Crowdfunding site Kickstarter has just been awarded as "Best Overall Startup" at the 2013 Crunchies, TechCrunch reported. Kickstarter was up against strong contenders in the category, including Uber, CloudFlare, Snapchat and Twitter. Uber was awarded as the runner-up startup for 2013 as it has defied the status quo in the transportation industry and disturbing feathers in the world of car services, the report said.

Kickstarter, however, changed the way the world works. It has opened possibilities for makers of today and tomorrow. It gives individuals the chance to make their dream happen even outside of the corporate world by democratizing hardware, software and movie production and that of other creative pursuits, the report said.

Kickstarter has turned funding models on its feet because of its ability to get funding from individuals that eventually become its consumers. It has also formed a sense of ownership and community in the development of a product and serves as a channel for creators to talk about the trials and successes of product creation, the report said.

There were 3 million crowdfunders in the Kickstarter platform last year. They collectively pledged a total amount of $480 million and have successfully funded 19,911 projects. This translates to more than $13 million pledged on a daily basis for the entire year. The amount for 2013 has increased from the $320 million pledged in 2012 and the $100 million pledged the year before that. The trend shows that people have the desire to be directly involved in helping creators turn their vision to reality, the report said.

Kickstarter said late in 2013 that co-founder Perry Chen would be stepping down as the company CEO to fulfill chairman role so that he can concentrate on guiding the company with the big picture in mind. Co-founder Yancey Strickler has taken over as CEO and is seen as the best choice for the role, the report said.