Why Every Designer Should Try Crowdfunding—Lessons from 9+ Years of Teaching it at Pratt Institute
In 2015, I had an idea: What if design students could learn the real-world process of launching a product—not just designing one?
I pitched a course on crowdfunding to the Pratt Industrial Design department, and that fall, the first-ever Art of Crowdfunding class was born. Since then, I’ve taught it 19 consecutive semesters, watching students turn their ideas into market-ready products.
They don’t have to launch a campaign, but they do have to develop a project concept, analyze the market, create a prototype, design a campaign, and pitch their idea to a panel of judges. So far, 9 students have successfully funded their projects, and 4 have tried and learned from failure.
Crowdfunding isn’t just about raising money—it’s a real-world test of product-market fit, storytelling, and execution.
Why I Teach Crowdfunding
Design schools do a great job of training students for structured roles—corporate jobs, studios, or freelance careers. But they often miss a critical step:
What happens before a product even reaches a customer?
How do businesses validate ideas, test demand, and bring something entirely new to market?
I jokingly tell my students that we train designers to be the hands of capitalism. But what about being the minds behind it?
Through crowdfunding, I teach them what companies go through when launching a new product—including:
Market research & customer validation
Sourcing, pricing & budgeting
Go-to-market strategies & logistics
Customer service & launch execution
Whether a student successfully launches or not, they walk away with something invaluable: the mindset of an entrepreneur.
3 Key Lessons from Student-Launched Crowdfunding Projects
1. You Never Know Until You Launch
Back in 2015, my student Madeline Profio had a simple frustration: cutting Brussels sprouts was frustrating. They rolled around, making slicing difficult.
So she designed the B-Sprout 2000, a cutting board with an innovative groove system that held sprouts (and other round produce) in place.
She launched her campaign just weeks after class ended. By January, she had successfully raised funds. By summer, she had delivered to all 198 backers, using a manufacturer in Queens to produce the boards from sustainable bamboo.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/952405767/b-sprout-2000-cutting-board
At first, Maddy had no intention of building a long-term business—she just wanted to see if people had the same problem she did. But a few years later, a friend in the kitchenware industry saw her design and asked if she’d be open to licensing it.
She agreed, and soon after, her product was reborn as the Cook Duo Veggie Gripper Cutting Board, proving that sometimes, a one-time project can have an unexpected second life.
https://a.co/d/eKuAzfl
The lesson: you don’t know what opportunities will come until you put your idea out there.
2. Crowdfunding Adds Value Beyond the Campaign
Fast-forward to 2021, when Zachary Leong, a Sustainability Minor, pitched an idea in class:
"What if a planter could be more sustainable, functional, and beautiful?"
He used his material knowledge to design a cork-based planter that naturally absorbed excess moisture and regulated plant hydration.
After class, he launched his Kickstarter campaign in October 2021 and secured 125 backers. But the real magic? He leveraged his family’s factory in Indonesia to produce the planters, turning this into a business rooted in sustainability and family heritage.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/plantyzach/the-corki-planter-lets-grow
For Zachary, crowdfunding wasn’t just about funding a product—it was a way to test material innovation, tell a story, and build a business with purpose.
3. Crowdfunding is a Powerful Way to Test a Hypothesis
In 2019, Sean Kim (founder of Wooj Design) came into my class with an idea:
"Why do we need to manufacture overseas when we have micro-factories in NYC?"
Sean had a full woodshop and the skills to make products himself. So he designed the Wavy Knife Rack, a beautifully crafted knife storage solution, and launched it on Kickstarter.
He successfully funded the campaign, personally hand-making and shipping every order.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seanwooj/the-wavy-knife-rack
The experience gave him proof of concept—not just for the knife rack, but for an entire business model. He later applied the same locally made, design-forward approach to launch Wooj Design, which now produces 3D-printed lighting solutions in Brooklyn, NY.
https://wooj.design/
The lesson: crowdfunding isn’t just about a single product—it can validate an entire way of doing business.
Why Every Design Student Should Try Crowdfunding
Not every student in my class launches their project, but that’s not the point. Crowdfunding is one of the most valuable ways for design students to test their ideas in the real world.
Think about it:
It’s a low-risk way to see if an idea has demand
It teaches real-world problem-solving & execution
It forces students to think beyond design into business strategy
I tell my students that crowdfunding is the cheapest way to test ideas. The cost is mostly their time and effort—and whether they launch just once or turn it into a career, they walk away with a skillset that goes far beyond Kickstarter.
I’ve personally used crowdfunding many times in my professional life with great success. By teaching students these steps and processes, I’m giving them a tool they can use anytime in their careers—one that could turn a simple idea into something much bigger.
At its core, crowdfunding is like a lemonade stand for new ideas—a low-risk, high-learning way to test and launch innovations. And that’s why I teach it.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Talk Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a tool that allows anyone to test an idea, whether it’s a one-time project or the start of something bigger.
What’s one idea you’ve always wanted to test with crowdfunding? Let’s discuss!