Indiegogo to help Chinese start-ups crack the US

Indiegogo is battling Kickstarter for blockbuster gadgets from Chinese start-ups, reports Tech in Asia

Indiegogo is set to reveal a programme to help Chinese hardware start-ups launch in the US. The pilot programme – the first of its kind for the crowdfunding site – will see 10 to 15 Chinese teams selected, explains Indiegogo’s Ben Bateman.

“The goal of this programme is to meet the unique challenges of Chinese companies launching into the US market,” says Joanna Wei, Indiegogo’s “China evangelist” in Beijing.
 

The final list of Chinese gadget start-ups accepted into the programme will likely be revealed during the course of CES 2016, which is on January 6 to 9 in Las Vegas. The first batch will be teams preparing to launch during the first three months of the new year. The second phase will focus on products coming out during Q2. “The pilot will focus on a small number of companies to begin with, but we hope to expand the program later in 2016,” Joanna explains.
 

Indiegogo will be aiding the young teams with “increased level of support to help coordinate these launches,” she adds, including things like campaign design, marketing tips, and ad buying. While some of the assistance comes for free, other aspects will require a fee and be performed either by Indiegogo itself or third-party firms that the site connects the start-ups to. Indiegogo hasn’t yet finalised what will be free or paid within the China pilot programme, Ben says.
 

Chinese start-ups such as Ghost Drone, TheOne smart piano and the Crazybaby levitating wireless speaker have this year used Indiegogo to reach a global audience. The site is battling Kickstarter, which saw some big crowdfunding successes for Chinese start-ups in 2015, such as the Remix Mini Android PC.

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here.