Kickstarter pledges surpass $1 billion; half pledged in last 12 months

Crowdfunding giant Kickstarter has reached a new milestone.
Total Kickstarter pledges have surpassed $1 billion, the company announced Monday. The total came from 5.7 million donors, and half of the sum was pledged in the last 12 months alone. In Kickstarter's first month in April 2009, its users raised nearly $3,900.
Kickstarter, along with competitor Indiegogo, have become funding places of choice for inventors, entrepreneurs, and anyone who has an idea they'd like to make a reality. So far, Kickstarter has cemented itself as the leader in crowdfunding.
In addition to announcing its milestone, Kickstarter said that people in the US accounted for the vast majority of pledges, offering up $663 million. Next up with the UK at $54.4 million.
A couple of interesting tidbits: Wednesday is the most popular day for people to pledge cash, and nearly 16,000 people have backed more than 50 projects.