August 18 Crowdfunding Report: Summer Small Appliances & Cooling Clothing Focus, NowHome & Onwa Top Fundraising

Funding Focuses on Small Appliances and Cooling Clothing Targeting Summer Demand

An analysis of 80 projects from 66 companies recently listed on leading domestic crowdfunding platforms reveals that small appliances, cooling clothing, and seasonal fruits targeting summer demand formed the main categories. SMS Corp. introduced a portable high-speed charger equipped with Qi2 standards that can charge Apple MagSafe and Galaxy devices simultaneously, while also funding a 100-blade mini cooling fan featuring ultra-strong winds. LOOK AT ME raised approximately 490,000 won with three types of customized cooling underwear designed to lower perceived body temperature immediately upon wearing.

The presence of seasonal food categories was also significant. Onwa's large King mango project, sold in 500g units, recorded about 15.7 million won in funding, ranking in the top tier of all data. Fruit Master finished funding for the new 'Purple Lady' grape variety and 'Summer King' apple with approximately 1.33 million won and 920,000 won respectively, while Greenpick also opened wallets with processed foods like peach and plum pies. Marketing emphasizing scarcity due to short harvest periods was observed as a common strategy for seasonal fruit funding.

Fundraising Polarization: Brand Trust as the Deciding Factor

The distribution of fundraising amounts across the 80 projects showed distinct polarization. NowHome's 550W cordless vacuum cleaner, featuring Samsung batteries, took first place by raising approximately 18.75 million won. It was followed by IQBox's Playmobil-European Space Agency (ESA) collaboration toy with about 15.58 million won, and Runnerfit's 18,900-won running full set with about 8.96 million won. In contrast, some general lifestyle projects saw funding end at under 100,000 won. SMS's compression pouch raised in the 360,000-won range, while a polish towel encore project remained in the 60,000-won range.

This disparity is interpreted as stemming more from brand trust and the presence of differentiated selling points than from product unit price. Top-tier projects highlighted validated collaboration frameworks, such as Samsung Electronics components and ESA licenses, while Runnerfit pushed an aggressive price point, lowering a 100,000-won product to near 20,000 won. Conversely, projects that relied solely on functional descriptions failed to gain consumer traction. Trubo's anti-theft sling bag, which raised 2.92 million won, is seen as evidence that a clear utility—'security'—resonated with backers.

AI Tool Funding Targets Content Producers with Increased Segmentation

A notable pattern is the rise of AI-based tools. Ssok-On raised about 3.8 million won with an AI content production tool that automates Short-form video and music creation, while Goriths secured approximately 1.79 million won by selling a process for non-developers to build and monetize AI services. Sunsak Tool also offered an AI tool to complete Shorts content without editing skills. All three shared the message that 'you can create it without knowing technology,' positioning themselves to target individual creators and side-hustlers precisely.

Knowledge and hobby content also performed well. Simyeon's Bookcase raised about 2.97 million won with tarot reading and numeracy teaching materials, while Audiobooks recorded approximately 4.58 million won by limited sales of 500 monk audio books. This highlights a consumer trend of spending on experiences and knowledge over possession, which is also being confirmed in the crowdfunding market.

Outlook: Moving Beyond Seasonal Items to Subscription and Encore Structures

The case of People Korea demonstrates the efficiency of repeated encore sales. The company has consistently re-opened funding for polish towels and hair towels through their 22nd and 25th encore rounds, securing stable funding even on a small scale. The structure of repeatedly exposing a once-validated product is more efficient than developing new projects, suggesting a high possibility that small and medium-sized brands will shift to an encore-centered strategy.

The outlook can be summarized in three points. First, as the summer season ends, seasonal goods like cooling clothing and mini fans are expected to naturally decline and be replaced by heating and indoor appliances. Second, the AI tool category is likely to see follow-up projects continue in line with the growth of the content market. Finally, projects highlighting major corporation components and global IP collaborations hold an advantage in trust, suggesting that competition to secure collaboration licenses will intensify. The crowdfunding market is expected to restructure from a distribution channel for one-off hit items to a settled channel centered on brand trust and repurchases.