To compare, other titles backed by Indie Fund include Dear Esther, Anti-Chamber, and Q.U.B.E., which all paid back the investment in days or even hours. Monaco is the first to do so before the game's launch.
Pre-orders for the game went live on the Humble Store back in December. Steam pre-orders went live on April 17. By April 20, Monaco had hit the $120,000 mark, a full four days before the game's release.
"For me the most significant thing about the early success with regards to Indie Fund is that it shows that there are many ways of approaching funding, from crowdfunding to investment models like Indie Fund, to personal loans – I know a number of devs that have taken loans from other devs – to the traditional publisher model. More options means the studios can customize their relationships to fit their personalities and their projects."
The initial $100,000 payment from Indie Fund was used by developer Andy Schatz to pay for contractors and to sustain both himself and his company, including trips to PAX.
(via Joystiq)