What Is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is the use of small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals to finance a new business venture. Crowdfunding makes use of the easy accessibility of vast networks of people through social media and crowdfunding websites to bring investors and entrepreneurs together, with the potential to increase entrepreneurship by expanding the pool of investors beyond the traditional circle of owners, relatives, and venture capitalists.

How Crowdfunding Works

Crowdfunding has created the opportunity for entrepreneurs to raise hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars from anyone with money to invest. Crowdfunding provides a forum to anyone with an idea to pitch it in front of waiting investors.

One of the more amusing projects to receive funding was from an individual who wanted to create a new potato salad recipe. His fundraising goal was $10, but he raised more than $55,000 from 6,911 backers. Investors can select from hundreds of projects and invest as little as $10. Crowdfunding sites generate revenue from a percentage of the funds raised. Check this out @ bit.ly/3ccpg1Q

Popular Crowdfunding Websites

Crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe attract hundreds of thousands of people hoping to create, or support, the next big thing.

GoFundMe

As of 2021, GoFundMe is the largest crowdfunding platform. Since GoFundMe was founded in 2010, the site has raised over $10 billion through more than 150 million donations. Start-up companies tend to use Kickstarter.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter is another popular choice. As of 2021, since it was founded in 2009, Kickstarter has successfully funded nearly 200,000 projects, with more than $5.7 billion pledged across all Kickstarter projects. In fact, unlike GoFundMe, Kickstarter can only be used for creating projects that can be shared with others.

Indiegogo

Indiegogo is seen as a less strict and more flexible platform than Kickstarter, as it gives backers control over whether they want fixed or flexible models—this is probably the most significant difference between the two crowdfunding platforms. Kickstarter releases funds only after the campaign has reached its funding goal, whereas Indiegogo allows the campaigner to receive funding pro-rata, or wait until their target is hit.

As a campaigner, it might be easier and less risky to go with flexible funding (i.e., receiving funds as they come); however, regardless of the amount raised, campaigners must still deliver on any promises made. For a backer, fixed funding is more attractive as it is associated with much less of a risk.

Crowdfunding platform fees range from 5% to 12%. Look out for punitive fee structures before choosing a crowdfunding platform.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Crowdfunding

The most obvious advantage of crowdfunding for a start-up company or individual is its ability to provide access to a larger and more diverse group of investors/supporters.

Furthermore, many crowdfunding projects are rewards-based; investors may get to participate in the launch of a new product or receive a gift for their investment. For instance, the maker of a new soap made out of bacon fat may send a free bar to each of its investors. Video games are a popular crowdfunding investment for gamers, who often receive advance copies of the game as a reward.

Equity-based crowdfunding is growing in popularity because it allows startup companies to raise money without giving up control to venture capital investors. In some cases, it also offers investors the opportunity to earn an equity position in the venture. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates equity-based crowdfunding.

Potential disadvantages of crowdfunding include the possible damage to you or your company’s reputation caused by “resorting” to crowdfunding, the fees associated with the crowdfunding site, and, at least on some platforms, if you don’t reach your funding goal, any finance that has been pledged will be returned to your investors and you will receive nothing.

Access to funding you otherwise might not qualify for from traditional sources

Great way to interact with potential consumers

Ability to gauge public opinion on your product

Must follow the rules/fees of the crowdfunding platform

In some cases, if you don’t reach your funding goal, any finance that has been pledged will be returned to your investors

Possible damage to your start-up company’s reputation

Examples of Crowdfunding

Many of the products and businesses crowdfunded on Kickstarter became very successful and lucrative endeavors. For instance, Oculus VR, an American company specializing in virtual reality hardware and software products, was funded through the site. In 2012, founder Palmer Luckey launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to make virtual reality headsets designed for video gaming available to developers. The campaign crowdfunded $2.4 million, ten times the original goal of $250,000.4 In March 2014, Facebook, Inc. (FB) acquired Oculus VR for $2.3 billion in cash and stock.5

Another example of a company that rose to success through the help of Kickstarter campaigns is M3D, a company founded by two friends that manufacture small 3D printers. David Jones and Michael Armani raised $3.4 million for their Micro 3D printer on the crowdfunding site in 2014.6 The tiny 3D printer, which comes with a variety of durable 3D inks, is now available at Staples, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Brookstone, and elsewhere.

In April 2019, Critical Role, a weekly live-streamed tabletop roleplaying game featuring a group of prominent voice actors, raised $4.7 million in just 24 hours for its latest animated special “The Legend of Vox Machina.” No other 2019 Kickstarter campaign raised that amount over their entire 30 to 60 day raising period.7

Do You Pay Back Crowdfunding?

For crowdfunding that operates on a donation basis, the company does not need to pay back investors. However many companies offer incentives for early backers such as an advance copy of the product.

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