I think in a kickstarter-like way, this could work. If you make your users feel like buying in early could benefit them in the long run, and that they get some

I think in a kickstarter-like way, this could work. If you make your users feel like buying in early could benefit them in the long run, and that they get some say in how the product develops, I could see myself paying into a startup service I really felt like I needed. Of course, it only takes a few of these to crash and burn, or completely not listen to their users and turn against them to make people lose trust in the whole model.