BioLite Smokes Kickstarter Goal with $1M

The public demand for BaseCamp, BioLite’s newest product introduction, proved itself a million times over when the brand’s recent Kickstarter campaign raised $1,032,443 for the project – smashing its original goal of $45,000.

Through the 32-day-long Kickstarter campaign, which ended yesterday on Father’s Day, 3785 backers pitched in to make BioLite the 67th most successful campaign in Kickstarter history. More than 3,200 of those backers pledged at the $299 level and will be the first to receive the BioLite BaseCamp with a special-edition carrying case, a perk available only to those on Kickstarter. Backers will also have the experience of helping BioLite select an accessory project for BaseCamp, a stretch goal announced halfway through the campaign and met when BioLite reached the $750,000 mark with three days to go.

“We wanted to launch in an environment that allowed us to tell the full story of the creation of BaseCamp and Kickstarter felt like the perfect platform,” said Erica Rosen, BioLite Director of Marketing. “It was our first crowd-demanded product, and now it’s our first crowd-funded product. It has been an incredible experience, essentially co-launching a product with the community. We’ve been blown away by the results.”

Inspired by consumer requests for the HomeStove, the company’s stove for emerging markets, BaseCamp lets outdoor adventurers easily cook for big groups. Like the BioLite CampStove, the BaseCamp is powered by wood and other biomass, eliminating the need for heavy, expensive, polluting petroleum gas. Its side feed entry makes for easy refueling.