Kickstarter Inc.

Pedal Power: Finally, Biking Can Charge Your Phone

Pedal Power: Finally, Biking Can Charge Your Phone

Dub Gabriel on Developing a Global Sound and the Benefits of All-Vinyl DJing

For the past three years, producer and DJ Dub Gabriel has traveled across three continents, perfecting and seeking inspiration for his Kickstarter-funded fourth album, Raggabass Resistance. Released last weekend on 4/20, the album employs the talents of friends like legendary MC Brother Culture, and ... More >>

Hipsters, Rejoice! You Can Now Charge Your Smartphone While Riding Your Fixie.

When Aaron Latzke and David Delcourt launched the Kickstarter campaign for their "Siva Cycle Atom" on Tuesday morning, they gave themselves a month to amass $85,000. When I spoke to Latzke yesterday afternoon, some 54 hours later, they'd raised more than $58,000. The masses (at least, those among t ... More >>

20th Century Cafe Launches Kickstarter Campaign With Adorable Old-Timey Video

Pastry chef Michelle Polzine has been trying to open 20th Century Café in a converted laundromat at Oak and Gough (across the street from Rich Table) for a while -- we wrote recently about the pop-up bake sales she was holding at State Bird Provisions every Sunday. Now she's looking for Kickstarter ... More >>

Pal's Takeaway's Fourth Anniversary Party, Expansion Plans

It's a little-disputed fact that some of the city's best sandwiches come from Pal's Takeaway, the tiny counter ensconced in Tony's Market at 24th and Hampshire (though you may remember a few months ago when they were raising Kickstarter funds for a move/expansion; more on that in a moment). Anyway, ... More >>

S.F. Filmmaker Uses Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI to Highlight Italy's Stonewall

In 1998, a gay writer named Alfredo Ormando knelt in St. Peter's Square and lit himself on fire. His self-immolation was a protest against the Church's strict stance against gay marriage and homosexuality in general. Now, over a decade after Ormando's death, the Pope is resigning in the midst of t ... More >>

Ice Cream Travel Guide, All-In-One Utensils and More Need Support

A tour around the current projects bidding for your bucks over at Kickstarter reveals ideas designed to make your cooking and eating pursuits a little bit easier. San Francisco's Alite Designs is looking for assistance to finish creating the Clover Cook Set, which combines a spoon, spatula, and pair ... More >>

These Aphrodisiac Lollipops Might Not Get You Laid, But They Will Make You Laugh

Wonderful things sometimes appear in our inbox unbidden, and today brought one of the best press releases we've seen since the Jellinator. Pandora's Pops are aphrodisiac lollipops -- not aphrodisiac-flavored lollipops, but organic herbal candies specifically designed by company founder Jena Chambers ... More >>

Top Chefs and Restaurants Come Together for Two Charitable Events

Share Our Strength Dinner Where: Spruce, 3640 Sacramento (at Spruce), 931-5100 When: Tues., Jan. 22, 6 p.m. Cost: $250 The rundown: Give us the chance to see celeb chefs (including Food Network alum Amanda Freitag) and taste a sweet chocolate cremeaux from Belinda Leong and we'll find a way to pu ... More >>

Pal's Takeaway Looking to Move, Raising Funds on Kickstarter

If you've ever enjoyed one of the superlative sandwiches from Pal's Takeaway, you know it's located inside the cozy Tony's Market at 24th and Hampshire. Now the shop, which took top honors on SFoodie's Top 10 S.F. Sandwich list earlier this year for its Mrs. Binh's sausage sandwich, is looking to ex ... More >>

ForageSF: Expanding the Wild Empire

"Food: An Atlas": Project Visualizes the Geography of Sustenance

Intriguing New Food Atlas Looking for Kickstarter Funding

Remember those rad children's atlases that had cartoonish representations of the major exports of every region around the world, kinda like the map mural at Kate's Kitchen? Well, get excited: a group of Berkeley cartographers and more than 80 volunteers around the globe have banded together to creat ... More >>

