How to Crowdfund in 2025

Lessons learned from raising (and losing) millions on crowdfunding

After nearly a dozen crowdfunding campaigns, I’ve made just about every mistake you can imagine and thankfully, learned a few things along the way. If you’re planning to launch your own campaign, here are three hard-earned lessons that could save you time, money, and a lot of stress.

But before we dig in, I want to be clear: this is just the tip of the iceberg. At this point, entire books could be written on the subject of crowdfunding (and some already have). (Also, if you want to see how I crowdfund as its happening, you can check out the Ascension 15th Anniversary campaign I just launched on Gamefound here.)

What is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding allows creators to raise money directly from their audience to bring a project to life, usually before it’s finished. We often joke that these campaigns are less “Kickstarters” and more “Kickfinishers,” because so many creators wait until they’re nearly done before launching. Audiences expect much more polished prototypes and designs before back…