Four Toronto entrepreneurs who hope Kickstarter is the key to their success

Inventors don’t need a dragon, a shark or a millionaire to get their idea off the ground. Kickstarter projects like the Pebble Watch or the Coolest Cooler gained international fame through crowdfunding. Here are four T.O. campaigns following in their footsteps. 

Drinking Quest Game
Jason Anarchy
Goal: $15,000 Raised: $140,405 

What are your plans for the funds?
Pay for the run of the games, pay for the stretch goals, pay for the Kickstarter fees, pay for the shipping. If there’s anything left over, maybe see Deadpool?

Is this your full-time gig?
I’ve been doing this for over five years now. I quit my day job a year and a half into it. It did well because it’s a really unique, funny game series but also because I have a business background, so I had a pretty thick skin about getting it out there. 

Any notable fans?
I know the punk band Masked Intruder has copies of the game. Chris Grady, who writes Lunarbaboon, had a game with me once and he really seemed to enjoy it, and 102.1 the Edge host “Fearless” Fred really gets my sense of humour.

Hastings & Co. heritage watch
Mark Ang
Goal: $30,000 Raised: $96,287

What is unique about the heritage edition watch?  
We’ve incorporated some of the finest materials and features, such as sapphire crystal, surgical grade stainless steel, enamel dials, Italian leather straps and butterfly clasps. Watches with these features retail in the thousands, ours starts at $389.

How long have you been working on this? 
I originally came up with the idea for these watches in late 2014. We went to market nine months later with the launch of our classic edition and raised over 125 per cent of our goal on Kickstarter. That watch is now sold in over 40 countries worldwide. 

Is this your full-time job?
I’m a bit of a serial entrepreneur, so I have other ventures on the go in addition to Hastings.

Schoolism Subscriptions
Bobby Chiu
Goal: $200,000 Raised: $610,117 

What is Schoolism?
It is one of the very first online art education systems in the world. The calibre of our instructors makes us unique, from Academy Award nominees to film and animation legends. 

How has Kickstarter changed your business? 
Until the successful backing of our project, our lowest tier class was US$238 for one class for 100 days. Now, subscribers pay US$12 a month and can switch between classes for a US$1 fee.

Where is Schoolism’s home base?
We started in my apartment in the Bayview and Sheppard area of North York and have since expanded to an office space in the Leslie and York Mills area. We’re also holding a live event in Toronto on May 7 and 8 at the Fairmont Royal York.

Smart Parka
Jamil Khan
Goal: $30,000 Raised: $3.26 million

When did you come up with this idea?
It was January 2015. I decided to go for it. I quit my job to work on it full-time. I knew Kickstarter was the perfect platform because they love new inventions. 

What makes the parka unique?
There’s built-in gloves and a built-in scarf, and you can adjust the length from hip to mid length. There’s a removable lining and pockets for your tablet, phone, keys, glasses and even a tracker pocket if you want to track your coat’s whereabouts.

What are the plans for the cash?
Producing coats of course. We’re also planning to establish our presence in Europe. That’s the market we want to get into before any competitor goes there. We’ve got some other products that will be launching soon too.

Note: This story has been updated to include raised totals that are current as of May 1, 2016.

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