Methodology

This page explains where our campaign data comes from, how risk ratings are produced, and the limits you should keep in mind when reading them.

Which campaigns we track

Our campaign database focuses on newly launched Kickstarter projects in the Technology and Design categories that have raised at least US$50,000. We collect publicly available campaign information through a third-party data provider and refresh it daily.

Each record is checked before it is published. Records missing basic fields such as the funding goal, amount pledged, launch date, deadline or project link, or that fall outside the tracked categories, are discarded rather than shown with incomplete numbers.

What we measure

• Funding progress: amount pledged, percentage of goal and number of backers.
• Funding pace: average daily pledges since launch and a projection to the deadline. Projections are only shown once a campaign has been live for at least three days, because the first days are not representative.
• Daily snapshots, so changes in momentum are visible over time.
• Context signals: creator history, staff-pick status, campaign length, goal size relative to product complexity, and whether the page shows a working prototype.

How risk ratings are produced

Each risk rating combines rule-based checks on the data above with an analysis written by an AI language model that reads the public campaign information. The output is a low, medium or high risk level, a 0–100 score, and a short explanation listing positive signals and concerns.

Risk analyses are generated automatically and are not individually verified by a human editor. They are re-run when a campaign's numbers change significantly. Treat them as a structured starting point for your own research, not as a verdict on a creator.

Limits of the method

• We only see what a campaign makes public. Manufacturing contracts, cash position and supplier relationships are usually invisible to us.
• A low risk rating does not guarantee delivery, and a high risk rating is not an accusation of wrongdoing.
• Data from third-party sources can contain errors. If you spot one, please tell us.

Corrections

If a campaign record or analysis is wrong, email [email protected] with the campaign link and the correction. Creators are welcome to send evidence such as prototype footage or production updates, and we will re-run the analysis.