In short, Lighthouse is a decentralized crowdfunding app that uses bitcoin.
You can create a Kickstarter without Kickstarter. There is no central party, and the pledged funds are not released unless the goal is reached. No Kickstarter fees and no Amazon Payment fees.
Two weeks into the beta release, it seems to be working out alright.
Here's an overview: http://blog.vinumeris.com/2014/05/17/lighthouse/
This is some of the crazy shit that makes me interested in bitcoin. Don't let people convince you it's just a new kind of money.