draft – Backerjack

Synek lets you brew pilsners in your pajamas

The Premise. Beer straight from the tap is the absolute best. But most decent people don’t have the time or cash flow to hang out at bars all the time. In addition, beer connoisseurs are stuck with whichever beers the bar happens to have on tap. Beer from bottles and cans are okay, but can be expensive. A lot of craft brewers offer their drinkers growlers, but, once opened, they don’t last very long.

The Product. SYNEK is a beer tap system for your home. This device uses SYNEK bags that are vacuum pack and UV protected to store two growler’s worth of beer and keep the liquid fresh for a long time. Using adapter tubes and a tap, anyone can enjoy whichever beer they want right at home. The bags can be filled with bottled beer, canned beer, beer from a another tap or beer straight from the brewery. SYNEK weighs no more than a toaster oven and can go wherever there’s an outlet.

The Pitch. SYNEK’s Kickstarter campaign begins with a charming and funny video of Steve, the creator, boasting about his product. Bloopers at the end of Steve attempting to grill bananas are especially appreciated. The rest of SYNEK’s campaign is peppered with praise from a number of news television stations, magazines, blogs, companies, and more. Steve also has a collage of the different brands of beer available in SYNEK. This home tap device hopes to raise $250,000 in 30 days.

The Perks. Beer laden backers can get the SYNEK at an early-bird price of $299 or retail price of $349. Higher tiers offer the product in different colors or even in bronze. Reward tiers go up to $10,000 with estimated delivery in March 2015.

The Potential. Following in the footsteps of the Keurig and Nespresso coffee pod machines, home draught beer is not an entirely new concept. Other products offer beer from the tap at home, but use different methods to do so. For instance, the Draftmark Tap System comes with large bottles that are loaded into the device and tapped. The different between this and other similar products and the SYNEK is that the SYNEK has unlimited possibilities. It can be filled with any beer that the drinker wishes without being constrained to a small variety. All in all, SYNEK’s portability, style, ease of use and versatility make it the product to beat for those looking to enjoy a great draught beer at home. It will undoubtedly enjoy lots of success on the market.

Imbue Creative Tool is the compact Swiss Army Knife of geometric drawing

The Premise. Artists, designers, architects and other creative types use a variety of tools for their drawings. Their lines must be precise and they need accessories to ensure the integrity of their work. When on the go, it is necessary for them to carry around these tools in order to work, but it gets burdensome to be bogged down by so many objects.

The Product. The Imbue Creative Tool is an all-in-one device that combines several different tools in one compact product. Imbue looks like a simple ruler but has markings and holes in it that make it extremely versatile. It has a straight edge for drawing straight lines, markings to draw perpendicular lines like a T-square, a rounded edge, quarter inch markings for measuring, degree markings to draw triangles and several holes to draw circles like a compass. This small tool is made out of aluminum or steel and comes in three different colors. It is designed to be attached to Moleskine notebooks.

The Pitch. The campaign video for Imbue shows someone in a café using the different features of this product to make a drawing. The creators talk about the convenience and finesse of their product and what motivated them to create it. The rest of the campaign goes over the reward tiers, how to attach it to your notebook as well as individual videos demonstrating each of this tool’s features. Imbue hopes to raise a low $8,500 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Early birds can enjoy the Imbue aluminum version for $20 and steel version for $25. The aluminum goes for a regular price of $25 and the steel for $30. Higher tiers offer packages which include Moleskin notebooks. All reward tiers have an estimated delivery date of December 2014. The creators have no clear stretch goals set, but express an interest in producing more colors if they exceed their goal.

The Potential. The Imbue Creative Tool is, like any great product, an incredibly simple idea that is smart and convenient. The creative minds who would use this product do seem to work a lot outside of their offices or studio spaces. There are several other products out there that aim to make drawing and drafting convenient like the 295 Parallel Rolling Ruler, but fail to be flat and small enough to carry around in a small notebook. Imbue takes the best of geometric tools and convenience making it a must-have for creative types and professional illustrato