Gadget Kickstarters

Gadget Kickstarters (and one Indiegogo) that raised millions

We gathered the top 10 products that went from concept to reality with the help of millions raised via crowdfunding.

What started with a few million dollars on Kickstarter turned into a few billion dollar acquisition for Oculus.Oculus VR

It's only been a few years since people started asking strangers for cash to help transform gadget ideas into actual gadgets. In that span, there have been some remarkable successes, one huge potato saladand thousands and thousands of final products shipped.

Among the most successful have been the Pebble smartwatch, the Kickstarter that raised millions and added the term "smartwatch" to the public's vocabulary -- now huge names like Google and Apple are trodding down the trail blazed by that crowdfunding campaign. Perhaps you've heard of the Oculus Rift. That also started on Kickstarter, as did numerous 3D printers and other products that promise to do something smarter or just better than before.

We've pulled together the 10 most successful tech hardware crowdfunding campaigns, according to statistics from Kickstarter and Indiegogo. More than a few of them may surprise you. Check them all out in the gallery below.