Slovenian startup raises $3.2 million in crowdfunding for its smart bird goods

Slovenia-based startup raises $3.2 million in crowdfunding for its smart bird goods

Bird Buddy, a Slovenian startup, has received nearly $3.2 million on Kickstarter from over 10,000 supporters to fund its new smart bird feeder and smart bird bath products.

Bird Buddy began by creating a smart bird feeder that allows people to see footage of birds feeding in their gardens, and it has since expanded to create a variety of smart birdhouse goods.

The Smart Hummingbird Feeder takes images and videos of the little birds and utilizes an AI-powered bird recognition system to identify them. Its cost is $174.

The Smart Bird Bath also has an AI-powered camera and is designed to attract a variety of birds to users’ gardens.

According to Kickstarter data, as of June 15, the company had garnered $3,139,884 in contributions from 10,134 people for their Smart Hummingbird Feeder and smart bird bath.

“Wow, what an awesome 30 days! Our Kickstarter campaign has now ended, but our quest to help you connect with your backyard wildlife has just begun!” Bird Buddy announced the completion of its advertising effort on social media.

According to the company, $1 million was raised in just two hours following the beginning of its most recent 30-day crowdfunding campaign. The total amount raised was nearly three times the aim of €92,000.

Bird Buddy, a smart bird feeder, was introduced in the pandemic year 2020 by entrepreneurs Franci Zidar, Ziga Vrtacic, and Kyle Buzzard in mid-2020 to reunite people with nature.

It went on to raise $5 million in a Kickstarter round in January 2021, followed by an $8.5 million funding round later that year from venture capital companies Backed and General Catalyst to help the startup accelerate its growth.

The company, which has staff in Slovenia and the United States, has benefited from the pandemic’s newfound interest in nature.

Photo: Bird Buddy