Kickstarter opens the floodgates, stops reviewing most campaigns prelaunch

Update 9:02 a.m. Pacific: Kickstarter clarifies that the “launch now” button is “rolling out in stages.”

Kickstarter announced today that it will no longer review every project submission by hand as part of its approval process.

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Instead, some now have the option to launch crowdfunding campaigns immediately.

According to Kickstarter:

Over the past five years, our Community Managers have offered their expertise to more than 100,000 creators — sharing advice, encouragement, and support to give creators the best chance of success. We love doing it, and we’re always here to help. But we’re pleased to offer creators a simpler process for sharing their projects with the world, and the flexibility to choose how much help they need.

Here’s how the change looks for new Kickstarter project creators:

In addition, Kickstarter moved to simply its rules for users to the following:

• Projects must create something to share with others.
• Projects must be honest and clearly presented.
• Projects cannot fundraise for charity, offer financial incentives, or involve prohibited items.

The crowding startup’s move to simplify its service could spur growth. Limiting the reviews process, however, could also create a quality-control problem. Historically, Kickstarter has carefully curated the type of projects it permitted in the site, including its decision to not allow fundraising for charities.

In a statement to VentureBeat, a Kickstarter spokesperson insisted that quality will not suffer as a result of the change.

We’ll continue to actively govern the site with thought and care. Projects will be reviewed by a sophisticated algorithm we developed that looks at thousands of data points. And our Moderation and Trust & Safety teams are focused on making sure everyone on Kickstarter is following the rules.