use old technology. “This is a mixture of rare components and a modern electronic database,” the creators commented. Among themselves, the models differ in size, type of tubes, and the principle of operation.

Nixoid model

This is the second crowdfunding campaign of NIXOID Lab. In September 2018, a startup raised $46,000 on Kickstarter. About half of the orders were made in Japan; representatives of CampFire service contacted the team and offered to conduct an additional fundraising campaign.

Era VFD model

Now NIXOID Lab is working on new models and improving technologies in existing ones. In addition, the team expands production and contracts with stores “around the world.” The plans are to conduct another campaign on Kickstarter with new models that will receive an updated work mechanism and design.

Inception

Pix began working on the backpack back in 2016. Initially, a team comprised Ivan Kaunov (former CTO, who left the project) and Sergii Iezdin (CMO). Later, Margaret Rimek joined the team as CEO. The team wanted to revamp an urban backpack by adding a display.

“We were thinking of what it could be. We exchanged ideas and made a decision. We realized that this is the way for backpack owners to express themselves,” Rimek recalls.

One of the initial backpack prototypes

At that moment the team toiled at DIY Lab. Not long before that the founders had closed their previous project and were looking for fresh ideas. Pix backpack became their new project. “DIY Lab awarded a $1,000 grant to us to validate the hypothesis. The money went on the prototype development and participation in a few exhibitions,” Ivan Kaunov says.

The team worked in that mode for a year and a half. This time allowed the entrepreneurs to finalize the idea and the prototype. The results allowed Pix to get investments from IoT Hub accelerator and move to it. The investments covered the creation of backpack prototypes, develop software, and lay the marketing foundation for the next step — Kickstarter and then Indiegogo campaign.

Pix notes that a Kickstarter campaign is a great way to boost the demand for the product and define its target audience. That is why the team decided to go this way. Pix launched the campaign in August 2018, and within a month the project raised $150,000, which is four times more than the initial goal. Later, the startup launched its campaign on Indiegogo where it raised approximately $165,000. Following that the team had to deliver the backpack to almost 1,100 backers across 50 countries.

Pix team

Setting up manufacturing in China and delivering on time

From the beginning, Pix was thinking of manufacturing in China. The team did their calculations and decided that it would be cheaper to make backpacks this way largely due to the wide selection of parts. Plus – the scale. “In China, we could count on a thousand backpacks per week. In Ukraine, that number would take months to manufacture,” Kaunov says.

Fact-finding

Before commencing the manufacturing, the Pix did not have experience working with China. That is why the team gathered all possible information, met and talked to potential partners, as well as looked for the information on the Internet.

Margaret Rimek notes that the most valuable were the meetings with seasoned Ukrainian entrepreneurs: “IoT Hub shared contacts of Ukrainian entrepreneurs with manufacturing experience in China. It is rather a small, but professional community comprising many Ukrainian hardware startups. We held dozens of meetings and accumulated a lot of information. This way we were able to prepare ourselves for the trip to China.”

Creating a finished product beforehand

Even before the manufacturing had begun, Pix already had about 80 backpacks. Most importantly, these were not prototypes, but full-fledged products that could be sold. The idea was to go to China with the ready-made molds and show them to factories. The team is unequivocal in saying that it was one of the most important decisions as far as the manufacturing goes. The startup did not lose time to make tweaks to the product, and instead, it focused on quality control only.

Trip to China

Before going to China the team tried to locate factories on the Internet through Alibaba and the likes. It was in vain: many factories simply have no website, and those that have a website show different prices. “We even contacted one of the clothing factories and sent them the molds. As a result, their work was horrible. At that moment all out doubts about the necessity of going to China were dispelled,” Rimek recalls.

Setting up manufacturing in China without visiting the country is extremely difficult. If you have an ordinary product and you know that the Chinese produce similar products — you can try. However, if you want to create something truly unique, you have to go and set it up in person.

China International Import Expo 2019, Shanghai

Visiting exhibitions

The team aligned their trip to China with one of the largest backpack and bags manufacturing fairs — Canton Fair 2018. The team believes it was a good decision because they managed to get a few warm contacts and set up a connection with multiple factories. The selection process followed.

