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Creator Of Coolest Cooler: From Failure To Phenom With Kickstarter Record

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) – Ryan Grepper's first campaign to promote his radical redesign of the traditional cooler failed … miserably.

He is not a failure anymore.

Grepper reworked his campaign for his Coolest Cooler and he is now sitting on $13.3 million in funding, thanks to supporters on Kickstarter.

That makes The Coolest the most-funded campaign in Kickstarter history.

Portable coolers have been good at what they do for many years–they keep stuff cool. However the design features have essentially remained the same.

Grepper's idea was to marry old-fashioned cooler with 2014 technology.

Here is what one gets with the Coolest:

The centerpiece is the chargeable blender that sits on top of the cooler to mix up margaritas, smoothies or other blended drinks. Inside, there is a divider that allows users to store only ice for the blender on one side with room for beverages on the other. The divider also doubles as a cutting board.

The Coolest also has a Bluetooth waterproof speaker system, a USB charging station, and a bottle opener.

Kickstarter supporters who forked over $185 will be getting their cooler in February.

Timing appeared to make a huge difference for Grepper. The first time, he launched his campaign before Christmas. This time it started at the beginning of summer.

The Coolest campaign overtook the former Kickstarter champion, the Pebble smart watch, with a big surge at the end of the 52-day campaign, according to Kickstarter.

About 3.5 percent of Coolest supporters came from Illinois, ensuring they will have their Coolest in time for the 2015 beach season.

Customers who didn't contribute to the Kickstarter campaign can add their name to a wait list.

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