For contractor-turned-inventor Bob Hart, the clock is ticking. He has fewer than 30 days to find enough online backers willing to finance his dream: a new iPad carrier.

Like thousands of others who can't get conventional bank loans for their artistic or entrepreneurial ventures, the Roseville resident has turned to a growing online community of people who make personal loans or donations to fund others' ideas.

The "peer-to-peer" lending industry has exploded during the recession, as banks clamped down on consumer loans. Between 2006 and last year, loan volume jumped fivefold to $153 million, according to the Seattle-based Online Banking Report.

"It's taking the idea of patrons from the Renaissance and putting them in the Internet age," said Jim Bruene, editor of Online Banking Report. "It's an anonymous platform bringing together people who need money with those who have money to lend or invest."

Hart is trying to tap into potential patrons through a fast-growing website called Kickstarter. Based in New York, the site features artists, writers, filmmakers and inventors with entrepreneurial visions. It attracts projects that are either too small, too quirky or too speculative to get bank funding. They ask for as little as $25 and as much as $300,000 or more.

Kickstarter and some others – with names like FansNextDoor, IndieGoGo and 33Needs – differ from traditional online lending sites because they don't solicit loans, only donations.

Launched in 2009, Kickstarter "sits at the intersection of patronage and commerce," said spokesman Justin Kazmark. This week, the site announced that 1 million donors have pledged a combined $100 million since its founding two years ago. The average pledge: $71.

Those pledges poured money into an eclectic mix of projects, from a floating game board to comic books, to garage band CDs to a Modesto artist's dream of reviving illuminated manuscript letters. Three projects now listed stem from the Occupy Wall Street protest movement – a journal, a film and photos.

Like Hart, a number of Sacramento-area residents have listed their projects on Kickstarter. A Davis chef is hoping to harvest enough donations to open her own cafe. Actor Colin Hanks has already collected $92,000 for his Tower Records documentary.

Unlike traditional peer-to-peer lending sites, Kickstarter and other so-called "crowdfunding" forums don't allow financial reimbursement to those who give. Instead, backers receive "creative rewards and one-of-a-kind experiences."

The 1,600 donors to Hanks' Tower Records documentary, for instance, got some cool swag: Those pledging $125 were promised rare vinyl records with personal notes by Hanks and Tower founder Russ Solomon. Those giving $500 got VIP tickets to the film's Sacramento premiere.

Hart, a civil engineer and former commercial contractor, is hoping to raise $100,000 to help launch his "IG Pak (for "Instant Gratification"), a sling-style backpack for carrying an iPad.

So far, the Roseville resident estimates he's spent 18 months and about $40,000 of his own money. His vision is a hands-free iPad carrier that is lightweight but rugged enough to survive rough handling on urban streets or school playgrounds.

"You could drop it, and it wouldn't break," said Hart.

The polycarbonate shell – the same material as the face shields of NASA astronauts, he says – weighs only 1.5 pounds. Flip it over and it becomes an iPad workstation.

Originally, Hart created a functional but awkward-looking prototype, using plastic compounds that he mixed in his bathtub. He also consulted with a backpacking company in Chico and used Sierra College's fabrication lab.

Today, his prototype is being fine-tuned with a sleek profile by Design Annex, a Sacramento-based engineering and design company. Given the iPad's popularity and sales projections, Design Annex's Trent Smith says the IG Pak "has potential as a workforce tool," as well as for schools, military and government use.

On Kickstarter, projects seeking backers are listed by category, by state or by city. In California, the listings run from Arcata to Visalia.

Creators set their financial goal and the time limit to meet it, up to 60 days. Donors pledge set amounts, but their credit card is not charged unless the goal is reached. Kickstarter takes 5 percent of any project that's fully funded.

Other sites, like IndieGoGo, let creators keep the money pledged even if their goal isn't met, but take a bigger percentage as a fee.

So far, Kickstarter claims a 44 percent funding success rate. Of the 10,400 projects that met fundraising targets, most have been for film, music and video projects.

There's no guarantee, of course, that a project will catch the eye of donors. Hart, for instance, has received only 20 pledges totaling $1,540 – far short of his $100,000 goal. He has until Nov. 9 to raise the remainder.

So far, he's received interest from as far away as Japan, and his IG Pak recently earned a good review by GadgetMac, a blogging site for Apple-related products.

Even if he doesn't make his goal, Hart wants to continue backing other people's projects and business aspirations. "You could create jobs in America just by contributing a dollar at a time," he said. "If everyone went to Kickstarter and contributed $1, $5 or any amount, we could stimulate the economy ourselves. This is huge."

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Call The Bee's Claudia Buck, (916) 321-1968.

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