The Crowdfunding Compass, part 2: Bring your product to life

This is the second half of a two-part series. The first part covers Steps 1 through 4, from product concept design through campaign launch. 

Crowdfunding isn’t just about raising money — it’s a strategic tool that allows you to validate your product, gauge market interest, and secure the necessary capital before committing to expensive manufacturing runs. Think of it as a pre-order system that funds your development and production. This week, we take you through everything that comes after the crowdfunding campaign. So let’s dig in!

Step 5: Making it real – engineering & design using campaign funds

Congratulations, your campaign was fully funded! Now the real work begins, powered by your backers’ support. If you haven’t already, build out a works-like prototype to test before moving onto an integrated looks-like/ works-like prototype. Here are the things to consider:

From render to reality: functional prototypes. This is where your concept starts to become a tangible, working product. Leverage development kits and off-the-shelf parts to iterate faster and prove the functionality before investing in custom parts.

Integrated prototypes: looks like, works like. Develop integrated prototypes that not only “work like” the final product but also “look like” it. This helps you refine the user experience and visual appeal. Who you need to bring in at this phase depends on what you’re making. A simple plastic part requires a mechanical engineer and industrial designer. For anything electronics, tack on an electrical engineer, firmware and sometimes software and app developers. App-connected devices will need UI/UX designers and app devs as well.

Refine and perfect: beta testing & iteration. Use your integrated prototypes to get your product in the hands of real people, and gather feedback through beta testing. Identify areas for improvement, and iterate and refine your design based on real-world usage. Don’t let perfect get in the way of gathering at least some feedback. Beta testers can be forgiving if you set expectations upfront. Ask for video and photography documentation. These assets can help fuel feature email marketing and digital marketing efforts.

The unboxing experience: packaging & dielines. Don’t forget the packaging! Invest some funds in designing your product’s packaging, creating dielines for manufacturing. This is part of the overall user experience.

Step 6: Finding your manufacturing partner – RFQs & DFM

Now that your design is refined, it’s time to find the right partners to bring it to mass production.

The bidding process: request for quotation (RFQ). Send out detailed RFQ packages to potential vendors. This includes your 3D models, CMF documentation, and specifications.

The numbers game: lead times, part costs, non-recurring expenses (NRE). Carefully evaluate vendor responses, focusing on manufacturing lead times, individual part costs, and those crucial NRE costs.

Design for manufacturability (DFM). Work closely with your chosen vendors to address any DFM issues. They’ll identify areas where your design might be difficult or costly to produce at scale, and you’ll work together to optimize it.

Higher-fidelity prototypes. Order higher-fidelity working prototypes from your chosen vendor. This allows for rigorous testing with parts made from the actual manufacturing process. Test and iterate until they meet your standards.

Quality control: inspection documentation. Create comprehensive inspection documentation that outlines quality standards and testing procedures for manufactured parts.

Color, material, finish (CMF) documentation. Finalize and formally document your CMF specifications with your chosen vendor to ensure consistency in production.

Third-party logistics (3PL) & shipping strategy. Determine your 3PL partner and finalize your overall shipping strategy to get products from the factory to your backers efficiently.

Vendor selection & first order. Choose your manufacturing vendor, negotiate terms, and lock down your first production order!

Step 7: The production line – Manufacturing ramp-up & delivery

This is the most exciting, and often most nerve-wracking, part of the journey.

The Validation Gauntlet: EVT, DVT, PVT. Work through the critical validation phases:

• Engineering Validation Test (EVT): Testing initial prototypes for core functionality
• Design Validation Test (DVT): Testing pre-production units for reliability and performance under various conditions
• Production Validation Test (PVT): Testing units from the actual production line to ensure consistent quality
  

Mold approvals. Approve the various stages of molded parts — T0 (first off-tool samples), T1, T2, etc. — ensuring they meet cosmetic and dimensional requirements.

Limited production run. Conduct a limited production run to validate everything from drop testing and shipping durability to FCC certification and IP (ingress protection) testing.

Refine and optimize. Iterate as needed on any cosmetic or functional issues discovered during testing.

Full steam ahead: Manufacturing ramp-up. After all validations are complete, begin your full manufacturing ramp-up.

To the warehouse: Your first units ship from the factory to your 3PL partner.

The moment of truth: Delivery! Your product finally arrives in the hands of your backers!

Step 8: The afterparty – Ongoing manufacturing support

Delivering the product isn’t the end — it’s the beginning of a new phase.

Listening in: Monitor feedback & issues. Pay close attention to customer feedback, reviews, and any reported issues with the product.

Continuous improvement. Identify areas for improvement and cost reduction. Work with your vendors to implement and test these changes in future production runs.

Future orders. Schedule and manage future orders to meet ongoing demand.

Bootstrapping a physical product with crowdfunding is a demanding journey, but it’s one that empowers you to bring your vision to life with minimized financial risk. It’s about building a community around your idea, validating your market, and using that momentum to fund every step of the manufacturing process.

Ready to start planning your crowdfunding launch? Reach out to schedule an intro call!

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