> I've practically never heard of people getting funded with hardware ideas outside of Kickstarter. You mean you've never heard of small startups getting funde

> I've practically never heard of people getting funded with hardware ideas outside of Kickstarter. You mean you've never heard of small startups getting funded with hardware ideas, which is unsurprising considering that it takes significantly more money to develop a working prototype than it takes to develop a web application. Kickstarter is not the only place where people get funds, and startups with four people working 80-hour weeks are not the only places where innovation happens. There are things like littleBits, of course. But the fact that new electronic gadgets keep hitting the shops is a clear enough indication that they get funding from somewhere.