High-Tech Cooler Raises More Than $10.3 Million, Breaks Kickstarter Record

Time just ran out for Pebble. The smartwatch that has been able to claim most-funded Kickstarter project ever status has lost those bragging rights to a cooler project, literally. With a little less than three days before the Coolest Cooler campaign ends, the project raised $10,340,520 as of early Wednesday, surpassing Pebble's $10,266,845. Created by Ryan Grepper, the high-tech cooler is part blender, part waterproof bluetooth summer DJ speaker system, part USB recharge station, and yes, also a cooler to keep your stuff cold, with an LED light, cutting board, and bottle opener. Evolving the cooler has been a passion of Grepper's for a decade, he said. "Nine or 10 years ago, I was making a blender out of a weed whacker, putting an old car stereo into a cooler." His early experiments didn't work, but Grepper—who is a member of the CNBC Tech Crowd Council—did realize technology could transform a cooler into something even the cool kids might coo over. The Coolest Cooler failed the first time he rolled it out on Kickstarter in November 2013.

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

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--- CNBC's Anthony Volastro and Eric Rosenbaum