The Digital Skeptic: Crowdfunding Follows Porn Into Digital Slum

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Steve King really did raise $313,490 on Kickstarter. But what happens now that he's been "Kickstarted"?

"It absolutely democratizes the process of raising money," King told me as he demonstrated his red-hot, newly crowdfunded tablet pen tool, The Hand Stylus. He says people like him have a shot at changing the world.

"But are the markets ready for this?" he asks. "And what actually happens to businesses like mine that succeed there? That I don't know."

King knows how to play the part of crowdfunding superstar, as gave me the guided tour on how he and business partner Christine Gonsalves got their funding.

Relying on a keen sense of retail sales developed as the owner of the Alameda, Calif.-based gift shop Whales & Friends, King obsessed over his stylus idea until he created a tool he liked. He traveled to China for prototyping and spent two weeks making a sales video. On May 3, he posted his pitch on Kickstarter, setting his original goal at $25,000.


Amazingly, when the offer closed six weeks later, north of $300,00 was pledged -- with Kickstarter and Amazon (AMZN) ripping about $30,000 out for their trouble, he says -- in return for preorders of a slick, retractable stylus that turns a tablet computer into a virtual drawing board.

Not surprisingly, King said, "I am an evangelist for Kickstarter."

But, ever the thoughtful entrepreneur, he also saw issues.

"Many businesses and people are not prepared for Kickstarter," he warned. "It's trickier than it looks."

This is supposed to be crowdfunding's year in the business sun. The JOBS Act -- signed into law in April of last year -- has powerful new language meant to bring crowdfunding to the investor mob.

"Crowdfunding for Everyone" is the marketing line from San Diego-based GoFundMe that captures the land-rush vibe.