D.C.-based home automation platform SmartThings on Friday confirmed its rumored acquisition by Samsung, at a reported price tag of $200 million. Just two years ago, the then-Minneapolis-based startup closed a $1.2 million Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly five times its goal.
The deal caps a crowdfunding-heavy week of news in the District, whose government is both looking to implement equity crowdfunding rules and help businesses navigate non-equity based platforms like Kickstarter.
In that spirit, here are the D.C. region's 10 most successful Kickstarter campaigns. It's an eclectic, quirky bunch, some of which we've reported on heavily, some of which are news to us.
Note: To establish this ranking, we used Kickstarter's advanced search function for Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, and pulled out the most-funded tech campaigns for the region. Definition of "tech" is entirely subjective here.
1. The Micro: the First Truly Consumer 3D Printer
What it Raised:$3,401,361 from 11,855 backers
What it is: A low-cost, USB-compatible desktop 3D printer
Created By: M3D LLC (Bethesda)
What it raised:$2,232,933 from 14,873 backers
What it is: A post-apocalyptic MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for PC.
Created by: City State Entertainment (Fairfax)
3. Macaw: The Code-Savvy Web Design Tool
What it raised:$275,929 from 2,752 backers
What it is: Web-design software that outputs usable code
Created by: Macaw (D.C.)
4. Barkley 2 - an RPG Sequel to Barkley Shut up and Jam: Gaiden
What it raised:$120,335 from 4,636 backers
What it is: A tongue-in-cheek indie PC game
Created by: Tales of Game's (Silver Spring)
5. Nice Laundry: A Fresh Start for your Sock Drawer
What it raised:$119,321 from 2,004 backers
What it is: Sock delivery site
Created by: Ricky Choi and Phil Moldavski (D.C.)
6. Riide - The bike has evolved. Lighter Faster. Electric
What it raised:$117,419
What it is: An electric bike
Created by: Riide (D.C.)
7. Skirmos: Open Source Laser Tag
What it raised:$98,674 from 471 backers
What it is: Customizable, open-source laster tag system
Created by: Skirmos (Takoma Park)
8. Startupland
What it raised: $85,295 from 354 backers
What it is: A documentary series following startups in a Fortify Ventures accelerator class
Created by: Justin Gutwein (D.C.)
What it raised:$83,424 from 1,152 backers
What it is: A fleet of autonomous sailing robots for oceanic study
Created by: Eamon Carrig (Silver Spring)
10. miniSpartan6+: A powerful FPGA Board and Easy to Use IDE
What it raised:$80,897 from 851 backers
What it is: A "field programmable gate array" board
Created by: Scarab Hardware (D.C.)