Case Study: Kara Water Raised 80% of $1.6M Campaign from StartEngine’s Community

DISCLAIMER: This case study describes Kara Water’s prior Reg CF offering, which closed on March 7, 2025. It is for educational purposes only, does not constitute an offer to purchase any security, and is not tailored to any individual investor. Past results do not guarantee future performance; investments are speculative and involve risk.

How StartEngine connected Kara Water with repeat investors and customers, and even a strategic advisor

Kara Water had a revolutionary product: turning thin air into clean, drinkable water. The problem? They needed the right audience to fund their vision. 

Enter StartEngine. With our powerhouse platform and community of 1.8 million users, Kara Water didn’t just raise $1.6 million — they found repeat investors, repeat customers, and even a strategic advisor.¹

Tapping into StartEngine’s Investor Pool

When Kara Water decided to raise funds, they didn’t want just any crowdfunding site. They wanted a platform that would give them visibility, credibility, and, most importantly, investors who believed in their mission. 

After surveying the equity crowdfunding landscape, Kara Water CEO Cody Soodeen said that StartEngine “started to outshine everybody” in the space. The biggest reason? Our engaged community of 1.8 million users¹ — including 90,000+ accredited investors.²

“StartEngine has the largest audience,“ added Soodeen. “If we can activate them, you only need a drop in the bucket, versus trying to bring in new audiences all the time to grow your campaign.”

StartEngine: The Secret Ingredient for Success

StartEngine delivered. Kara Water closed their Reg CF campaign with over $1.6 million raised from 1,555 investors.

Kara Water’s raise saw more than 80% of the dollars invested come from StartEngine’s community.

With our extensive marketing reach, built-in trust, and a seamless fundraising experience, StartEngine gave Kara Water the boost they needed.

“Our past experience working with outside marketing was terrible, but with StartEngine, we love having everything under one roof,” said Soodeen. “If we needed something, somebody had an answer, and they'd get it really quickly. Whatever we needed, they would help us get it through.”

$1.6M Raised—And That’s Just the Beginning

The campaign was also a turning point in more ways than one:

• Investors turned into customers, purchasing the company's newest products.

“We’re seeing more investors convert to customers now, “said Soodeen. “We'll get a message because we gave them a discount through our campaign, and I’ll know they’re from StartEngine.”

• Customers became repeat investors, often returning to contribute additional capital.

“We have a lot of customers from our Indiegogo campaign who’ve been following our journey for a long time,” explained Soodeen. “We had a couple investors who called us and said, ‘We want to put a bigger check in. Can we do it?’ And I said, ‘This is the best place to do it, on StartEngine.’”

“Not only do we have a passionate fan base but they keep coming back,” added Harrison Bohrman, a marketing advisor for Kara Water.  “We see a lot of repeat investors. Every couple weeks we'll see the same person come in and put in anywhere from $300 to $5,000 or more multiple times.”

• One major StartEngine investor even became a strategic advisor for Kara Water.

“Our largest StartEngine investor has been super supportive of us,” added Soodeen. “He was head of the supply chain for a major company for 30 years, and he has all these great connections to factories and vendors and great experience for logistics and managing tariffs and customs.”

Ready to Raise?

If you’re looking to explore raising capital and building a community around your brand, StartEngine may be the platform for you. With millions raised for innovative companies like Kara Water, we know what it takes to succeed.

Join the movement. Launch your campaign with StartEngine today.

1.  In May 2023, StartEngine acquired assets of competitor platform SeedInvest, including email lists for SeedInvest’s users, investors, and founders. Count determined as number of unique email addresses in StartEngine’s database. One individual may have more than one email address. See additional information here.

2. Includes both verified and self-certified accredited investors.

Past results do not guarantee future success. Raising capital through StartEngine is subject to eligibility and regulatory approval

Testimonials reflect individual experiences and may not be representative of the experience of others. No compensation was provided for these statements