The startup selected several factories and asked them to manufacture sample backpacks. “And the intricacies began: some replied in after a week, some produced in 35 months, some asked an exorbitant price,” Ivan Kaunov recalls. Eventually, Pix managed to find a factory that met all the criteria.

Communication is paramount in China. Firstly, it is the knowledge of English, not many know it here. We managed to find partners who knew the language. Secondly, the approach itself is also important. Some say that they can do the product within three days come rain or shine, while others say that they do not work weekends.

Precise process planning

The Pix team divided the manufacture into three stages: one factory produced electronics, the other made it into ready-made parts, the third one manufactured backpacks and assembled everything together. According to Kaunov, this was due to several reasons. First, it helped avoid plagiarism by Chinese companies. Second, it allowed for more quality and cheaper manufacturing.

“Our selected factories did not communicate with each other, so we did not worry about copycats. In addition, if we asked a factory to make the backpack with electronics, it would not do it independently. They would outsource it to their colleagues and add their mark-up,” Kaunov says.

Quality control

In total, Pix had four iterations of backpack fabrication. The team underlines that you should treat the results very seriously. “We thought that they would make a perfect backpack for us on the first try. That was not the case. Following the first iteration, we had about 50 comments on the product. We spent three hours explaining what had to be altered. The factory manager said that we were the most demanding client they ever had. We just tried to achieve the best match with our molds,” Margaret Rimek recalls.

Cooperation on site

While the team was in China, they met Andrei Glizhinskiy, hardware product expert. At the time, Glizhinskiy had already been there five years, he knew the language and local mentality. These skills made him perfect for Pix, and the team put him in charge of quality control.

They say that this encounter had a significant, if not crucial, impact on the manufacturing process. Glizhinskiy was able to supervise the Chinese factories on site. That is paramount, as Margaret Rimek puts it because without consistent control local factories will be less efficient. Ultimately, Glizhinskiy replaced Ivan Kaunov as the CTO.

When you make something in Chine, you have to be close to factories and go through the work process together. As soon as you leave the process unattended, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong: timings get messed up, wrong paint job, wrong fabrication. There are very few chances to impact the process remotely.

The startup visits CES

Manufacturing speed allowed to send the first batch of product to the backers only by January 2019, which is as little as 4 months after the completion of Kickstarter. Such a result was possible only due to high-quality preparation long before the start of the campaign. Already in January of 2019, the startup was attending the largest electronics exhibition, CES.

Margaret Rimek notes that the fact that the startup managed to deliver the product to its backers on time became huge leverage at the exhibition. “We wanted to go to CES in January 2018, but back then we only had a prototype. The IoT Hub team, which has experience participating in CES, explained to us then that the trip at that stage would not give us anything, because CES is about selling. This time we came with a finished product and fulfilled our commitment before the backers – an excellent position to start selling.”

At CES Pix managed to secure several contracts with partners. The startup notes that part of the second batch, which will be produced in May 2019, was ordered back in January at CES. In addition, the team still gets feedback from the exhibition.

We used a life hack: we took pictures of the business cards we received at CES and immediately forwarded them to our assistant in Kyiv. The latter prepared the letters in the spirit of “We’ve just talked, let’s continue the negotiations.” Thanks to this, we were able to secure the attention of potential distributors on Pix and finalize deals immediately upon returning to Ukraine.

Now Pix is manufacturing the second batch of backpacks and is simultaneously working on its marketing promotion. When everything is ready, the team will launch sales on Amazon and its website. In addition, the startup is also negotiating the sale of backpacks in retail stores around the world and has already begun working on a new product.

In the second crowdfunding campaign, the essence of the project has not changed. Wumba is a set of 5 magnetic wooden toys for children starting from one year. Products are modular and consist of three parts. Due to this, they can be combined with each other. The toys are safe to use since there is no lead in neodymium magnets, the blocks are made of beech and coated with water-based paint and varnishes. Wumba gives a lifetime warranty and promises to change items for free in case of breakdown.

Instead of fundamental changes, the creators of Wumba 2.0 expanded the choice. Two new collections appeared there: “Dinosaurs” and “Monsters”, the entire lineup was replenished with 11 new characters. Prices for the first backers start from $79 for a set of 5 toys to $280 for 3 sets. At the same time, delivery around the world is free.

