What if you could scan, sort, and catalog your entire trading card collection in minutes?
That’s exactly what Jonathan Domanus set out to build when he created CardMill, the world’s first automated scanner and sorter for trading card games like Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!.
In this episode of the Crowdfunding Demystified podcast, you’ll hear the story of how Jonathan went from tinkering with cardboard, Legos, and a Raspberry Pi to launching a Kickstarter that has already surpassed $2 million in funding.
He shares what it was like to go live (and hit his funding goal in just 24 minutes), the late nights spent building community one comment at a time, and why authenticity has been his biggest marketing weapon.
You’ll discover:
- The marketing strategy that helped Jonathan attract 4,000+ backers
- The surprising role authenticity played in his success
- How he kept his community engaged leading up to launch
- What it feels like to smash a funding goal in just 24 minutes
Whether you’re a game collector, an aspiring inventor, or someone planning a crowdfunding campaign, Jonathan’s story is a powerful reminder that big ideas often start small—and with the right mix of passion and persistence, they can resonate with thousands of backers worldwide.