Groundswell
Funding, from the ground up

Groundswell is where your first hundred believers become your first hundred thousand. Launch a campaign in an afternoon, watch the funding curve move in real time, and get paid within 48 hours of hitting goal — not weeks after the dust settles.

  • Live in 20 minutes, no approval queue
  • Backers charged only when you hit goal
  • Funds in your account within 48 hours
Overview
Live
$2.4M
Volume
+18.2%
Growth
99.99%
Uptime

Campaigns that started here have been covered by

The VergeKickstarter AlumniFast CompanyWiredDezeenPolygonMonocleThe VergeKickstarter AlumniFast CompanyWiredDezeenPolygonMonocle

What momentum looks like in numbers

$612M
Pledged to creators
147K
Campaigns funded
61%
Hit goal — industry average is 38%
48hrs
From goal to money in hand
For creators

Everything youneed to turnan idea intoa movement.

Most campaigns don't fail for lack of a good idea. They stall because the tools fight you. Groundswell gets out of the way so you can spend your energy where it counts — on the people who believe in you.

Launch without the gatekeepers

Build your page, set your tiers, and go live the same day. No application review, no two-week approval limbo. Your idea doesn't sit in a queue while the moment passes.

Reward tiers that actually convert

Drag-and-drop tiers with limited quantities, early-bird pricing, and add-ons. We surface which tiers are selling so you can adjust on the fly while the campaign is hot.

Momentum analytics

See where every backer came from, which update drove the spike, and when your funding curve is about to flatten — so you post the right thing at the right hour.

Updates your backers actually open

Post progress, ship behind-the-scenes video, and message backers by tier. Built-in email and push mean your community hears it from you, not from an algorithm's leftovers.

All-or-nothing or keep-it-all

Run all-or-nothing so backers are only charged when you hit goal, or keep-it-all for staged projects that fund as they go. Switch the model to fit the launch, not the other way around.

For backers

Back the thingsyou want toexist.

Pledging should feel like joining something, not gambling on a stranger. Groundswell guards your money and keeps you in the loop from first pledge to front porch.

Charged only if it funds

On all-or-nothing campaigns your card is never touched unless the goal is met. No goal, no charge, no chasing a refund through support.

Backer Assurance

If a funded creator goes dark for 90 days — no shipment, no update — our protection program steps in to help recover your pledge. Funded by us, not billed to you.

Follow the build

Every campaign you back lands in one feed. Track progress, watch updates, and get a nudge the moment your reward ships.

Discover what's rising

A homepage that surfaces campaigns gaining real traction near you and in the categories you love — ranked by velocity, not by who paid for the top spot.

Live on Groundswell

Ideas finding their wave right now.

From first-time makers to creators on their fourth launch, here's a slice of what the crowd is getting behind this week.

Design · 73% funded

Tidewater Ceramics

A shuttered studio reopening on the strength of 1,900 backers who wanted the glaze back in production.

Publishing · Funded

Northbound Press

An indie poetry house that hit goal in 31 hours and unlocked three stretch anthologies.

Hardware · 142% funded

Loop Cycles

A repairable city bike that blew past goal and is now shipping to 4,000 riders.

Food · Rising

Saffron Supper Club

A roving dinner series funding its first permanent kitchen, one seat at the table at a time.

Family · 88% funded

Meadowlark Toys

Heirloom wooden toys, plastic-free, backed by parents who want them to outlast the trend.

Tabletop · Funded

Driftwood Games

A cooperative board game funded by 6,200 backers and headed to the printer this spring.

From people who hit their goal

The crowd showed up. So did the money.

We funded in 31 hours. What sold it wasn't the page — it was the live analytics telling me the exact hour to post the update that doubled our day.

E
Elena Marsh
Founder, Northbound Press

I've run campaigns on three platforms. Groundswell is the only one where the money was in my account before I'd finished thanking the backers.

D
Dev Okafor
Creator, Loop Cycles

Going live the same day was the whole thing. The press picked us up that morning and we didn't lose the wave waiting on an approval email.

P
Priya Nadeem
Owner, Tidewater Ceramics
Pricing

We only win when you fund.

No listing fees, no monthly cost, nothing to pay until your campaign succeeds. Miss your goal on all-or-nothing and you owe us exactly zero.

Spark

For first campaigns and personal projects.

5%of funds raised
  • Same-day launch
  • Unlimited reward tiers
  • Backer updates & messaging
  • Basic momentum analytics
  • Standard payouts
Most popular

Momentum

For creators serious about hitting goal.

5%+ pro tools
  • Everything in Spark
  • Advanced funnel analytics
  • Early-bird & limited tiers
  • 48-hour payouts
  • Stretch goals & add-ons
  • Priority creator support

Studio

For agencies, brands, and repeat launchers.

Custom
  • Volume fee pricing
  • Multi-campaign dashboard
  • Dedicated launch strategist
  • API & CRM integrations
  • White-label backer emails
  • SSO + team roles

Everything you'd ask before you launch.

When do I actually get my money?

On all-or-nothing campaigns, backers are charged the moment you hit your goal, and funds land in your account within 48 hours — not weeks after the campaign ends. Keep-it-all campaigns pay out on a rolling basis as pledges clear.

What if my campaign doesn't reach its goal?

On all-or-nothing, no one is charged and you owe nothing. You keep your page, your backer list, and the option to relaunch with everything you learned. We only take a fee when you succeed.

Do I have to wait for approval to go live?

No. There's no application queue. Build your page, set your tiers, and publish the same day. We run automated trust and safety checks in the background so honest creators never wait on a reviewer.

How does Backer Assurance protect pledges?

If a funded creator stops shipping and goes silent for 90 days with no updates, backers can file a claim and our protection program helps recover the pledge. It's funded by the platform, not an extra fee on your backers.

Can I move an existing campaign or audience over?

Yes. Import your backer list, mirror your reward tiers, and redirect your old campaign link. Our migration tools bring your community across without making them start an account from scratch.

Your idea is one wave away.

Build your campaign, share the link, and let the crowd do what it does best. Free to launch, free until you fund.