Gumstix Launches Crowdfunding Program for Device Purchases

Gumstix announced a crowdfunding financial platform for electronic devices. Combined with the Gumstix design-and-build system Geppetto, which enables customers to create custom Linux-powered electronics, the crowdfunding option now enables single users and hobbyists easier access for building their designs on Geppetto, the company says.

“Crowdfunding campaigns are a natural extension of our design sharing philosophy. We expect to see shared designs in a wide range of communities, from robotics classrooms to remote environmental data monitoring, and are excited to have made our own internal engineering automation freely available over the Web, “said W. Gordon Kruberg, president and CEO of Gumstix. “This spreads design-and-build of electronic devices well beyond the realm of professional electrical engineers, and into the hands of educators and hobbyists.”

Users create community campaigns for any electronic device designed with Geppetto, whether or not the design is shared publicly. Designers choose a quantity threshold and campaign duration (between 10 and 45 days) and share a catalog link with their community. Community members then pledge to buy boards, and after the threshold is reached the boards are built. Users divide a $1,999 manufacturing set-up fee based on the quantity of boards ordered, and as a part of the launch, Gumstix will waive the fee entirely for campaigns that reach more than 50 subscribers.

For more information, visit Gumstix.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.