Financial technology (Fintech) is not a new concept in the financial system. Technological usage in finance is something that has disrupted the different aspects of the financial system today. Fintech covers aspects from platforms for making mobile payments to blockchain and virtual currencies, HFT (high-frequency trading, and crowdfunding. This has caused some evolution in the financial industry and has led to a change in how businesses and organizations now handle their finances.
Crowdfunding is one aspect of the financial system that is also very much affected by financial technology. According to Investopedia, crowdfunding refers to using an amount of money gotten from a large crowd of individuals as capital to start up your business venture. It is, therefore, a collective effort by people, including friends, families, customers, and investors, to raise money for a particular cause. It is primarily done through online crowdfunding platforms and social media.
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In 2014, over $16B were raised worldwide through different crowdfunding campaigns. The figure increased by more than double in 2015 to more than $34 billion, and it has continued to increase since then. In the short time that it has existed, crowdfunding has proven to be very popular worldwide. Following these trends, there are signs that are ideal for investors that are socially conscious. Here are 10 crowdfunding fintech startups for socially conscious investors.
The Biggest Crowdfunding Fintech Startups
Kickstarter
It makes sense to kick start this list with one of the biggest crowdfunding platforms globally. This crowdfunding platform is a global platform that crowdsources funds for projects such as music, tech, art, movies, photography, games, design, and comics. Over 80,000 projects have been funded to completion by this community.
Kickstarter has about 300,000 individuals who have been involved in the funding of 10 or more projects on the platform. There’s also an incentive. People who support projects on Kickstarter are given high-class know-how and tangible rewards in a deal for their funds.
GoFundMe
This is another fintech crowdfunding startup that allows people source for funds from the crowd, people that are willing to help them, for their events. People use funds from a GoFundMe campaign to sponsor their life events such as getting travel accessories and other things needed for graduation and other celebrations. But that’s not all. This platform can also be used to source for funds during challenging circumstances such as a serious illness or an accident. This platform has raised over $2 billion for people through different inspiring GoFundMe campaigns.
Peerbackers
This platform is well known and considered to be one of the top platforms for crowdfunding in the industry. The focus of Peerbackers crowdfunding platform is to source for funds for entrepreneurs and innovators that have good ideas and good business plans but do not have the funds to execute them and have also not been able to get investors to invest in their ideas.
This platform has hosted and funded thousands of creative, entrepreneurial and civic projects for different people in different parts of the world. This fintech crowdfunding startup birthed an academy by founders who saw the high rate of project failure in different industries. The crowdfunding academy is aimed at providing education and support to people that are hoping to source money for their projects from a crowdfunding campaign.
Crowdfunder
Crowdfunder is a crowdfunding platform that is the leading platform for sourcing for crowdfunds in the United Kingdom. According to regular contributors at Crowdfunder, this platform is where great projects and good people meet up, and the end is to bring great ideas to fruition. There are more than 500,000 members on this platform and there are thousands of projects that have been sponsored by funds from the members of this platform, and many others that are still being supported.
The members of these communities are stimulated to get engaged in crowdfunding by a campaign sponsorship product and a distribution of the fund in the community.
OurCrowd
This crowdfunding startup was created for investors that have their accreditation and are able to provide startups with venture capital funding. It sounds like a lot, but the reason this company was founded was to help startups and entrepreneurs gain their ground in the market. The founder of this company is Jonathan Medved, a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, angel investor.
Back in March 2016, OurCrowd platform raised more than $10 million from the United Overseas Bank of Singapore, and it had just one goal in mind, which was to increase and expand its presence in the Asian markets.
Tilt
This is another crowdfunding platform that enables people, groups, and communities to collect, fundraise and pool money online. The growth of this platform has been drastic in the last few years, and for three years now, it has continued to grow popular among college students and community organizers. In one review of the different crowdfunding platforms by Social Times, they concluded that the crowdfunding platform that was growing the fastest was Tilt. This means that this platform beat other crowdfunding platforms that are popular as well such as GoFundMe, Kickstarter and the rest. This is most likely due to the fact that it is the commonest of the crowdfunding platforms among college students. So, it tends to grow faster than the others.
Crowdcube
This is a reputable crowdfunding platform backed up by an award to show for it. It is also one of the leading investment platforms in the UK. This is coupled with the fact that is one of the establishment that has been in existence for the longest period among those providing different firms the opportunity to raise the funds that they need in the UK. It was built as an alternative to venture capital funding, banks, and angel investors. It is not used today as one of the go-to platforms for entrepreneurs and startups looking to raise capital from a crowdsourced fund.
This platform allows individuals to loan or invest in small businesses and startups and they’ll receive an annual return on equity.
Indiegogo
This crowdfunding platform was established in 2008, and in 12 years, it has risen as a global platform for people who needs others to help them raise funds for certain reasons. It is actually one of the first platforms to help people with crowdfunding before the influx of other sites and platforms.
Indiegogo is a platform where people can go to raise funds for their start-up business, ideas or for the sake of charity. At least fifteen million people visit this site every month, and the site helps to publicize people that have great ideas but are unable to raise the funds that they need to finance their dreams by themselves.
CircleUp
CircleUp is a platform that acts as a middleman between retail companies and customers that are innovative with investors that have been accredited. It basically connects those that need funds with those that have funds to invest. Businesses that are able to produce new consumer products are connected to people who are willing to invest in the business. They are also linked up with other companies that can become their potential distribution partners such as eBay, General Mills, and P&G. 128 different companies have raised as much as $145 million on this platform.
On this platform though, the businesses must have revenue that’s good enough (which is typically more than $500,000 per year) or at least must have other things to point to as potential for its success. Before the companies are accepted and allowed on the platform, they have to first go through an assessment by private equity investors. Once they have been assessed and cleared, they can then feature on the site. This company also starred on the squawk box of CNBC.
Seedrs
This is a crowdfunding platform that is based on equity and is currently one of the leading platforms in the world for people to invest in the business that they believe in. this platform is also under regulations by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) in the United Kingdom. It is, in fact, the earliest of all equity crowdfunding platforms to receive regulatory approval from the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority.
Conclusion
While they are much more crowdfunding platforms and startups in the financial ecosystem and the number continues to increase by the years, it is obvious that they have been a success thus far. Having helped numerous people with funds to start their businesses or for other important things in their lives, which also includes helping people in times of distress. In fact, there are some fintech crowdfunding sites that are dedicated to a charitable cause and helping the needy, with examples being US-based iDonate and Australian-based Chuffed.
