I've actually seen quite a few Kickstarter projects where VCs have used the Kickstarter as a gauge of consumer interest. In this, it still serves the same funct

I've actually seen quite a few Kickstarter projects where VCs have used the Kickstarter as a gauge of consumer interest. In this, it still serves the same function I would like it to serve - it lets creators bypass the VC/publisher barrier of "we haven't seen something like this work, so we're not funding it", by showing in advance that there is market demand.