Back in July, when we announced Indiegogo’s acquisition by Gamefound, we promised you a stronger platform using the best crowdfunding tech in the world, delivered in record time.
That first announcement sparked a lot of enthusiasm, but it didn’t cover the details. Today, we’re ready to get into the most important ones.
This post is written for creators, whether you’ve launched on Indiegogo before, are running a campaign now, or are considering us for the future. A dedicated post for backers will follow at launch, highlighting all the ways the new platform will make supporting campaigns even better.
After a few hours of planned downtime, the platform will officially move onto Gamefound’s technology on October 16th. Faster, smarter, and built to help creators succeed.
Here’s a sneak peek at the work-in-progress design for the new homepage:
Want to be among the very first campaigns on the upgraded platform? Reach out to our team at [email protected] and we’ll help you get started.
In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the migration, including:
➤ Updates to our Terms of Service
➤ A new KYC process for campaign acceptance
➤ The biggest benefits of the new technology
➤ Built-in Pledge Manager & Late Pledge tools
➤ The retirement of Flexible Funding
➤ How current live projects will transition
➤ How InDemand campaigns will transition
➤ Updated business terms that are simpler and better
➤ A full knowledge base and Platform Migration FAQs with more details
Let’s get into it!
Changes to Terms of Service
With the platform migration, we’re also updating our Terms of Use, as well as other key documents: the Privacy Policy and Content Policy.
All creators and backers will be provided these updates on the new platform, and you can also review the new documents here:
➤ Terms of Use
➤ Privacy Policy
➤ Content Policy
New KYC Process & Onboarding
As part of the platform upgrade, Indiegogo is introducing an updated Know Your Customer (KYC) process. This procedure, required by our payment partners, ensures funds can be securely paid out and helps protect the community from fraudulent campaigns.
On the new Indiegogo, there will be two levels of compliance checks before a campaign can go live:
➤ Platform compliance review: Our internal team will review your campaign for compliance with the Terms of Service before your preview can be set live.
➤ Payment processing review: Before launching, creators will need to provide personal or company information for payment verification. This step, handled by our payment processor, can take a few days.
NOTE: Once you complete the financial KYC onboarding, you won’t need to repeat it—you’ll be able to use it for future campaigns.
What this means for current campaigns:
Campaigns already live on Indiegogo, including those in InDemand, will transfer automatically to the new platform, with no need to repeat KYC, and will continue operating as usual. Because these campaigns will remain on Stripe as their payment processor, they will not need to repeat KYC.
This process will apply to ALL new campaigns launching after the migration.
Country availability updates:
As part of the move to a new payment provider, there will be slight changes to the list of countries we can launch after the platform upgrade. Find list here.
The new Indiegogo platform marks a major advancement in both functionality and complexity, and we’re confident it represents the best technology in crowdfunding today.
Starting a campaign may take a bit more effort than before, but the results of more funding, better tools, and deeper engagement, will more than make up for it. The admin panel will look and feel brand new, but once you get used to it, you’ll see why this upgrade is worth it.
Here are some of the most important new features available to every creator:
Advanced Analytics & Organic Promotion
➤ Built-in analytics to help you understand your backers and optimize your marketing.
➤ A powerful, FREE promotional system that puts your campaign in front of the backers most likely to support it, boosting your organic reach.
The Most Advanced Checkout
➤ 20+ payment methods, including region-specific options popular in Europe.
➤ Dynamic Currency Conversion, reducing costs for international backers.
➤ Stretch Pay, flexible installment payments at no extra cost to creators or backers.
➤ Apple Pay and Google Pay for seamless mobile checkout.
A More Intuitive Project Page
➤ Easier navigation for backers with clearer rewards, add-ons, and stretch goals.
➤ A built-in tool that makes it simple to compare and select rewards and add-ons.
➤ A mobile-friendly design built for smooth browsing and pledging.
➤ And more. There are simply too many upgrades to list here, but every change is designed to make the backer journey smoother and more rewarding.
Pre-Campaign Tools & Follower Growth
➤ A robust pre-campaign page to build your audience before launch.
➤ Comments, updates, and polls End of flexible funding
➤ Follower Gifts, which increase campaign followers by an average of 20% during pre-launch.
➤ Automatic notifications for followers when you launch or post updates.
➤ Flexibility to update your campaign preview, showcase pledges and add-ons, and more, so you can fine-tune before going live.
Finale Events & More
➤ Endgame: the finale event that drives an average 4% more funding at the finish line.
➤ Late Pledge: boosting revenue by an average of 65% post-campaign.
➤ Even more tools like product variants, polls, dark mode, and advanced pledge management.
And all of this is just a taste. This post focuses on creator benefits, a future blog will highlight the many new features for backers.
Built-In Pledge Manager & Late Pledge
Every experienced creator knows: finishing your crowdfunding campaign isn’t the end of the journey, it’s just the beginning.
