Chris Thompson (left) with Ben Ryan. Photo & article / NZH
Twelve months of tinkering while working day jobs in the film industry saw Queenstown entrepreneurs Chris Thompson and Ben Ryan create their dream camera gadget – a motion control timelapse device.
All that was needed now was US$150,000 ($187,000) to make the prototype a commercial reality.
Instead of hitting up banks for loans or approaching angel investors and venture capital players, Thompson and Ryan listed on Kickstarter, an internet-based platform that solicits donations in exchange for a reward – small or large depending on the size of the donation.
Put US$1 into the Genie – a camera attachment combining timelapse photography with either panning or linear movement – and feel the glow of a “shout out” from the lads. Pledge US$690 and get the Genie at a US$300 discount.
Genie, the flagship product of design company Syrp, has blown all expectation out of the water.
Within six days of listing on Kickstarter the Genie had hit its funding goal of US$150,000. Just two days later it was at US$220,000.
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