像Kickstarter这样的众包网站越来越受欢迎,因为人们一直在寻找下一个最好的东西。您的商业理念(business idea)可能正是某人多年来一直梦寐以求的。无论您是从事游戏开发(game development)还是设计下一代智能手表,您都可以通过众包网站找到人来投资您的想法。
如果您有一个您相信但无法自己资助的商业理念,那么(business idea)众包网站(crowdsourcing site)是最好的解决方案。然而,并非所有这些社区都拥有足够大的社区,其中一些还施加了许多限制。在本文中,您将了解哪个众包网站(crowdsourcing site)最适合为您的项目提供资金并将您的商业理念(business idea)变为现实。
1.众筹(Kickstarter)
您可能听说过Kickstarter,因为它是第一批成功的众包平台之一。在数百万支持者的帮助下,该网站帮助启动了超过 210,000 个项目。(more than 210,000 projects)它是目前最大、最多样化的筹款平台之一。只需(Simply)接触数百万潜在投资者,Kickstarter(Kickstarter one)就成为首选之一。
Kickstarter活动设置有奖励系统(reward system)。首先(First),您向您的支持者提供各种激励措施,以换取他们的经济支持。您可以创建从个人感谢到 T 恤甚至独家物品的奖励等级。例如,作者可能会提供独特的奖励,即以支持者的名字命名他们书中的一个角色,以进行重大投资。
也就是说,Kickstarter是一种孤注一掷的交易。你需要设定一个目标并实现它;否则,您将无法访问您的资金。如果您未能达到筹款目标(fundraising goal),您的支持者会拿回他们的钱。确保(Make)您尽早开始建立网络,以从追随者和粉丝的核心开始。
如果您的商业理念(business idea)涉及任何类型的内容创建,Patreon可能是您的完美众包网站(crowdsourcing site)。Patreon是独一无二的,因为它专注于创作者。这是视觉艺术家、作家、YouTuber 和音乐家获得粉丝众筹的地方。
与Kickstarter等其他众包网站不同,您无需等待筹款活动(funding campaign)结束即可使用您的资金。相反,您的顾客可以按月支付订阅费用以换取某些福利或服务,或者他们为每次创作付费。例如,如果您是作家,赞助人可以按月付费,以便您逐章阅读您的作品。(work chapter)您还可以通过设置不同的支付等级来提供独家内容、品牌商品和其他奖励。
Indiegogo因其众筹系统和受欢迎程度(crowdfunding system and popularity)而经常与Kickstarter相提并论。当您第一次看到它时,它可能看起来像Kickstarter的不同名称,但它带有一些独特的选项。此外,如果您有足够的时间,您可以在两个平台上设置众筹活动。(crowdfunding campaign)
Indiegogo可让您以既定目标开始(set goal)筹款活动(fundraising campaign)。这意味着您需要在截止日期前达到该目标,然后才能获得资金。听起来很熟悉?使Indiegogo 与众不同(Indiegogo apart)的是灵活的资金选择(funding option)。您可以设置灵活的资金目标(funding goal),而不是孤注一掷的目标。
如果您知道即使您没有筹集到目标设定的资金量,您也可以交付您的产品或服务,灵活的选项是理想的选择。(product or service)相反,您只需将资金用作您的财务来源之一。
此外,即使在活动结束后,您也可以继续筹集资金。如果您的业务经历了不同的阶段,例如设计、测试和最终生产,这将非常有用。
4.人群供应(Crowd Supply)
在无形应用程序的世界中,很高兴看到一个专门用于硬件的众筹网站。这正是Crowd Supply的意义所在。它有助于资助由于软件开发热潮(software development craze)而经常被忽视的硬件(fund hardware)项目。
如果您是一名设计师或工程师,正在寻找资金来创建有用的产品,如激光雷达相机(LiDAR camera)、创新键盘或机器人专用主板,那么Crowd Supply是最佳去处。选择这样一个专注的平台更容易从人群中脱颖而出,因为每个人都对硬件感兴趣,而不是(hardware and nothing)别的。
也就是说,启动您的广告系列比在其他平台上更具挑战性。Crowd Supply需要创新和有用的产品。您还需要首先有一个可以工作的原型来展示给Crowd Supply 活动(Crowd Supply campaign)经理。根据您如何回答他们的任何问题,他们将确定该项目是否适合该平台。
5.资金充足(Fundable)
Fundable是一个众包网站,可帮助企业家将他们的想法转化为新业务。目前,只有美国初创公司可以申请,所以如果您不是来自美国,您应该尝试我们的其他建议之一。
Fundable 提供两种筹款选择。您可以通过出售您的产品或服务或向投资者提供您公司的股票来筹集资金。Fundable 建议希望筹集不到 50,000 美元资金的初创公司使用第一种选择,以及获得更多资金的股权选择(equity option)。
Fundable类似于传统的筹款途径。您需要向潜在投资者展示商业计划(business plan)、稳健增长的跟踪记录(track record),并准备好您可以召集的最佳推介。不利的一面是,当您仅在其他众包网站上筹集资金后才支付费用时,您需要每月支付 179 美元才能开始活动。
6.种子投资(SeedInvest)
SeedInvest类似于 Fundable,因为它是一个股权众包网站。您的支持者是想要购买您的公司并拥有股票的投资者。他们不仅仅是粉丝或支持者。他们将拥有您公司的一部分。因此,在花时间(spending time)设置您的广告系列之前,请仔细考虑这意味着什么。
自 2012 年以来, SeedInvest(SeedInvest)一直通过建立一个由超过 50 万投资者组成的网络来帮助初创企业。您会发现普通人和合格的投资者希望为下一个革命性业务(revolutionary business)提供资金。您需要提交申请,通过筛选过程(screening process),如果被接受,您可以启动您的活动。
请注意,大多数获得资金的公司都是科技和电子商务企业。如果您的产品或服务不(product or service doesn)属于(t fall)这些类别,您应该将精力集中在其他众包网站上。
