Meld was an intriguing Kickstarter from the start. It was a smart knob that promised to transform any old range into a self-regulating cooktop. Working with a temperature sensor and app, it would adjust its temperature and never leave you with a scorched pan again. Over 1,500 backers wanted one of their very own, and the campaign raised almost $210,000. Sadly, the company announced on its page that it is canceling its Kickstarter, will refund the money, and won’t be sending out the knobs to its backers.
An unnamed company acquired Meld, and co-founder Jon Jenkins wrote in the post, “Not long ago we were approached by a large kitchenware company about the possibility of working together on precision cooking products. As we got to know them it was clear this company shares our vision of helping home cooks create amazing meals by applying science to the art of cooking.” Part of the acquisition agreement stipulated that Meld cancel its campaign. “It was a very tough decision but we decided that it wasn’t right to ship the Meld Knob + Clip without dedicated long-term support including software and content updates,” Jenkins wrote.
While it may be the end of the Kickstarter, it’s not the end of the Meld knob. The combined companies plan on rolling out a similar product at some point, with backers getting “preferential pricing” whenever it launches.
Despite that promise, many backers were disappointed. “You undermine confidence in Kickstarter with behavior like this,” commented Matthew Rosenberg.
“So the company that has taken you on will have a very hard time convincing me to purchase their products and it will not benefit their reputation at all how this has been handled,” wrote another user. Those were some of the tamer responses.
“Meld is all four horsemen of the apocalypse. Meld arose from the deep and will bring destruction and death upon this world. Meld is the end of all things,” joked Tim Ellis in another comment. Many of the other backers didn’t find it quite so funny.
