Invest in Ingesting

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, February 8th, 2010

(Image: Rodney R. Brown)

In this era of tight credit, “too-big-to-fail” bank bailouts and general fiscal uncertainty, it only makes sense to put your money where your mouth is.

At least, that’s the plan at Quirky and Kickstarter–Internet-age matchmakers looking to mold culinary innovators, pragmatic consultants and contribute-what-you-can capitalists into demand side-savvy producers using food as a building block for their community-based business models.

Kickstarter employs a crowd-funded approach that allows cash-poor-but-idea-rich entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch specific projects (the fund raising window can range from a single day to three months) to the whole world.

Interested parties can then kick-in as much as they like–Blacksburg native and Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler has opened his wallet nearly 130 times to date–provide suggestions or just watch the entire creative process unfold via the solicitors’ blog/video/Facebook updates.

There are currently around two dozen “food” projects actively seeking donors, including:

* StreetEats: a food-truck tracking app/service that currently monitors mobile dining options in eight major U.S. cities (they’re D.C. coverage includes Fojol Brothers, On the Fly and sweetflow mobile), and;

* A Century of Restaurants: Barbecue America host Rick Browne’s attempt to visit 100+ year-old dining venues in all 50 states (regional contenders include: Old Ebbitt Grill, Willard’s Round Robin Bar and Occidental Grill, Michie Tavern, Wayside Inn and The Tavern).

Kickstarter success stories include initiatives like My Friend’s Mustard and a pedal-powered butter churn/toaster, while The Bacon Diet appears to have been a major dud.

Meanwhile, Quirky invites would-be inventors to submit their ideas for cyber-vetting.

Those who choose to participate must pay a one-time $99 registration fee which covers everything from conception to production (via multilayered deliberations between in-house designers and web-based community “influencers”).

People are, of course, welcome to pitch any type of product they like. But a Quirky spokesperson confirmed that roughly 15 percent of the submissions are food-related proposals.

There are currently four active projects being bandied about by the Quirky cognoscenti, including:

* MugStir: a cup-grabbing coffee stirrer;

* Cone of Silence/Ice Pop Koozie: both of these are still in development; the CoS is basically a noise cancelling gadget for those who enjoy dining out but not the accompanying crowds, while the IPK  is a “green” popsicle holder; and,

* IPad Case: this one has nothing to do with food. But it is the baby of Virginia inventor Michael McCoy.

Quirky concepts still hoping to make it to market include: Luge Cubes (custom drink molds), Pressto (tofu press) and Travelstacks (collapsible snack containers).

I don’t know about you. But the next time I find a spare $1 burning a hole in my pocket, I might just have to skip the lottery ticket and jump into the foodvention fray…

–Warren

Tags: crowd funding, culinary, finance, food, Gut Check, innovation, inventions, Kickstarter, Northern Virginia Magazine, Quirky, Warren Rojas