As a result of the agreement entrepreneurs will now be able to apply for Arrow certification on the Indiegogo platform. Arrow Electronics’ engineers will then assess the design and the manufacturability of each application. Projects that are then deemed “ready for manufacturing” will be denoted with an official “Arrow Certified” badge on their Indiegogo campaign site to let potential backers know the project is ready for production.
“Arrow Certified” campaigns on Indiegogo will help to lock-in up to $50,000 in benefits with the aim of helping entrepreneurs to successfully prototype and manufacture innovative new products.
Users of the site will have direct, online access to the prototyping tools available through Arrow.com and Silicon Expert; comprehensive technical reviews of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, parts and the quantities of each needed to manufacture a product; professional design-for-manufacturing product reviews and certification; up to $1,000 in materials for prototype development; free access to the Arrow Testdrive program to try out innovations from leading semiconductor manufacturers with no up-front investment as well as customised marketing and promotional support via the Arrow website.
In addition, a handful of “Arrow Certified” campaigns that Arrow experts deem truly technologically exceptional will qualify as “Arrow Innovator” campaigns and receive additional support, such as supply chain services and contract manufacturing support worth up to $500,000; materials for prototype development and a fast-tracked review with Arrow’s in-house financing team to help fund the cost of getting production up and running.
Arrow and Indiegogo formalised an alliance earlier this year after it was found that a growing number of Indiegogo entrepreneurs had been working with Arrow to help transition innovative ideas into successful commercial products.
Commenting Arrow’s Chief Digital Officer Matt Anderson said: “Arrow has been leading IoT design and production for many of the world’s largest companies. We are broadening these capabilities to support the rising wave of innovation coming from crowdfunding. The comprehensive design, manufacturing and go-to-market support that Arrow will provide Indiegogo campaigns will help IoT and technology innovators succeed in even greater numbers, making Indiegogo the only game in town when it comes to launching an IoT or technology idea.”
