IndieGogo launches Arrow Certification Program to help tech startup founders and entrepreneurs bring their ideas and products to market

Bringing a new tech product to life is not an easy undertaking. Creating new products involves a lot coordination with so many moving parts. To help tech startup founders and entrepreneurs, IndieGogo, the popular crowdfunding website, has partnered with Arrow Electronics to offer resources to help you bring their tech product to life.

At every stage of product development, from creating a working proof-of-concept all the way through manufacturing and supply chain, Arrow provides tech entrepreneurs resources and engineering expertise to help take their ideas to market. The Arrow Certification Program supports entrepreneurs from ideation through production.

The Arrow Certification Program provides qualified Indiegogo campaigns with up to $500,000 in benefits, such as
component parts, online product design and prototyping tools, comprehensive technical reviews with Arrow engineers, manufacturing and supply chain services and sustainable recycling. As the only global technology company capable of providing comprehensive, sensor-to-sensor, full IoT product lifecycle solutions, Arrow is uniquely positioned to guide the biggest names in technology, and startups and makers alike, along their IoT production journey.

Early examples of Arrow Certification programs for IoT startup projects include:

• Fitly, which created Smart Plate, the first intelligent nutrition platform that instantly analyzes and tracks what
  you eat. An industry first, Smart Plate was developed with support from Arrow and IBM Cloud, and was
  successfully funded on Indiegogo.
• PlayDate, a startup that launched on Indiegogo, created the first smart ball for pets that lets owners interact
  with their dogs and cats from anywhere in the world. PlayDate is the world’s first pet camera in a smart ball. The PlayDate team ran the highest grossing pet tech crowdfunding campaign to date, but used Indiegogo for much more than just funding. With PlayDate, you can play with your dog or cat from anywhere using a smart ball that you control from your mobile device. PlayDate was one of the first campaigns to get Arrow-certified, a badge of approval on their manufacturing plans, and they received $100,000 in flash funding as well as engineering design support. “Arrow and Indiegogo’s support was incredibly valuable,” said Kevin Li, CEO at PlayDate. The startup went on to raise $831,415 from 4,448 backers.

Arrow Electronics has already given away more than $1,700,000 to qualified campaigns with Arrow Certified Technology, and Flash Funding rounds continue in 2019. Qualified entrepreneurs in the US, Canada, UK, and select European countries are eligible for a chance to win. Read more about previous recipients below.

Originally launched as a crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo is the place for entrepreneurs to move their ideas quickly
from concept to market. Entrepreneurs on Indiegogo are able to showcase their ideas directly to users, take orders for products early in their lifecycle and ultimately build direct relationships with their first customers. Indiegogo is the platform of choice for early stage entrepreneurs and the creative teams of some of the most successful consumer
product companies in the world. The company was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New York.

Below is a quick overview of the Arrow Certification Program.