How 96 people funded COMBOS
From the day we started this project, we knew we didn't want to keep cutting. We wanted to make every COMBO from scratch, in our own molds. Imagining a tool and actually making it is an incredible feeling.
In July 2025 we had the molds, the formula and a clear idea of what we wanted to make. What we didn't have was the money to start production. So we took it to Kickstarter.
Why Kickstarter
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform. People back a project before it exists, in exchange for rewards, and the money only comes through if the campaign reaches its goal.
At SOLID COMBO LABS® we had no capital to launch COMBOS, our multicolour solid paint marker. We chose Kickstarter for two reasons. First, to fund production without relying on big investors and stay independent. Second, to use the momentum: to let people know we were building something new, explain it and share the process from day one.
What is COMBOS? A solid paint stick that joins two to eight colours. One stroke lays down several colours at once, and the speed and twist of your hand decide which one leads.
How the campaign worked
The campaign ran for 30 days, from 18 July to 17 August 2025, with a goal of €15,000. Kickstarter featured it as a "Project We Love".
The money had three jobs: new and better molds, scaling up production and releasing the first COMBOS collection, 17 combinations.
The rewards:
- SOLIDOS and COMBOS packs.
- SOLIDOS Pink, a pink made only for the campaign.
- Tote bag and T-shirt, screen printed in Barcelona by ANKOR Screenprint.
- A Mystery Box.
- A shops-only tier, limited to five: a custom SOLIDOS colour with the shop's own label.
Building it in public
We shared every step during the campaign. On 28 July the first batch of molds was working and chain production was starting. On 2 August the final COMBOS boxes arrived, with graphic design by Adrià Molins and Glashaus. On 6 August we visited ANKOR Screenprint to see and feel the first tote and T-shirt samples.
COMBOS graphic design by Adrià Molins, on Instagram
Every step of the campaign, day by day, is saved in our Instagram highlights.
Who backed us
Most of the support came from people who paint: writers, artists and users who trusted the tool before they had it in their hands. And from several shops that joined with their own colour.
Spraydealer · fluorescent pink
Spraydealer backed us with a fluorescent pink. We used it to experiment with fluorescent pigments. The label references the Pink Panther that SEEN has tattooed on his back. It worked really well.
Can Safari · mustard yellow
Can Safari chose a mustard yellow to match their logo, with a label in pastel colours.
Writers Madrid · acid green
Writers Madrid, behind us from the start and the shop that placed our very first order, chose an acid green with a label that is pure graff.
Writers Madrid x SOLID COMBO LABS, on Instagram
Romayork and NBQ
Romayork joined with catalogue colours to open their new shop in Rome.
NBQ, friends and supporters from day one, were there too with catalogue colours.
Thank you.
We made it
On 17 August 2025 the campaign closed funded: €15,312 of €15,000, from 96 backers. By 4 September production was 89% complete, and shipping started on 8 September.
The Yin-Yang cut sums up the project. It might look like a purely aesthetic choice, but behind it is our own mold system, which will let us make any shape and any size. Paint for every COMBO is poured into those molds in our Barcelona workshop, and each stick is then assembled by hand: picking the colours, building the stick and packing it.
Lots of tests, 17 combinations
There were a lot of tests before the collection. Every combination was chosen with care, and each one has a reason. We'll get to those.
We went big on two-colour combinations because they are the most intuitive, fun and easy to use. And because the sections are bigger, the stick is stronger.
The 3-cut was a deliberate choice. An odd number doesn't come from splitting in halves, so the mold had to be rethought. The result is still a rigid, tough COMBO that is fun to use.
COMBOS 3D animation, on Instagram
Since then, COMBOS has kept growing through collaborations like FEBRE90'S, the São Paulo rap duo.
Just the beginning
This is only the start. With a mold system that allows any shape and any size, the possibilities are endless. What's coming next are new and unique ideas and projects.