For the first day, Wumba 2.0 raised more than $6,000 out of the planned $15,000. The campaign will end on April 5, 2019.

Earlier AIN.UA told why Ukrainian startup Jollylook changed their production site from China to Ukraine.

Yevhen Ivanov

In early 2017, we conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign and raised $377,000 for the production of our Jollylook camera. We had only a prototype, there was no production. We understood that we need to make 8,500 cameras for backers, and we even knew about how to start production thanks to the experience of one of the co-founders of the company, Oleg Khalip.

However, with time we faced many difficulties. They were so significant that we had to move production to another country. This is how we overcame them and what conclusions we made.

Start of production in China

We had only two options at the place of production – Ukraine and China. At first, we wanted to collect cameras here, but then we renounced this idea. We saw that in Ukraine there were simply no factories that could produce the elements we needed – lenses, plastic products, metal rollers, and so on. Therefore, we have made a choice in favor of China.

We started with looking for a partner who would represent our interests in China. This is an intermediary company that communicates directly with local factories and controls the timing of the work. We found such a company, signed a contract with them and flew to China in May 2017.

One of the tasks of our intermediary company was directly searching for factories. This company has selected several options according to our criteria, and we have personally chosen the most optimal one. According to the results of our first visit to China, we entered into a partnership with eight factories and launched the camera production.

Tip: if you are going to produce something in China, first find an intermediary company:

• This will help in finding factories. Finding a factory in China is very difficult since many of them simply do not have a website.
• The intermediary company communicates directly with the factories. This is useful because very few people in China speak English.
• Such a company can control production on site. In this case, entrepreneurs have only one alternative to go live in China and control everything independently. Since we cooperated with eight factories at once, we decided to use the services of an intermediary company.

Looking ahead, our Chinese partner turned out to be very good, so if you find a decent company, then there should be no problems.

Oleg Khalip

Difficulties with Chinese factories

Our difficulties began almost immediately after the start of production. The first 500 devices turned out to be of good quality, and then the flaw appeared. We learned about it from the backers who received the cameras. The problem was with the factory that compiled the cameras. We found out that they used the wrong glue in production. Because of this, when the cameras reached the backers, they simply fell apart.

Then we began to learn about other problems in this factory. There was high staff turnover, the staff did not collect the cameras carefully, and this was important, as we assemble the cameras manually. Later it turned out that the person who was in charge of the production had left this factory. Another person came there and thereby the information was transmitted poorly (as a result, we flew to China four more times). In general, we could not have influenced some of the points, and the quality of the products suffered from it.

Cooperation with factories in China is something of a lottery. In our case, the conditions were even tougher. In China, there is no factory that has ever produced cardboard cameras. Our factory produces products from this material, and we had to teach them to assemble cameras. This influenced the product quality significantly.

Tip: if you produce products that have analogues, then in China you can find a good manufacturer. If you produce a unique product, then it will be difficult to start Chinese production from scratch. Moreover, if your products are assembled manually, production should be set up as close as possible to yourself in order to control everything.

We promised to make a replacement with new cameras to those backers who received defective ones. Now, in fact, we are doing this.

Manufacture in Ukraine

Transfer of manufacture to Ukraine

So, the first 500 of the cameras have been collected well. In the next batch of 1,000 cameras, many were defective. Then the factory collected 4,000 more devices for us, where 90% of copies were defective.

At that moment, we realized that it was impossible to produce our camera in China. Despite all the contracts and instructions, the factory has made us an almost completely defective batch. Then we had only two choices: to announce the failure and finish everything or transfer the manufacture to Ukraine. We chose the second path.

Our decision was also influenced by our relationship with the factory. In the end, it was frankly not interested in cooperating with us due to the fact that it was forced to spend money on redoing of our cameras.

As a result, manufacture in China turned out to be not only problematic for us, but also quite expensive since Oleg and I had to invest our own funds.

Therefore, we took all the cameras and spare parts, loaded them on the ship and sent them to Ukraine. In total, we ordered the production of 10,000 cameras in China. We were made 8,000 ones, of which almost 4,000 were fully assembled, the rest were partially assembled. For 2,000 devices we only had parts. We took all of it and transported it to Ukraine.

