Agent smartwatch absolutely crushed its Kickstarter crowdfunding goal today, bringing in more than $1,000,000 compared to its campaign objective of only $100,000. While not quite as stellar as first-to-the-trough Kickstarter darling Pebble, any time you exceed your venture capital grab by more than 1,000%, you know you have done something right.
Agent is now the second Kickstarter smartwatch to achieve enormous popularity while still in the developmental phase. A collaboration of talent from Secret Labs and House of Horology, the Agent smartwatch employed a strong, professional marketing campaign to ensure its success. And, professionalism and polish seem to be the key to capturing subscribers as we discussed in our recent article about proper use of the crowdfunding marketing tool.
Another key to a successful a smartwatch crowdfunding campaign appears to be the production of a working prototype prior to seeking funds. An intriguing Pebble smartwatch prototype was paraded around for all to see and it sold like hotcakes. Similarly, the Agent smartwatch has been displayed with its unique Qi wireless charger, and the public became similarly enamored with it, singing its praises on various social media outlets. Conversely, recent attempts to crowdfund smartwatches based solely upon renderings and schematics have unsuccessfully languished with little interest, some still opting to produce a product and hope that excitement will ensue once the public sees a working model. While not the only factor in a successful crowdfunding campaign, it now appears that putting forth some displayable effort and investing a little money of your own is a must do for smartwatch manufacturers wishing to pitch the public for startup capital.
Well, it looks like we will be seeing the Agent smartwatch come to market, with its sleek looks and unique (for now) Qi wireless charging. Now, it just needs to get the product in the hands of its subscribers and get them coding some apps for the fledging device. For long terms success still depends upon turning out a great product with great apps … something even market king Pebble is now struggling with.
Source
Agent Smartwatch: [Company Website]
