Brookstone & Indiegogo Partner to Bring New Inventions to Market Faster

MERRIMACK, NH and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - November 16, 2015) - Brookstone, the innovative product developer and specialty retailer, and Indiegogo, the platform for entrepreneurial projects, announce a new partnership to help bring the most groundbreaking crowdfunded products to market quicker than ever before. Indiegogo campaigners will now be able to submit their ideas directly to Brookstone's partner page on Indiegogo.com. Brookstone can provide select campaigners access to design, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, sales and customer support services. Brookstone is particularly interested in products falling within Brookstone's core product focus areas (technology, wellness, home, travel) that have demonstrated a strong market validation and customer demand through their Indiegogo campaigns. Brookstone may also provide pre-campaign launch consultations for qualified products to help streamline their product development process.

With the new partnership, customers will now be able to buy an assortment of new inventions "Funded with Indiegogo" at Brookstone stores nationwide and at Brookstone.com. Among the first Indiegogo campaigns to become major product rollouts at Brookstone are Cat Ear Headphones, which feature working cat ear-shaped speakers and built-in accent lighting, and Fizzics™, a personal beer dispenser that creates a fresh-from-the-tap experience from any bottle, can or growler. "Funded With Indiegogo" packaging, as well as in-store promotions, will identify products.

"Brookstone can provide everything successful campaigners need to turn their great products into a reality," said Tom Via, CEO of Brookstone. "Indiegogo has democratized the way new ideas are discovered and funded. They proved that innovative product ideas can come from anywhere. But successful campaigners then have to turn funds raised into products that reach customers. Engineering, packaging, retail and wholesale distribution-these are the things at which Brookstone is expert. The job of the Brookstone Launch program is to speed up development and delivery time, and to help Indiegogo campaigners realize the most opportunities from their ideas."

"Indiegogo is a one-stop-shop for makers, entrepreneurs and startups to introduce, fund and test the market for their products," said Slava Rubin, CEO of Indiegogo. "By partnering with Brookstone, we're now also able to offer access to development, manufacturing and distribution services that successful campaigners may need as they move from idea to reality."

The Brookstone Cat Ear Headphones evolved from an extraordinary idea by Axent Wear co-founders Wenqing Yan and Victoria Hu. Their Indiegogo campaign raised more than $3.4 million in backer funding. Brookstone assisted with product engineering, manufacturing, packaging and distribution, and is currently launching the product worldwide through retail and wholesale channels.

The Fizzics Group raised more than $200,000 with their Indiegogo campaign, and chose Brookstone to be its first retail launch partner because of the company's commitment to the development and launch of innovative technologies and unique lifestyle products.

Cat Ear Headphones and Fizzics are currently available in all Brookstone stores and at Brookstone.com.

About Brookstone, Inc.

Brookstone, founded in 1965, is a specialized developer and retailer of innovative and lifestyle products designed for smart living. Brookstone offers a diverse collection of uniquely designed, high-quality products through a multi-channel strategy including catalog mail orders, phone orders, online at Brookstone.com and 218 store locations in shopping malls and high-traffic airports across the US and Puerto Rico. In 2015, the company inaugurated its Brookstone Launch program to give inventors, startup incubators, crowdfunders and other companies access to Brookstone product development, manufacturing, marketing and retail resources. To submit products, visit BrookstoneLaunch.com.

About Indiegogo

Indiegogo is the place for entrepreneurial projects to move quickly from concept to market, amplified by a community of backers who believe the world benefits when every idea gets an equal shot at success. Indiegogo empowers people around the world to fund what matters to them. As the world's first crowdfunding platform, campaigns have launched from almost every country around the world with millions of dollars being distributed every week due to contributions made by the Indiegogo community. At its core, Indiegogo is the equal opportunity platform dedicated to democratizing the way people raise funds for any project -creative, entrepreneurial or cause-related. The company was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. For more information, visit Indiegogo.com and follow us at Twitter.com/indiegogo and Facebook.com/indiegogo.

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Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/11/13/11G072062/Images/fizzics-3274c1d9d21d8bc2b8a3325d20ec9d1f.jpg