The ten highest-funded reward-based crowdfunding campaigns of all time, ranked by total funds raised — led by Anker's AI yarn machine at $46.5 million.
Quick answer: 1. eufyMake E2 AI Yarn Machine, 2. Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson, 3. The Official Cyberpunk Trading Card Game, 4. Snapmaker U1 Color 3D Printer, 5. Pebble Time, 6. AWOL Vision Aetherion, 7. XGIMI TITAN Noir Series, 8. Neon Odyssey, 9. Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG, 10. Roller Pro Carry-On Luggage.
Reward-based crowdfunding has transformed how products, books, and games come to market, enabling creators to raise millions directly from their future customers. The most successful campaigns have raised tens of millions of dollars, often from a single 30-day campaign on Kickstarter — the platform that dominates the list. This ranking covers the top ten reward-based crowdfunding campaigns of all time, where backers pledge money in exchange for a product or experience (not equity or tokens). Technology gadgets, tabletop games, and publishing dominate the list, with the record shifting three times in the last decade — from Pebble's $20 million in 2015 to Brandon Sanderson's $41 million in 2022 to Anker's $46.5 million in 2024.
Anker Innovations' AI-powered knitting machine shattered the all-time Kickstarter record in 2024, raising $46.5 million from approximately 21,000 backers. The machine uses AI to convert digital designs into knitting patterns, and Anker's established global supply chain enabled rapid delivery to backers.
Brandon Sanderson secretly wrote four novels during the COVID-19 pandemic and launched them simultaneously on Kickstarter in 2022. The campaign raised $41.7 million from roughly 185,000 backers, breaking the all-time record and proving that author-direct publishing could rival traditional publishing advances.
WeirdCo's Cyberpunk TCG, based on the CD Projekt Red franchise, raised $27.6 million from approximately 49,000 backers in 2026. It became the third most-funded Kickstarter campaign ever and the highest-funded tabletop game on the platform.
Snapmaker's U1 Color 3D Printer raised $20.6 million in 2025 from over 20,700 backers. The machine features four independent toolheads that swap in under five seconds, 500mm/s print speed, and multi-material support — making it the highest-funded 3D printing campaign on Kickstarter.
Pebble Technology's color e-paper smartwatch held the all-time Kickstarter record from 2015 until 2022, raising $20.3 million from roughly 78,000 backers. The campaign was funded within 17 minutes of launch. Pebble was later acquired by Fitbit in 2016.
AWOL Vision's Aetherion ultra-short-throw projector raised $18.6 million in 2026 from roughly 7,050 backers. It delivered 6,000:1 native contrast with RGB laser technology at 4K resolution up to 200 inches, with variable refresh rate support — a first in the UST projector category.
XGIMI's TITAN Noir 4K RGB laser projector raised $16.9 million from roughly 5,640 backers in 2026. The ultra-short-throw projector features dual intelligent iris technology, 10,000:1 native contrast, and 7,000 ISO lumens — competing with dedicated cinema installations.
Legends of Avantris' space opera trilogy for D&D 5e raised $16.1 million from nearly 49,100 backers in 2026. At 269 times its $60,000 goal, the campaign proved that tabletop RPG content — not just miniatures — can raise eight figures on Kickstarter.
Brotherwise Games brought Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere universe to the tabletop RPG format in 2024, raising $15.1 million from over 55,100 backers at 60 times its goal. The Stormlight Archive-based system shipped to backers through 2025.
Peak Design's Roller Pro carry-on luggage raised $13.4 million from roughly 24,200 backers in 2025, far exceeding its $100,000 goal. The campaign featured modular packing, aerospace-grade materials, and Peak Design's signature lifetime warranty — their largest campaign to date.
| # | Name | Platform | Category | Year | Backers | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eufyMake E2 AI Yarn Machine | Kickstarter | Technology | 2024 | ~21,000 | $500,000 |
| 2 | Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson | Kickstarter | Publishing | 2022 | ~185,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 3 | The Official Cyberpunk Trading Card Game | Kickstarter | Tabletop Games | 2026 | ~49,000 | $500,000 |
| 4 | Snapmaker U1 Color 3D Printer | Kickstarter | 3D Printing | 2025 | ~20,700 | $500,000 |
| 5 | Pebble Time | Kickstarter | Technology | 2015 | ~78,000 | $500,000 |
| 6 | AWOL Vision Aetherion | Kickstarter | Technology | 2026 | ~7,050 | $500,000 |
| 7 | XGIMI TITAN Noir Series | Kickstarter | Technology | 2026 | ~5,640 | $500,000 |
| 8 | Neon Odyssey | Kickstarter | Tabletop Games | 2026 | ~49,100 | $60,000 |
| 9 | Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG | Kickstarter | Tabletop Games | 2024 | ~55,100 | $250,000 |
| 10 | Roller Pro Carry-On Luggage | Kickstarter | Design | 2025 | ~24,200 | $100,000 |
Campaigns are ranked by total funds raised in US dollars, as reported by publicly available campaign data and press coverage. Only reward-based crowdfunding campaigns (where backers receive a product, experience, or creative work) are included; equity crowdfunding, donation-based campaigns, and initial coin offerings (ICOs) are excluded. All figures are as reported by the platform or creator at campaign close, verified against multiple sources. Rank 1 is the highest-funded.
Reward-based crowdfunding allows creators to raise money from individual backers who pledge funds in exchange for a reward — usually the product being created, a limited edition, or an experience. Unlike equity crowdfunding or ICOs, backers do not receive ownership shares or tokens. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are the most prominent platforms.
This list covers reward-based crowdfunding only, where backers receive a product or experience. Initial coin offerings (ICOs) like EOS ($4.1 billion) and Filecoin ($257 million) are a different category — they are investment-based token sales regulated differently and often exceed reward-based campaigns by a wide margin.
Technology and hardware products account for five of the top ten campaigns, including the all-time record holder (eufyMake E2). Tabletop games and RPGs are the second most represented category with three entries. The remaining two are publishing and design.
Exploding Kittens holds the record for most backers on Kickstarter with approximately 219,000 backers, even though it raised a relatively modest $8.8 million. The campaign's $10,000 goal was exceeded by 880 times.