Check it Out: Why it's Good to Be Quirky

Here's how Quirky works: Consumers submit their ideas via Quirky's website, then product managers who oversee five distinct categories (electronics and power; health and fitness; home and garden; kitchen; and travel and adventure) and a separate category for miscellaneous ideas titled "Everything Else" are tasked with organizing the nearly 3,000 submissions the company gets every week. Quirky's staff then narrows the pool of ideas down to about a dozen for a live community forum that takes place every Thursday night at the company's headquarters.