What are the US Crowd Funding Platforms?
Whether you need donation, equity or debt crowd funding to get your startup off the ground, there is a US based platform designed for you. Take a look at the following US crowd funding platforms to see how they could help you take your fledgling startup to the next level.
Fund Anything
http://fundanything.com
Fund Anything has been endorsed by major celebrities and can provide funding for nealy any type of project or enterprise.
Projects – “Anyone can raise money for anything”
Promotion – WorldWide
Rewards to Contributors – Optional
Fees – 8%
Indiegogo
https://www.indiegogo.com/
Indiegogo allows a wide variety of projects. It has varying levels of risk and funding depending on what type of project you are looking to fund.
Projects – “Art, architecture, technology, films, DIY—if it’s a creative, entrepreneurial project it’s probably a great fit for Indiegogo”
Funding – Supports both fixed and flexible funding
Promotion – Deposits in USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, AUD
Fees – 8%; can be 2% higher due to PayPal
Generosity by Indiegogo
https://www.generosity.com/
Generosity is a no-fee platform for use by not-for-profits
Kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com/
A darling amongst the creative set, Kickstarter funds projects in the arts , technological, and music industries.
Projects – “everything from homemade postcards to Oscar-winning documentaries“
Funding
“Since our launch, on April 28, 2009, 10 million people have backed a project, $2.2 Billion has been pledged, and 99,269 projects have been successfully funded. ”
Staff
129 people in New York City
Rockethub
https://www.rockethub.com/
Due to its payment scheme RocketHub has become a favourite amongst its users, with campaigns worldwide in all areas of interest from independent artists to small retailers to charitable organizations.
Projects – art, science, business, and social projects
Please see our Blog Post – What is Rockethub?
Tilt.com
https://www.tilt.com
Tilt can be used on a wide array of campaigns.
Funding – “Since 2012, over 300,000 groups have used Tilt“
Fees
Claims to be the lowest fees in the industry
Collect / Fundraise – Free; Sell Something – 2.5%
Free for contributors using debit cards, 3% processing fee for credit cards.
AngelList
https://angel.co/ or AngelList.com
This crowd funder specifically targets US startups and sources its funds through debt & equity funding.
Works with accelerators listed at https://angel.co/accelerators/apply
Funding
“Invest with experienced angel investors
LAST 12 MONTHS – $139M was invested in 389 startups by 170 syndicates with 2,976 active investors”
CircleUp
https://circleup.com/
CircleUp uses an equity funding models and specializes in physical goods, retail and products.
CircleUp focuses on angel investments in consumer products companies.
Funding – “CircleUp has helped 139 companies raise over $160 million“
Crowdfunder
https://www.crowdfunder.com/
One of the most well-known crowd funding websites, Crowdfunder services a range of business proposals for medium and small US startups,
Funding – “125,660 Crowdfunders invested $369.8 MM in 33,133 Companies”
EquityNet
https://www.equitynet.com/
This platform focuses on the opposite ends of a business lifetime, concentrating on providing funding on new US startups and established companies.
Funding – Since 2005 $200 million has been invested in Startups and mature companies
Fundable
https://www.fundable.com/
Fundable works with brand spanking new businesses, even those that are at very early stage.
Funding – $221 million has been invested in seed stage businesses
Invest Next Door
https://www.investnextdoor.com/
InvestNextDoor provides a marketplace for crowdfunded borrowing.
MicroVentures
US startups looking to get funding in a tech industry would do well with this high growth platform.
Funding – “MicroVentures has successfully raised over $85M for more than 50 Companies“
“The sweet spot for our platform is companies or startups that need $150,000 to $1,000,000 in capital.“
Prosper Marketplace
Prosper – Smart, simple tools for borrowing, saving & earning
Using a debt funding model, Americas first peer to peer lending site has a huge pool of investors ready to fund worthy projects.
Funding
“Prosper is America’s first peer-to-peer lending marketplace, with more than 2 million members and over $5 billion in funded loans.
Prosper allows people to invest in each other in a way that is financially and socially rewarding. On Prosper, borrowers list loan requests between $2,000 and $35,000 and individual lenders invest as little as $25 in each loan listing they select. Prosper handles the servicing of the loan on behalf of the matched borrowers and investors.“
Darc Matter – Formerly … Return on Change
https://www.darcmatter.com/
Focuses on fledgling and rapidly growing new businesses in essential industries.
Funding – “pre-vetted alternative investments for as little as $25,000“
OneVest – Formerly … Rock the Post
http://www.onevest.com/
For brand new US startups in the tech arena.
Funding – $23 million raised
Collaboration with One Thousand Angels at www.1000angels.com
NASDAQ Private Market – Formerly … SecondMarket
On October 22 2015 SecondMarket was acquired by NASDAQ Private Market
“NASDAQ Private Market enables private companies to more effectively manage their equity ownership, current and prospective investor relationships, and secondary liquidity for their employees and shareholders.“
Has a point of difference by using debt & equity funding to help advanced startups & private businesses heading into acquisition.
SeedInvest
https://www.seedinvest.com/
“We are connecting 14,939 investors to highly vetted startups without charging investor fees or carried interest., Join for free.”
Deals – “We vet and accept only ~1% of our total dealflow.“
Startup Valley
http://www.startupvalley.com/
“StartupValley is an equity-based crowdfunding portal that allows tech startups and business to raise early-stage capital in exchange for equity ownership in their company. Businesses can post their company, pitch their product, and raise funds for the development of their next big tech idea.“
StartupValley is an “Equity Crowdfunding Portal and Platform for Tech Startups, Entrepreneurs, and Investors“
Projects – “StartupValley has a heavy focus on tech startups and businesses in the technology arena. This includes mobile apps, Facebook apps, social apps, websites, social networking, social media, healthcare and medical technology, high tech sciences, and energy and solar technology.“
Location – StartupValley 299 Market St., Suite 350 Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
Trustleaf
https://trustleaf.com/
Trustleaf assists smaller companies by debt funding.
“We believe that the best people to loan you money for your small business are the people who believe in you most: your friends and family. We make that easy.“
Location – TrustLeaf Inc., 440 North Wolfe Road, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Wahooly
Appears to have gone out of business
According to Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahooly as of January 17 2016; “Wahooly rebranded in May 2013 as Chasm.io.[6] Wahooly/Chasm.io closed in 2014”
Wefunder
https://wefunder.me/
Advertises having some of the lowest fees and commissions. Uses equity funding for a wide range of projects.
Funding – “50,139 investors funded 111 startups with over $15 million“
Reference
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This is the best roundup I’ve seen so far. I’ve often wondered about the differences between these and now I have everything all on one page. I have bookmarked this page and will be returning, so I hope you’re planning to keep it up to date. Maybe add new ones as they come on line, too, to make this the ultimate resource.
Crowdfunding may not be for everybody, but it’s an exciting opportunity many of us are counting on to help launch our businesses’ newest initiatives.