“In May, Arrow was given exclusive access by Indiegogo to see what campaigns were in the works by technology startups. Startups can get access to Arrow’s prototyping tools, design process reviews, discounts on hardware and useful advice, like how much it will really cost to build a product.
“The response has been tremendous,” said Anderson, whose team focused on the Indiegogo partnership numbers around 50 people. “We literally have a line of people that want to go through the design process with our engineers. We have design engineers looking at how the designs will work from (blueprints) to designs on a napkin.”
Startups that get an Arrow-certified badge and are deemed an “Arrow Innovator” have a chance at the $1 million funding, which is expected to be doled out to between 20 and 50 campaigns over the next 12 to 15 months.
“If we think your campaign is aligned with Arrow’s views, we will completely fund your campaign,” Anderson said. “If someone needed $100,000 to make their idea a reality, let’s say an augmented reality headset, we’ll give them $100,000 to do that.”
