“We were waiting for someone to make a more pure version of microwave popcorn,’’ said Coulter, product designer at IDEO, a consulting firm in Cambridge. Kristy previously worked as an executive assistant and engineering coordinator at Harmonix Music Systems, also in Cambridge.
Their vision called for using organic, nongenetically modified popcorn kernels, expeller-pressed oils, all-natural spices and herbs, popping bags made with compostable paper, and recyclable boxes.
For more than a year, most of their research and development took place in their home.
“In the early stages, there were signs of what we were trying to do all over the house - kitchen cabinets covered in notes of different recipes, all of these precise scales, and spices, herbs, and salts from every corner of the globe,’’ Coulter said.
But, while big on creativity, the Lewises were short on start-up capital, so last summer they turned to the website Kickstarter.com, a platform for creative projects to obtain donations from individual supporters. Established in 2009, Kickstarter has hosted more than 17,000 successfully funded projects, with more than $130 million in pledges.
Justin Kazmark, director of communications at Kickstarter, said that projects submitted for funding via the website must fit into at least one of 13 categories, such as art, photography, dance, games, food, fashion, and technology.
Individuals proposing ideas for funding on Kickstarter can get the word out via various social media outlets, including Twitter, Facebook, and personal blogs.
“Sharing with your networks and letting the idea spread is an important part,’’ Kazmark said. “Creators that can articulate clearly what they’re trying to accomplish, and share their vision in a compelling way with their audience are going to get people to back the project.’’
Visitors to the website can browse projects by location or creative category, then make pledges and leave comments on individual project pages.
