It takes more than big dreams to make a project happen (we’re a startup – believe us, we get it). But in 2018, people with awesome ideas don’t have to wait for investors to take a chance on them. They can turn to the community, which is exactly what these 5 Upstate ventures on Kickstarter are doing.

1️⃣ CIRCA Coffee Company – Haiti Initiative | Ends May 25 | $1,984 pledged of $10,000 goal* | Rewards: $15 gets you a free tin of Haitian coffee; $250 gets you a free year of coffee, a photo of someone your donation has helped, and a FaceTime call with CIRCA’s founder.

CIRCA would provide sustainable agricultural jobs to people in Haiti through its growing coffee industry, while serving up Haitian coffee in Spartanburg.

2️⃣ Six Oaks Farm Expansion Project | Ends May 14 | $1 pledged of $5,500 goal* | Rewards: $100 gets you a Six Oaks t-shirt, $1,000 a variety box of pastured pork (sausage, chops, etc)

Sustainable farm Six Oaks plans to purchase small equipment for its gardens and CSA program, construct a building for on-site sale of pork products, and expand its sunflower garden.

3️⃣ The Ferryman Issue One | Ends May 24 | $232 pledged of $6,300 goal* | Rewards: $5 gets you a digital copy, $10 a digital copy, and $25 a digital + signed physical copy plus a shoutout in the book

A 22-page comic set in 2051 about a digital afterlife where your consciousness can be uploaded after you die (bonus: see the process of creating the comic from a script here).

4️⃣ radiohaven.com Audio/Video Streaming | Ends June 18 | $0 pledged of $25,000 goal*

A free, no-login or membership required website to curate radio stations you want to listen to all in one place (kinda like subscribing to channels on YouTube) that’s working to improve its interface and ease of use.

5️⃣ QuickIT – The Best Cord Tool Yet | Ends May 24 | $5,976 pledged of $5,900 goal* | Rewards: $11 gets you a set of 2 cord tools, $35 for a set of 8

An aluminum cord tool perfect for things like tent lines, bug nets + outdoor projector screens. – This campaign just met its goal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still help out if you’re into the project.

What happens to the Kickstarters who are successful? A few years ago, 64 backers pledged $7,900 towards Invitation to the Dance, a documentary about special needs adults learning ballet in Greenville.

The completed film will be screened at the Center for Developmental Services tomorrow, May 11. 🎉

*amount of money pledged as of 5/9 at 3 p.m.