Our society is constantly changing. The industrial revolution led to a shift in the type of work people did and developments in the field of computers has also been responsible for a lot of change in many areas during the past 30 years. Something didn’t change though same during these two revolutions. If you had an idea and wanted to start a business you were dependent on a wealthy person or bank. When no one believed in your idea it meant the end of your dream.
The computer revolution and the inception of the Internet, especially the last few years also resulted a change in that aspect of getting money. Crowdfunding enables anyone with an idea to present that idea directly to the customer. When enough people believe in your idea or product and therefore decide to invest money you can get started. Kickstarter is one of best known sites for crowdfunding. This documentary delves into this world and tells the story of three entrepreneurs who are using Kickstarter to try and achieve something they could not otherwise realize.
With his long and tangled beard Zach Crain does not immediately look like someone who you’d lend your money to. He grew up in a small community and when he left that community he stuck around a small town. There he met some people and decided together to set up the company Freaker USA. The product they want to sell is a strange: a kind of sock for your bottles of liquor to keep them cold for longer.
Brian Fargo has a long history in the gaming industry and published the game Wasteland in 1988. This post apocalyptic game was popular and Fargo immediately wanted to make a sequel. He tried with all sorts of partners to get financing for the production, but no one wanted to. Crowdfunding was his last chance.
Jackson Robinson is the third person, a graphic designer who dreams to create a self-designed card game. A huge job that he wants to realize in the evenings (in addition to his regular job and a family with two daughters).
All three men managed to get their funding, but like in the documentary Print Legend (where crowdfunding also played a role) they realize that once you have the money there are expectations, a date that you’ve agreed to supply your product and therefore pressure to get everything done on time. This is something Jackson Robinson notices the most. He has set a goal to make a card every night and at does so at the expense of his family. His wife feels like she has to do everything alone and at one point he must make a decision to stop his normal job and take a huge risk by entering into an uncertain future or continue as he does and possibly lose his family. His story is the most moving, but the other stories show facets you wouldn’t think of as an entrepreneur who has just started. One example is when another company start imitating the product Freaker USA is making.
If something is missing from this documentary than it is the negative side of crowdfunding. It is mentioned shortly, but the stories in Capital C are all successful projects. It would be interesting to show the other side of the story, such as projects that have not reached their goal or have the money but then fail to deliver a product to their backers. Still this documentary, which incidentally also has been made thanks to crowdfunding, shows what can be achieved with this new form of financing. Something that perhaps is still in its infancy, but which could also be considered a (small) revolution for society.