This process took about three months: in August 2018 the ship sailed from Hong Kong where we delivered the cargo, and in late October we received it and began the production. However, we did not waste this time in vain but thought about how to improve the camera. We made a lot of changes – in particular, we improved the design to simplify the assembly and make the camera more reliable.

Having received the goods in Ukraine, we started production. We decided to use all the spare parts to the maximum, so we dismantled 6,000 cameras and are now making new ones from them. We used cardboard which could no longer be used as firewood to heat the room in the winter – this is absolutely true 🙂

Tip: if you can deploy production in Ukraine, do this because:

• You will help develop our country.
• You will be able to quickly respond to all issues – and, believe me, they often happen in production. This will allow you to improve product quality.
• It is not more expensive to manufacture in Ukraine than in China, but the quality of products here is much higher.

If it is impossible to produce in Ukraine, then you need to go to China personally. It is important to debug the control system. One Ukrainian entrepreneur installed video fixation at a factory in China. Thus, he could clearly see the problem and understand whose fault it occurred. Conclusion: try as much as possible to control the production process, up to such methods.

Manufacture in Ukraine and future plans

We are now building Jollylook cameras in our own production. For it, we bought, for example, a laser machine to make parts from plywood ourselves. In addition, we found good suppliers here – the guys from Kharkiv make us excellent parts from cardboard.

This does not mean that we have completely abandoned China – now we are producing a number of parts there that we cannot obtain in Ukraine. In my opinion, such a scheme – the assembly and partial production in Ukraine and the purchase of some parts in China – is the most optimal for us at the moment.

In total, there are 27 of us in the company, 15 are engaged in assembly directly. All employees are located in Ukraine – in Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Dnipro. We communicate through the Basecamp program, and it is very convenient, we also added logisticians, customs brokers and Chinese partners there.

Since November, we have already produced almost 4,000 cameras, and we will soon send the first batch of devices to backers. We will do so in order to save on delivery – we will send cameras to fulfillment centers in the USA, Europe, and Asia, and from there they will be sent to the addresses. Thus, we will reduce the cost of our delivery by almost two times.

In addition, we already sell some of our cameras just to survive. We need to pay salaries, cover rent, and other expenses. We notified the backers about this, and they accepted this information with understanding. We sell cameras through dealers and from the official site. Jollylook is bought all over the world, the main markets are the USA, European countries and East Asia. We have an ideal situation for a startup – when demand exceeds supply.

In any case, now our main goal is to deliver all the devices to the backers. We have already created two new camera models, and we plan to launch them on Kickstarter this year. But first we need to fulfill the obligations of the previous campaign.

We were also at CES this year. We got a lot of useful contacts, talked to distributors. Now we process contacts, communicate and send test samples. In addition, we met with representatives of Fujifilm in the United States and are now discussing possible collaborations with them.

Communication with backers

From the very beginning we described our entire journey in a blog on Kickstarter, we honestly shared all the news with backers to keep them informed. This helped us a lot since we managed to level the negative from the delay in deliveries and got a loyal audience.

Now we see a lot of positive feedback from the audience, despite the fact that we promised to deliver the product a year and a half ago. Some clients even asked us to write a book or make a documentary about this story, that’s how much it interested them.

Tip: be honest with the backers. Loyalty is the most valuable thing you can get on Kickstarter. These people support you now and will support you in the future when you release the following products, and this is very important.

The new STEALTHO product is a modular desktop organizer for papers, office stationery and gadgets. It includes:

• USB-hubs;
• Headphone stand;
• Writing board;
• Document holder;
• Units for stationery like pens and sticky notes.

One of the main features of the organizer is Qi wireless charger. This means that it can be used to charge any gadget– Apple, Samsung, Sony, Nokia, and other products of different manufacturers.

The price of STEALTHO organizer starts from $69. The creators say that after the campaign, the device will be sold for $180. Supply to backers is scheduled for August 2019.

Earlier, AIN.UA reported that Odesans had placed a holster for a phone on Kickstarter and raised $ 30,000 in one day.

