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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Kyle Sorensen is on a roll with his dice and playing card Kickstarter projects.
The father of four recently funded his fifth Sly Kly project on the crowdfunding site, surpassing his $25,000 goal within 48 hours. To date, he's brought in over $35,000. Sorensen said his current project offers an improved version of his carbon fiber playing cards, in addition to a new option made of Kevlar.
"They'll literally last forever now," he said. "I also incorporated a Kevlar playing card, which is made out of the same material they use for ballistic vests and armor and stuff like that. I haven't done it yet, but I've been meaning to take (the cards) out and see if I can put a bullet through it or not."
Sorensen started launching projects during a period of unemployment, using the profits to support his family. Now he's busy with a full-time job and the recent arrival of a new son, but he still finds time to pursue his entrepreneurial passion. This is the second project he has successfully funded in a year.
However, that doesn't mean it is always easy. When he first created a campaign for Kevlar playing cards a few months ago, he fell short of his goal and failed to receive enough funding to make the product. Sorensen said he learned from his mistakes.
"It's a very low-risk process," he said. "I fork out the money to make prototypes and spend the time after my full-time job after hours to build up the Kickstarter project and hit launch. If it doesn't fund, no one is on the hook for anything."
Sorensen said he already has ideas for several future Kickstarter projects. He didn't offer many details, but said the products will continue along the same theme of taking something ordinary and making it out of a higher-end material.
Eventually, Sorensen hopes to launch an online store to sell his products. He has previously used eBay and Etsy to sell extra dice and playing cards after Kickstarter projects end.
