Kickstarter has announced that it will open up to Australia- and New Zealand-based projects soon. While there is no official launch date, the company promises that project creators in those countries will have access to its platform “in the very near future.”
Kickstarter currently operates in the US and the UK. Entrepreneurs in Canada are able to start building their projects now, and they’ll go live on the Canadian Kickstarter site on September 9, 2013.
The reaction on Twitter to news of Kickstarter’s most recent expansion is positive for the most part:
so happy about this. Hope to see some great ideas “@kickstarter: Kickstarter is coming to the land down under! http://t.co/pGQeWvek2T”
— JULIE MATTHEWS (@julimatt10) August 30, 2013
Kickstarter Is Coming To Australia, woo!! #kickstarter #australia http://t.co/U5pukzue2y
— Megan Visser (@SheGeekReviews) August 27, 2013
Existing Australian crowdfunding platform Pozible pointed out that it’s already been providing this service for a few years now:
Psst, @michaeldavis777 we've been innovating with #crowdfunding in Australia (and beyond) for three years… ; )
— Pozible (@Pozible) August 30, 2013
Reaction was overwhelmingly positive when Kickstarter posted the announcement on its Facebook page. In fact, users in Europe and Asia chimed in asking when the company plans to expand into other countries.
What exactly does this announcement mean for project creators in Australia and New Zealand?
For now, they can sign up at Kickstarter Australia to receive updates on the launch. The company is also hosting free Kickstarter Schools in Sydney this month.
Some hope to see a Kickstarter team physically located in Australia at some point in the future. If the way the company has handled its expansion into Canada is any indication, project creators in Australia and New Zealand can eventually expect to see meetups, workshops, and – at the very least – online office hours.
A search by location on Kickstarter reveals Australia-based projects currently exist, but they’re being operated on the US side of the site. The launch of an official Australia/New Zealand site will make currency exchange and compliance with country-specific government regulations much easier for project creators.
Image: Kickstarter