Phonster Z is a case for smartphone and other things, made of eco-leather in the style of the holster. In the new version, the AGE team changed the back surface of Phonster, added metal parts for a more secure fit, improved the cover length adjustment mechanism, and also made it waterproof.

In addition, AGE has released the Phonster Z Tablet bag, which can be worn on the chest or over the shoulder. Its main feature is size. It contains not only a smartphone, but also a paverbank, documents, a charger, a notebook, documents, office supplies, and so on.

Prices for new items start from $13 up to $790. Deliveries are scheduled for May 2019.

Feel VR with $500,000 became the most successful Ukrainian crowdfunding project this year. The startup team is working over the gaming wheels and pedals. The main feature of devices is DirectDrive technology due to which the wheel is more sensitive and accurate. As a rule, DirectDrive is used for professional training equipment for the racing drivers and its price can reach several thousand US dollars. Feel VR sells its devices by several times cheaper.

In the interview for AIN.UA, the startup team gave several reasons for such a success: firstly, this is really a worth-to-notice product; secondly, appropriate promotion; and finally, thorough work with the audience.

  Ugears, $460,000

In 2018, the Ukrainian company Ugears, the manufacturer of the wooden 3D puzzles, hold two very successful campaigns at Kickstarter. The both times, the project raised funds for new collections of construction sets: the first time – for 11 models with various mechanisms (mill, steam train, truck, etc.), and the second time – for tabletop game accessories (playing card holder, dice throw tower, etc.).

In addition, Ugears had one more significant event – four company models started being sold in Disney shops.

Verum 1, $185,000

Verum 1 is the headphones by Kharkiv engineer, Ronam Landik. He represents them as a device for audiophiles: Verum 1 uses a magnetic tape instead of the speaker due to which the headphones reproduce the signal more accurately. Landik says that only some people can buy the up-to-date Hi-Fi equipment because of its price, and he wants to make it more budget-friendly with Verum 1.

Enjoy The Wood, $155,000

This year, the Ukrainian company Enjoy The Wood hold two crowdfunding campaigns and raised $150,000 in total. The first product is a modular wooden wall map. It is available in six colors and three sizes, metal pins in the form of planes can be additionally bought to mark the visited countries. The second product collection is the maps of the largest world cities, also made of wood. Among them are metropolitan cities of the North and South America and Europe. There are also the maps of nine Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Kharkiv.

Pix, $150,000

The Pix designers are sure that a backpack is an item that, among others, should facilitate its owner to express himself/herself. That is why they have created the backpack which front side can be changed to somebody’s liking, it displays the pictures and animations represented in pixel graphics. This feature also pertains a practical component – the Pix kit includes a bicycle controller displaying the turn signals on the backpack front. According to the designers, this should improve safety of the owners while on the road.

Caster Wheels, $138,000

This year, the Ukrainian startup Stealtho entered Kickstarter for the first time and presented the office chair wheels Caster Wheels. The debut turned out to be successful – $138,000 and more than 2,000 backers. Caster Wheels simultaneously solve several problems of the offices: they make the chair movement more comfortable and increase their service period, but the main feature is that they do not damage the floor and floor items. These wheels do not scratch the laminated flooring, as well as can move over the cables placed on the floor and do not damage them.

Legends of Signum: Battle for Vallor, $109,000

This year, a team from Signum Game, Kharkiv, successfully raised money at Kickstarter for making a tabletop game Legends of Signum: Battle for Vallor. The team raised the initially declared amount of $12,000 for 12 minutes, in total, backers transferred $109,000. Legends of Signum is a military tabletop game where the players command the detachments of soldiers, build and develop the cities, employee characters, use magic and tactical stunts. Among the advantages, the developers point out the circumspect strategy and variety of units.

Wyrex, $92,000

Wyrex is a wireless charging device providing for simultaneous charging of four devices: two smartphones (iOS and Android), Apple Watch and headphones Air Pods. The team emphasizes that by its characteristics the gadget surpasses the Air Power by Apple that has not been released yet: Wyrex supports more devices and has higher capacity.

Hushme, $80,000

This year was also remarkable for the Hushme team in terms of crowdfunding. This time, the project did not select traditional Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but the Japan service CAMPFIRE. Hushme succeeded to raise $80,000, this is nine times more than the initially declared amount. The startup produces the same-name accessories that make the users’ conversations unheard for people around. The team noted that they had chosen this platform due to great demand among the Asian people.