7.万能事业(Mightycause)
您(Are)是否正在尝试创建一个试图解决世界上无数问题之一的非营利组织?Mightycause可能是您最好的筹款平台(fundraising platform)。
这个众包网站(crowdsourcing site)易于使用,您无需达到任何目标即可解锁您筹集的资金。即使您没有达到目标,您也可以保留从捐赠者那里收到的资金。另一个优点是您无需经过繁琐的筛选过程(screening process)。只需(Simply)启动您的非营利筹款活动并努力(fundraising campaign and work)实现您的目标。
在开始之前,请记住Mightycause每年收取 59 美元/月的费用。
(GoFundMe)由于其简单性和灵活性, (simplicity and flexibility)GoFundMe是最大的众包网站之一。任何人都可以发起活动来筹集资金。它的主要目的是帮助个人,但小企业也可以从中受益。
顾名思义,GoFundMe不适用于商业项目,但对于本地企业来说,它是一个不错的选择,可以向周围的社区寻求支持。如果您有一个庞大的个人网络,您可以使用GoFundMe向您的联系人寻求支持。
资助您的下一个大项目!
众包为许多从车库起步并发展到拥有数百名员工的公司提供了发言权。现在,技术创新者有机会向公众展示他们的原型并获得他们应得的成功。
无法保证您会获得商业创意(business idea)所需的所有资金,但众包网站可以成为您众多财务来源之一。
8 Best Crowdsourcing Sites to Fund Your Business Idea in 2022
Crowdsourcing sites like Kickstarter are becoming more and more popular because people are constantly searching for the next best thing. Your business idea might be exactly what someone has been dreaming of for years. Whether you’re into game development or designing the next-generation smartwatch, you can find someone to invest in your ideas through crowdsourcing sites.
If you have a business idea that you believe in but can’t fund on your own, a crowdsourcing site is the best solution. However, not all of them have large enough communities, and some of them impose many restrictions. In this article, you’re going to find out which crowdsourcing site is the best to fund your project and bring your business idea to life.
You’ve probably heard of Kickstarter because it’s one of the first successful crowdsourcing platforms that came to life. This site helped kickstart more than 210,000 projects with the help of millions of backers. It’s one of the biggest and most diverse fundraising platforms out there. Simply having access to millions of potential investors makes Kickstarter one of the top choices.
Kickstarter campaigns are set up with a reward system. First, you offer your backers various incentives in exchange for their financial support. You can create tiers of rewards that range from a personal thank you to a t-shirt and even exclusive items. For example, an author might offer the unique reward of naming a character in their book after the backer for a serious investment.
That said, Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing kind of deal. You need to set a goal and reach it; otherwise, you can’t access your funds. If you fail to reach the fundraising goal, your backers get their money back. Make sure you start networking early on to start with a core of followers and fans.
If your business idea involves any kind of content creation, Patreon might be the perfect crowdsourcing site for you. Patreon is unique because it focuses on creators. This is where visual artists, writers, YouTubers, and musicians come to be crowdfunded by their fans.
