In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Eric Kurbanov, founder of RKIN and creator of U1. When Kurbanov realized how much bottled water he’d been consuming, he set out looking for a better way. His research showed him how inherently unsustainable and unhealthy bottled water was. Eventually, he created  U1, a 4-in-1 reverse osmosis water purification system. With a preexisting customer base and ten years of customer feedback, Kurbanov launched his Kickstarter campaign. Listen to learn how U1 turned into a top crowdfunding campaign in an industry that is slowly becoming more popular. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. With U1, RKIN created a first in the industry system of water purifiers and filters. U1 eliminates the need for external water lines and hookups and delivers purified water through reverse osmosis. Many people buy bottled water without ever considering its many problems, including unsustainable packaging, BPA in materials and contaminated water. The more Kurbanov learned, the more convinced he was of the need for a product like U1. Every crowdfunding campaign relies on trust, and Kurbanov and his company leveraged 10 years of trust when creating and launching U1 on Kickstarter. U1’s Kickstarter campaign is in the top 4% of all successful crowdfunding campaigns, having raised more than $100K. The team was prepared for the campaign and had preexisting customer trust, but running a top crowdfunding campaign presented unique challenges. Links U1’s Kickstarter Campaign RKIN Note: As an Amazon Associate, Art of the Kickstart may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by ProductHype, the leading crowdfunding newsletter. Publishing weekly, ProductHype showcases five of the best, most innovative and exciting crowdfunding projects in an absurdly unique way. Their audience of more than 300,000 crowdfunding fans regularly back featured products and eagerly awaits the newsletter to learn about the new ideas that creators are bringing to market. Learn more about having your project featured in ProductHype, or join the HypeSquad today! Transcript View this episode's transcript Roy Morejon: Welcome, entrepreneurs and startups, to Art of the Kickstart, the show that every entrepreneur needs to listen to before you launch. I’m your host, Roy Morejon, president and founder of Enventys Partners, the world’s only turnkey product launch company. From product development and engineering to omnichannel marketing, we’ve helped our clients launch thousands of inventions and earn more than $1 billion in sales over the past 20 years. Each week, I interview a startup success story, an inspirational entrepreneur, or a business expert, in order to help you take your launch to the next level. This show would not be possible without our main sponsor ProductHype, the weekly newsletter that goes out and shows you the best inventions that just launched. Make sure to check out producthype.co and join the hype squad. Now let’s get on with the show. Roy Morejon: Welcome to another edition of Art of the Kickstart. Today I am super excited again, because I am speaking with the founder of RKIN Water Systems,