Kickstarter Decides Against Potential Blockchain Move

Two Decembers ago, project funding platform Kickstarter announced it was considering a shift to blockchain, and that it was potentially looking into placing all its operations atop the same distributed ledger technology that has grown so close with digital assets.

Kickstarter Says “No” to Blockchain

Now, however, it appears this move is not going to happen. Kickstarter recently hired a new group of board members that have decided against the blockchain switch. They’re instead committed to the “core business and needs” of the creative community using and supporting Kickstarter. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement:

As we’ve shared with our community in previous blog posts, we’re exploring the opportunities that are in blockchain to alleviate some of the challenges that we face as a centralized crowdfunding company. However, we’re not committed to moving Kickstarter to the blockchain or doing anything specific there. We are open to exploration and experimentation but want to do it in a way that feels tested, collaborative with our community, and considerate of the experience[s] they want from Kickstarter.

A situation like this shouldn’t surprise people to any great extent. Blockchain is, after all, a relatively new technology, and the situations involving it arguably have people a little confused. For example, there are likely many individuals out there who associate blockchain purely with crypto. Even though it’s now being used in industries such as manufacturing and healthcare, blockchain is still widely considered a crypto-centered platform of sorts.

In addition, blockchain is not exactly the easiest technology to understand, especially when you’re not used to the up-and-coming ideologies that are now influencing today’s tech world. The Kickstarter spokesperson continued with:

Where we are focused and deeply committed… is on our core business and making Kickstarter better. This is why we’ve prioritized finding ways to give creators access to the pledge management and digital marketing tools they need to be successful during and after their campaign period[s]. The creation of the Community Advisory Council was born out of the feedback we received about the [blockchain] protocol. We saw a need to create another surface for feedback and conversation with our community so that they could be involved in our direction and our decision making not just about the protocol, but about all the topics that are top of mind for us and our community. We hope to continue this dialogue with our second cohort of the council this fall.

Others Still Think It’s Cool

Fans of blockchain technology shouldn’t let a little setback like this bring them down.

Several other industries, including real estate, have announced that they’re planning to at least look at blockchain and consider potential transitions to the technology to ease their operations and open their products and services up to more individuals.