it’s all about perceptions isn’t it…
KS is not a pre-order system, as some consumers think - except where the company has their stuff together and are just using that as a marketing and collection method. Personally, I don’t think KS is a good place to do that because you end up paying KS too much cash, which either cuts into potential margin or inflates the end purchaser price.
KS is a risk minimisation system - as a designer/producer, you de-risk your first manufacturing run by getting not only confirmed interest levels but an up front commitment from the consumer, which then also helps you go negotiate the best discounts on the right quantity of “components”. But this still doesn’t do much for risk for the consumer - a project that still needs to do a LOT of work will still have a higher risk than the one that just sets the cranks in motion to do the production run.
If everyone went into the process thinking that they may be less jaded when things fail.
Another way to think of the backers (and I think that’s a good word they’ve chosen 
) is as research funders with (potential for) benefits.