The Summit: Eastern Addition's Pop-Up Dinner Returns

Eastern Addition Previews The Summit's Return

Desi Danganan, Tim Luym, and Jacobo Juarez are among the crew who have spearheaded a new pop-up dinner series called Eastern Addition. Luym previously worked as a chef for Poleng Lounge, the now defunct Western Addition restaurant and club owned by Danganan; he now is consulting chef for the Attic i ... More >>

Amanda Palmer On Being Online: "I Sometimes Feel Like Reality Itself Is Passing Me By"

Amanda Palmer is one of the best examples of how the Internet and social media have brought celebrities down from Olympus. Where Robert "I am a golden god!" Plant and his bandmates were basically accessible to only selected groupies and rock journalists, Palmer is an enthusiastic -- almost obsessive ... More >>

Why I'm Fine With Playing For Amanda Palmer For Free, By S.F. Cellist Unwoman

Editor's note: There's a flurry of arguments floating around online about independent artist Amanda Palmer asking skilled musicians to play a couple of songs at each stop on her upcoming tour for just beer, merchandise, and affection. Many argue that it isn't fair that Palmer -- who raised more than ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Honey Badger Don't Care That It Inspired Some BBQ Sauce

A video posted on YouTube called "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger," a witty parody of a National Geographic wildlife documentary, has garnered more than 48 million views since January 2011 and officiated a meme and catchphrase: "Honey badger don't care!" More recently, it has inspired a new line of ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Kickstarter: Six Ways Artists Should NOT Use the Crowdfunding Site

For nascent musicians, Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites have risen to unprecedented popularity. A vast array of projects are outlined, perhaps accompanied by a video, and anonymous, philanthropically minded individuals dish out varying amounts of cash for inventive rewards furnished by the r ... More >>

Become a Hipster Pop-Up in 10 Easy Steps

San Francisco is the king of hipster pop-ups. And we love it. Here's what you need to do to throw your fedora in the ring: 1. Put an egg on it: You can slap that free-range, olive-oil-fried egg on everything from burgers to bimbimbap. Eggs come from chickens, chickens are birds, and birds are painf ... More >>

Hapa Ramen Seeks Public Support to Build Dream Kitchen

Chef Richie Nakano and crew have worked for nearly a year to open the first brick and mortar location of Hapa Ramen (1527 Fillmore). While an opening date has yet to be set, after two years of throwing pop-up events and appearing at Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and Off The Grid events, Nakano's kitche ... More >>

Danielle Ate the Sandwich: Show Preview

Bespoke Cupcake Truck Wants to Roll by September

Krystyl Baldwin has left the Silicon Valley startup world in order to launch a new dream of serving street food. Her idea is My Cupcake Truck, which would sell cupcakes with the icing amount controlled by the customer. "Not just any cupcakes," reads her pitch. "Cupcakes customizable to your liking! ... More >>

Energy Bars, Now With Insects

Salt Lake City inventor Pat Crowley and San Francisco resident Dan O'Neill have co-founded Chapul, the country's first company to tout energy bars made from insects high in protein, iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, Chapul makes what it calls "the original cricket bar." Cricket f ... More >>

The Adventures of a Videogame Rebel: Tim Schafer at Double Fine

You Said It

Kickstarter Round-Up: Sweet Bar Bakery, Inna Jam, and Sow All Looking for Investors

Kickstarter is an organizational force to be reckoned with. By giving small businesses the power to harness the income of friends, family, and fans through a rewarded-donation system, the website has allowed an impressive share of previously under-the-radar micro-companies to baby step into the big ... More >>

Poitín 1661 Update: Mission Accomplished

​SFoodie raises its cup for former San Francisco bar tender Ashlee Casserly. Last week we dished about her Kickstarter campaign for her authentic Irish white whiskey,1661 Poitín. She reached her goal of raising $40,000 Monday, two hours before the deadline. The grand total is $43,451. Introducing ... More >>

Marissa Nadler on Funding Records with Kickstarter, Sexism in Music, and Being Shy

"The real Marissa is filled with passion," she says. "I'm fiery, not celestial."​ By CHLOE ROTH Massachusetts-based songwriter Marissa Nadler performs this Sunday, Dec. 18, at Cafe Du Nord with local songstress Emily Jane White. We caught up with Nadler while she was working on a mysterious v ... More >>