That’s why the new Indiegogo platform includes a state-of-the-art Pledge Manager that’s been refined over 9 years, trusted by thousands of campaigns, and now fully integrated into the platform. It’s tested and built to help you manage fulfillment after funding.
Here are some of the highlights:
➤ Seamless tax collection: Built-in tools for VAT, state taxes, and more, so you don’t have to manage it yourself.
➤ Upsells made easy: Allow backers to upgrade their pledges or add new products in the Pledge Manager, helping you raise additional funding after the campaign.
➤ Late Pledge: Let new backers join after your campaign ends. On average, this feature drives 65% more revenue post-campaign. Your Late Pledge campaign will continue to benefit from Indiegogo’s organic traffic.
➤ Shipping management: Flexible models that handle even complex cases, while giving backers the ability to update their addresses and pay for the exact shipping they need.
➤ Backer & order management: Streamlined tools for customer support, order changes, and exporting data for production and fulfillment.
And that’s just the start. With the new Indiegogo, you’ll have a powerful, fully integrated system to not only deliver on your campaign promises but also significantly grow your funding after your campaign ends.
End of flexible funding
While most Indiegogo features are being mirrored or upgraded on the new platform, one major feature will be discontinued: Flexible Funding.
From September 25th forward, all campaigns will launch with Fixed Funding only.
This change is partly due to the new technology, but it’s also a conscious decision about the future of crowdfunding on Indiegogo. We believe that if a campaign doesn’t reach its goal, and risks not delivering, it’s better to regroup and try again later than to charge backers without certainty. (Read our blog post on why you won’t miss flexible funding.)
What this means for backers:
➤ In most cases, backers will be charged only at the end of a successful campaign.
➤ Some payment methods (such as bank transfers) may process instantly, but these are the exception.
What this means for current Flexible Funding campaigns:
➤ If your campaign has already met its goal, nothing changes.
➤ If your campaign is still in progress and has not yet met its goal, it will be transitioned to a Fixed Funding goal set at your current funding level. A banner will clearly inform backers of this change and display your original goal for full transparency.
➤ If your campaign has not yet raised any funds, your flexible goal will become your fixed goal.
Transition of Currently Live Projects
Good news: if your campaign is live during the migration, it will transfer automatically, no action required.
Here are a few important things to know:
➤ Planned downtime: The entire platform will be offline for a short period of time during the transition. Your campaign will also be unavailable during this window, so please plan your marketing and ad spend accordingly.
➤ New admin panel: After the transition, your campaign dashboard will be completely new. You’ll have access to our full knowledge base and support from Key Account Managers to help you adjust.
➤ No new payment onboarding required: You do not need to repeat the payment processing setup. Your process will continue on Stripe.
➤ Check your visuals: Once the migration is complete, we recommend reviewing your campaign page. Some visual elements may need small adjustments to look their best in the new layout.
➤ Take advantage of Late Pledge: When your campaign ends, we strongly encourage you to continue with the new Late Pledge feature to capture additional funding.
Transition of InDemand Projects
Just like live campaigns, all active InDemand projects will transition smoothly to the new platform. They’ll continue to receive orders through the new Late Pledge feature.
New Business Terms: Simple, Transparent, Better
With the move to new technology, we’re also simplifying our business terms. The result: easier to understand, more creator-friendly, and more backer-friendly than ever before.
Here are the highlights:
➤ Flat platform fee: 5% on every transaction across the platform (whether during Crowdfunding or in Late Pledges/Pledge Manager phase).
➤ Flat payment processing fee: 3% + $0.20 / €0.20 per transaction, no matter where you’re based.
➤ Tips for creators (not Indiegogo): Backers will no longer be asked to tip Indiegogo. Instead, they’ll have the option to directly tip your campaign, helping you reach your funding goal.
➤ All extra services included: Pledge Manager setup, VAT/tax tools, Stretch Pay, and more are all covered by the standard 5% fee.
➤ No paid placements: All features, including newsletter, are organic and free of charge.
These new terms take effect on October 16th. Until then, the existing terms still apply.
Knowledge Base: Everything You Need to Know
We’re preparing a comprehensive set of resources to guide you through the transition.
➤ Help Center (Coming Soon)
➤ Migration FAQs
This covers the most important information about the migration. We know this is a complex operation, and while there may be a few short-term inconveniences, we’re confident that in the long run you’ll love everything the new Indiegogo has to offer.
Thank you for your patience, your trust, and for being part of this next chapter with us.
See you on October 16th!
Join Our Live Webinar
Have questions? Join us for a live webinar with Indiegogo CEO Julie dePontbriand and Gamefound COO Maciej Kuc. They’ll walk you through the upgrade, share insights on what’s changing, and answer your questions directly.
📅 Thursday, October 2nd
🕛 12:00 PM ET
REGISTER HERE
Missed the original announcement of Indiegogo’s acquisition by Gamefound? Catch it here.
