Why Projects Get Rejected

The Crowd Supply Guide: Why Projects Get Rejected

Rejection is never fun, so you might be feeling unhappy that Crowd Supply did not accept your project. Don’t! We often turn down fascinating and promising projects simply because they are not a good fit for our model. Think of it as another data point in your project’s development. What can you learn from the experience? We do our best to respond to every project submission. In our response, we try to briefly explain our reasons for rejection and give you suggestions for re-submission (if appropriate). This page will take a more in-depth look at the most common reasons we decline to run a project’s campaign.

You’ll find related information on our When to Submit Guide page.

Issues with the product

Not in our market space We love restaurants, dogs, chocolate, and movies but that's just not what we fund (anymore). We support and specialize in open source electronic hardware projects geared toward an audience of electrical engineers.
Not open source We require a significant portion of your hardware to be open source, at least the firmware and the schematics, preferably also the layout. We expect this documentation will be easily accessible to backers. For more information, please see our Guide page on open source
Not far enough along (no prototype). We don't fund start-up costs, research and development, or "ideas." We're here to help you bring your fully realized hardware to market. In other words, you will need to have a late-stage, fully functional prototype in hand before you can start a campaign.

Issues with the project

Inadequate or inaccessible documentation Documentation is a vital part of your project, as much as any piece of hardware. Crowd Supply backers expect full, complete documentation including (as applicable) schematics, board layouts, firmware, set-up and configure instructions, examples, use-cases, etc.
Not adequately differentiated Your project needs to be clearly differentiated from your competition. We often get project submissions that claim there's no comparable product. What creators usually mean by this is there is no board that has the same set of features. What we want to see is how potential backers would solve the same problem using existing solutions and why using your solution is better.
Lack of market knowledge You need to know the competitive landscape into which you are launching your project. Who are the major players? Who is using what to achieve similar things? Where on the internet and/or in real life can you find your community?
Unrealistic production goals Of course we want our creators to make lots of sales, but it's important to also temper expectations and make success reachable. We are deeply invested in our creators' campaigns and will go out of our way to help your campaign to reach its goal, including purchasing stock for post-campaign sales. The lower the production goal is, the easier it is to do all that. As long as your goal covers your costs, there's no harm in having a modest production target. For more detailed information, see our Funding Goals Guide page.

Question not answered here? Contact us to see how we can help.

The Crowd Supply Guide: Table of Contents

For Everyone

Proclamation of User Rights

For Backers

For Creators

Getting Started

When and How Should I Submit my Project to Crowd Supply?
The Life Cycle of a Crowd Supply Campaign
Why Projects are Rejected

Before Your Campaign Launches

During Your Campaign

After Your Campaign Concludes