Ask HN: Is there a platform like Indiegogo or Kickstarter, but for B2B products? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is there a platform like Indiegogo or Kickstarter, but for B2B products?

4 pointspog928 comments

I can't imagine that a business would pay for a product that they can maybe start using in a year.

Businesses are already wary about buying from startups since there's no guarantee their product will be around in a year. If the product doesn't even exist yet...

Maybe I'm missing some angle, but I really don't see who would use this.

And what if it's a place for beta products looking for early adopters?

Same problem. Why would a business use a product that they don't know how long it's going to be around? They probably have to spend thousands of dollars to train their employees to use the new product, and if something changes (since it's beta), they need to again waste everyones time to explain the changes, and if the product goes under they have to find an alternative on short notice, and again train everyone...

I just don't see this happening, unless the new product has a massive value proposition...

So, how do B2B startups find their early adopters? Only through capital injections until they've a good enough product?

I've worked with companies where we have pre-sold products (before they fully exist). By producing prototypes to get initial buy-in and then running pilots (trials) to get them to put money down.

These were potential solutions to problems that they don't have the budget or time to solve themselves

Part of the KS game is to make the word spread, not sure if just b2b would work. This said many of the people in these early adopter communities have a job or run a company.

Our product, for example, is a security key [1] and has certainly more value for businesses than consumers. However we make our campaigns more consumer friendly to resonate with these communities. But we use "the buzz" to sell to businesses.

Another platform is CrowdSupply [2], you can definitely find very specialized electronic tools for businesses, though again the vibe is for hackers & makers.

Are you trying to sell something, or are you exploring the idea to make such a platform?

[1] https://solokeys.com/v2

[2] https://crowdsupply.com

Sorry to revive an old comment of yours from a couple weeks ago, but I’m curious about the initial prototyping you did. You mentioned you spent $1k-$2k to prototype. How crude was your initial product? Was it something you put together completely yourself or did you enlist a third-party?

Interesting , are you working on this idea? It seems promising to say the least, considering that most companies already benefit from open-source, that is a B2B transaction if they are sponsoring the project. It can be great to have it outside of open source!

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