Ugears, a Ukrainian startup offering wooden 3D puzzles for adults and kids, has raised nearly $300,000 from 2,954 Kickstarter backers – far above its crowdfunding goal of $15,000.
The funding will be used to finance Ugears’ new model Hurdy-Gurdy, which is presented as “the world’s first mechanical musical model for self-assembly and play.” In addition, the backers have supported the manufacturing of two other Ugears’ models – a date navigator and treasure box.
Produced in Ukraine, all the ordered items are distributed worldwide through the company’s EU-based logistics center.
All the Ugears models are natural and eco-friendly, claims the startup. Easily assembled – no glue or special tools needed – each item is capable of moving using rubber bands, cranks, gears and gravity.
By the end of the year, the company is planning to present new seven models to enrich the existing range of 23 models.
Launched in Kyiv (Kiev) in 2014, the startup has gained traction in 85 countries across five continents. It is now negotiating a deal with Disney.
Over 140 people currently work for the company.
After leaving his brainchild “because of disagreements with investors,” Ugears founder Denis Okhrimenko launched last year a new venture, ‘Time 4 Machine, to design metallic models.
This project, too, is raising money on Kickstarter. To date, nearly $53,000 have been offered by 479 backers, more than three times as much as the initial funding goal.
“I moved from wooden 3D puzzles to metal mechanical models, and created something totally new,” Okhrimenko told TechCrunch.
“These things are not high-tech on the surface but the process of creating so many metal parts and fitting them together is something even those Dwarven metal mongers could never imagine,” notes John Biggs in the US tech publication.
