Brandcenter Alumni Kickstarter Projects Many of our VCU Brandcenter alumni are inventing new products and starting their own businesses, in addition to their advertising day jobs. Below are some of the innovative projects they’ve recently launched on Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. These four examples demonstrate their passion for humancentered design, strong entrepreneurial spirit, and wicked sense of humor (for the last two).
Hackaball
On crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, in partnership with Made by Many and Map, Hackaball was launched. Hackaball is a smart and expressive ball for 6-10 year olds. Children can program the ball using a companion iPad app on which they can invent their own games and upload them wirelessly to the ball and play. Hackaball is, in essence, a computer you can throw around.
$241,122
raised as of May 2015. Initial goal: $100,000.
Rachel Mercer (XD, 2012) “For me, the reward has been twofold. First, this was very much a team process - and I learned so much by working with people that operate outside my industry and that I would rarely get a chance to interact with; from sound designers (creating an audio personality for Hackaball), to industrial designers (making sure the computer guts wouldn't break) to factory managers in Shenzen who specialise in toy production. Second, it's been enlightening not to just design something that educates kids, but also have them designing the product alongside us - we've been able to take a brand new idea, and then have kids build on top of it - and if anyone's imaginations haven't been contained yet, it is kids’. They have higher expectations for technology and push the realms of possibility faster and with more confidence than I ever will.”
Wetsox
WETSOX create a frictionless barrier between your skin and your equipment so you can be in and out of your wetsuit and boots in seconds.
$16,248
raised as of May 2015. Initial goal: $15,000.
Patrick Lorentz (ST, 2008) Bryan Marville (ST, 2008) “For us- the innovation process has been a ton of trial and error. You know what the product ‘needs’ to do–so you invent a way for the product to do it. But that’s only the beginning. Then you start asking “OK so the product does what it’s supposed to–how can we make it better? How do we make it stronger? How do we make it a more seamless experience for the user?’”That’s when you really start pushing your thinking and your product to a good place. We’re on prototype 15. After we get the feedback from our Kickstarter pilot, I’m sure they’ll be a few more.” 109