Unlike other crowdsourcing sites like Kickstarter, you don’t have to wait for the end of the funding campaign to access your funds. Instead, your patrons can pay a monthly subscription in exchange for certain benefits or services, or they pay per creation. For example, if you’re a writer, a patron could pay monthly to read your work chapter by chapter as it progresses. You can also offer exclusive content, branded goods, and other rewards by setting different payment tiers.
Indiegogo is often compared to Kickstarter because of its crowdfunding system and popularity. When you first look at it, it might look like Kickstarter under a different name, but it comes with a few unique options. Besides, if you have enough time, you can set up a crowdfunding campaign on both platforms.
Indiegogo lets you start a fundraising campaign with a set goal. This means you need to reach that goal by its deadline before you can access the funds. Sounds familiar? What sets Indiegogo apart is the flexible funding option. You can set up a flexible funding goal instead of an all-or-nothing goal.
The flexible option is ideal when you know you can deliver your product or service even if you don’t raise your goal’s set amount of funds. Instead, you simply use the funds as one of your financial sources.
In addition, you can keep raising capital even after the end of the campaign. This is useful if your business goes through different stages, such as design, testing, and final production.
In a world of intangible apps, it’s nice to see a crowdfunding site dedicated to hardware. That’s exactly what Crowd Supply is. It helps fund hardware projects that are often overlooked because of the software development craze.
If you’re a designer or an engineer looking for funds to create a useful product like a LiDAR camera, an innovative keyboard, or a special motherboard for robots, Crowd Supply is the best place to go. Opting for such a focused platform makes it easier to stand out from the crowd because everyone is interested in hardware and nothing else.
That said, launching your campaign is a bit more challenging than on other platforms. Crowd Supply asks for innovative and useful products. You also need first to have a working prototype to present to the Crowd Supply campaign manager. Based on how you answer any of their questions, they will determine whether the project fits the platform.
Fundable is a crowdsourcing site that helps entrepreneurs turn their ideas into new businesses. At the moment, only US startups can apply, so if you’re not from the US, you should try one of our other recommendations.
Fundable offers two fundraising options. You can raise funds by selling your products or services or by offering stock shares in your company to investors. Fundable recommends the first option for startups that are looking to raise less than $50,000 and the equity option for more capital.
Fundable is similar to the traditional route of fundraising. You need to show potential investors a business plan, a track record of solid growth and prepare the best pitch you can muster. The downside is that you’ll need to pay $179/month to start the campaign when you pay a fee only after raising the funds on other crowdsourcing sites.
SeedInvest is similar to Fundable in the sense that it’s an equity crowdsourcing site. Your backers are investors who want to buy into your company and own stock. They’re not just fans or supporters. They will own a piece of your company. So think carefully about what that means before spending time on setting up your campaign.
SeedInvest has been helping startups since 2012 by building a network of more than half a million investors. You’ll find regular people as well as accredited investors looking to fund the next revolutionary business. You’ll need to file an application, go through a screening process, and if accepted, you can launch your campaign.
Take note that most of the companies that receive funding are tech and eCommerce businesses. If your product or service doesn’t fall in these categories, you should focus your energy on other crowdsourcing sites.
Are you trying to start a nonprofit organization that’s trying to solve one of the world’s countless problems? Mightycause might be the best fundraising platform for you.
This crowdsourcing site is easy to use and you don’t need to reach any goals to unlock the funds you raise. Even if you don’t meet your goal, you can keep the funds you received from donors. Another advantage is that you don’t need to go through an exhausting screening process. Simply launch your nonprofit fundraising campaign and work to achieve your goals.
Before you get started, keep in mind that Mightycause charges a $59/month fee paid annually.
GoFundMe is one of the largest sites for crowdsourcing, thanks to its simplicity and flexibility. Anyone can set up a campaign to raise funds. It’s primarily aimed towards helping individuals, but small businesses can also benefit.
As the name suggests, GoFundMe isn’t for commercial projects, but it’s a good option for a local business to request support from the community around it. If you have a large personal network, you can use GoFundMe to ask your connections for support.
Fund Your Next Big Project!
Crowdsourcing gave a voice to many companies that started from a garage and grew to have hundreds of employees. Now, tech innovators have the chance to show their prototypes to the public and earn the success they deserve.
There’s no guarantee you’ll get all the funding you need for your business idea, but crowdsourcing sites can be one of your many financial streams.