It should be noted that they have not really raised any equity capital. The $1M are pre-orders for the iPod Nano watch, and hence is revenue. In this sense, Kickstarter is ingeniously being used as a platform for virally marketing the product (concept) and as a sales channel. Kudos to them for their success.
Kickstarter is shaping up to be the ultimate R&D/test marketing platform. You have an idea, you can make prototypes, you test market the prototype on Kickstarter, the consumer speaks with their wallet, and you can either take it to the mainstream or gracefully exit whilst giving away some "exclusive" tchotchkes to the people who paid in.
It could also become the manufacturing version of a "pop-up store", where potential buyers are given "exclusive" timed access to a product before it hits the mainstream outlets. This exudes value (like the Humble Game Bundles or Macheist) while focusing laser-sharp on just one product (a la woot) and is compelling to our baser consumer desires for access, urgency, and exclusivity.
Could be an interesting pivot for kickstarter (or perhaps be a nice niche for someone to exploit).
Actually I have been toying with this idea as a new way to produce art. Books. Movies, etc.
Because if take as an axiom that "once it's out there, it will be copied" then what if all the reliable money to be made was already made before the movie was released, and at the theaters, concerts, and physical books?
You could follow the progress of movies and fund them if you liked what you saw.
Thank you for making this point. I've been going mad trying to explain to friends that, in this case, the money isn't "funding" in the traditional sense. Selling pre-orders is entirely different than receiving funding. In normal funding scenarios, the person providing the capital does so in order to receive some financial benefit in return for risking their money on the project. In this case, you're just pre-ordering various product packages. There is no return on your investment.
I'm guessing that they also secured a credit line based on the pre-orders, so they have enough cash to pay for prototypes, raw materials, molds/tooling, etc...
If you own, try to rent out your house and then rent a cheaper place closer to work. If you rent, try to move closer to work. If you live in a city you might be able to do without a car. Also, if you have an extra room, you can try renting it out or listing on airbnb (no affiliation). The point is that sometimes you can find low-bandwidth opportunities to make or save a little extra cash on the side.
Man, I feel you, you are not alone. It seems to me that you are a "builder". An entrepreneur with the foresight and technical capacity to make great things. But both your superiors and peers are standing in your way. Turning the beautiful and fulfilling art of creating technology into a political battle and minefield. Leave, now. It is not your company, they don't own you, and you don't owe them anything. Build your war-chest. Only with your own resources will you be free to innovate.
Based on my observation, some heavy hitters are using Scala in production, but the learning curve is high and development time is slower that PHP, RoR or Python.
http://bit.ly/irM6XV