Like Free Outdoor Shows? Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival Wants Your Help

MissionMission.orgGood times at Mission Creek's McLaren Park show. ​ We're proceeding under the assumption that your answer to the above question is nothing but a resounding "Hell yes." And having thus agreed that free outdoor shows tend to be wonderful, consider supporting the Mission Creek M ... More >>

Local Brewing Co. Hopes to Kickstart a Nanobrewery

The gypsy brewers behind Local Brewing Co. are looking to launch a neighborhood watering hole. Regan Long and Sarah Fenson have posted a Kickstarter proposal to ask their fans to help raise at least $69,000 to create a three-barrel brewery and taproom complete with small bites. A celebration for th ... More >>

Training Montage

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Want German Street Food? Help Kickstart the Guten Brat!

Jorge Mallory​Alameda's Jorge Mallory has a vision to convert his 1957 VW Splitty Kombi Bus into the Guten Brat, a mobile eatery selling bratwurst sandwiches and currywurst. He's got a little less than two weeks left in his Kickstarter campaign, which seeks $10,000 for the renovations, which w ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Victory and Associates Plead for Your Help in a Way Entirely Contrary to Their Name

Victory and Associates meet the press or face the nation or something​ As they prep their first full-length, the bright, brash young men of Oakland's Victory and Associates are seizing this century's communication technologies to pay for last century's: namely a vinyl release of Th ... More >>

Tequila and Tamales by the Bay: Too Good to Pound

Maria Antonieta SolorzanoThe Whole Tortilla picked up the People's Choice Award.​Around 300 people breezed about the sunny atrium at San Francisco Design Center Sunday, munching tamales and sipping from baby shot glasses of tequila. It was the fifth year of Benchmark Institute's fundraiser Tequila ... More >>

The Lovemakers' Lisa Light Returns as El Elle; Drops Video for "Astral Plane"

​Before breaking up last year, East Bay electro-pop duo the Lovemakers were among the best-known local bands. Scott Blonde and Lisa Light sung with acerbic sarcasm -- the kind former lovers have for each other -- and mixed rock guitars with dance beats and soaring pop hooks. Lovemakers singles lik ... More >>

How to fund your project with online tools in 2011

Suck It, Fiona Ma: S.F. Rave Documentary Coming Soon

Wooo!! Giants!!​At one point there was a lot of gold around these parts. Then for a time there was peace and love and kind bud and all that positivity malarkey. Nowadays, San Francisco sustains itself exclusively on foodism, tech startups, and massive pulsating dance parties held in low reverbera ... More >>

Tamales Los Mayas Seeks Kickstarter Microloans for Food Cart

Alicia Villanueva has taken to Kickstarter to raise $5,000 to start a mobile cart for her Tamales Los Mayas, a La Cocina-incubated business. The Sinaloa-born entrepreneur seeks help to purchase the cart and cooking equipment, and pay fees for licenses and permits. There are 16 days left to fund Vi ... More >>

Could Crowdsourced Funding Be a Future Solution for Indie Labels?

S.F. band My First Earthquake raised money to record a new album via Kickstarter.​As the music industry scrambles to make labels profitable again in the Web 2.0 era, one recent trend to emerge is the concept of crowdfunded albums -- where fans directly pay artists in advance so the artist can affo ... More >>

A Fire Inside Makes New Bid to Raise Capital for Bakery

A Fire Inside/KickstarterBread's not available from A Fire Inside ― yet.​Nobody said being a vegan baker with an entrepreneurial bent was easy. A month after failing to muster enough microloans via Kickstarter, baker and Millennium cook David Surcamp is trying a new tack for cash to launch a ... More >>

Fresh Eats: Our weekly roundup of SFoodie news

A Fire Inside Seeks Investors (and Hugs) to Launch Vegan Bakery

David Surcamp​A Fire Inside, an underground vegan bakery run by David Surcamp, is soliciting donations via Kickstarter in hopes of opening a brick and mortar location in the East Bay, reports Vegansaurus. Surcamp is looking for a total of $35,000. He's offering some heartfelt thank-you gifts t ... More >>

Africa Abroad