Pleatpack, $64,000

The casual backpack Pleatpack made its debut in crowdfunding this year. Its main advantage is an opportunity to increase the volume from 6 to 26.7 liters. Among other features, the designers point out the sewn-in magnets to protect against stealing, as well as the water-repellent fabric.

Klips 2, $48,500

This year, Ukrainians who create the magnetic organizers launched a campaign at Kickstarter for the product second version. Klips 2 are the multipurpose magnetic gadgets to organize the wires, documents and many other items. The second version has a new design and structure; the team also added a metal panel into the kit to anchor the organizers with magnets. And the result is a successful crowdfunding and almost $50,000 of the raised money.

Picolor, $40,000

Picolor is a set of a marker and a mixer capable of mixing over a million different colors. The user selects a color in special application and the mixer mixes the concentrate to obtain the required color shade. Then, this liquid is filled into the marker, it can be mixed with white gouache, water color or, for example, gel lacquer. The developers state that Picolor will be useful for proficient artists and creative newcomers, as well as art professionals.

Wumba, $38,000

The Ukrainian company Toys Lab hold a successful Kickstarter campaign for Wumba children’s toys this year. This is a set of five wooden magnetic-base items. The toys consist of three parts that can be combined. Toys Lab notes that Wumba toys are absolutely safe for children and even have the appropriate American and European certification.

Adventur 3.0, $36,500

One of the departments of the Ukrainian company MRF Engineering launched a campaign this year to raise money for Adventur 3.0, a  titanic “credit card” for survival. This item has only the form of the credit card, in general, this is a multifunctional tool for living in the wild nature.

Using the Adventur 3.0, you can make a blade, knife and hatchet, you can also fish, make a fire, uncork bottles, open cans and many others. As of the date of writing the material, the device raised almost $37,000, money raising will continue till the 28^th of December.

UniColor, $34,500

The Ukrainian, Aleksey Tischenko, launched a device dedicated to diversify the photo wonders of the Instagram fans and professional photographers at the Indiegogo platform. This is a mobile LED lamp that can serve as an unusual lighting for taking of pictures at night and twilight. In total, the company raised the desired $10,000 for a day, and now UniColor has over $12,000 in its account against 59 devices sold.

The available locations include more than 10 American megacities, cities of Canada, South America, European capitals, etc. There are also Ukrainian locations available, such as: Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Irpin, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, Ternopil, Uman. The maps are made of birch plywood with a thickness of about 17 mm which are available in three sizes.

Also, buyers can choose what will be applied to the surface in addition to the outlines of the surface and the grid of streets: water or parks. You can choose a map without additional application. Additional options for customization will be opened upon achievement of the set monetary goals. Additional options include the application of custom’s text, other forms of maps, frame colors, etc. The cost of products varies from $45 to $93.

Kickstarter campaign launched on October 31 and it has already raised over $31,000 from 231 backers. The project raised the planned amount of $10,000 in the first 4 hours after entering the site. The production is planned to be launched in January, and the first maps will be sent in February 2019. This is not the first successful start for EnjoyTheWood – in May 2018 the wall map of the world from the company collected more than $100,000 instead of the planned $15,000.

EnjoyTheWood was founded in 2014, a few months after the founders came up with the idea of wooden accessories. The founders are the couple Igor and Marina Fastenko, and their parents. The company is located in Irpin.

Money is collected for the production of wooden devices for tabletop games. The collection includes a holder and a box for playing cards (the first one is designed for 500 pieces, the second one – for 120), a modular tower for throwing dice (a “turriculae” or dice tower), and a wooden book-case for the rules of the game.

Ugears assures that the devices are suitable for almost every tabletop game: “With their help, you can store and move game items, as well as save space on the table.” Prices range from $23 for a single device up to $116 for a set of all five products.

This is the fourth Kickstarter campaign of the brand. Past projects of the company also enjoyed popularity on the platform and collected several times more than the initially stated amount. In addition, in May of this year, Ugears announced about selling its devices in 700 Disney stores in November of this year.