Kick it up for capital

The Kickstarter method of raising capital for business-related causes has gained some traction on the Gulf Coast.

Kickstarter is a for-profit business that allows people to raise money through crowd funding, usually for creative projects, like movies and music recordings. Some projects on Kickstarter offer perks to investors, like early access to the final product and memorabilia.

Two Tampa-area entrepreneurial ventures are the latest to get in on the Kickstarter action. One sells a new kind of slim wallet, while the other developed sandals made from rubber trees.

Tampa Bay native and recent USF grad Nick Augeri is pushing what he calls the Snapback Slim Wallet. The Snapback Slim, according to a release, is “designed for minimalists who like to hold it all without the bulk.” It holds up to 10 credit cards, folded cash and receipts, and does it in a simple and sleek design.

“After having a difficult go at finding a full-time position in the competitive job market of Tampa Bay,” Augeri says in the release, “I decided to create the Snapback Slim to take my success into my own hands.”

Augeri seeks $10,000, according to his Kickstarter page, and he had $7,406 through Sept. 2. The funds had come in from 117 investors, who hail everywhere from the U.S. to Singapore to Chile. Pledges start at $1, and an investor who gives at least $17 gets a Snapback Slim. Augeri's Snapback Slim investment project ends Sept. 27.

While Augeri works toward his goal, Gurus, a Tampa company that turned the specs of a 5,000-year-old Indian sandal into a colorful, natural-products based flip-flop, has already met its projections. Founded by New York investment bankers Prem Thomas and Joe Choorapuzha, Gurus launched a Kickstarter project Aug. 6 to raise capital it could use to make molds, purchase raw materials and start production.

Gurus raised $14,347 in pledges through Sept. 2, which surpassed its $12,000 goal by more than $2,000. The capital raise was set to expire Sept. 5.

Kickstarter has received pledges for more than $760 million from 4.7 million people since it was founded in 2009. Those funds have backed nearly 50,000 projects and business ventures.