The “crowd funding” craze hit the Internet with a splash a few years ago as a way of harnessing social media to raise money for causes or projects that strike an emotional chord with donors. In New York, sites such as Kickstarter and RocketHub provide a platform for the likes of inventors, independent filmmakers and young fashion designers to get their creations off the ground.
Donors get a nominal payback, such as an early version of a product or a mention in the credits of a film, in addition, of course, to the feel-good perk of helping someone pursue a dream. And the idea has caught fire with dozens of sites exploiting the trend in the U.S. and abroad. Three-year-old Kickstarter says that a million people have backed projects on its platform, donating some $84 million for 13,000 projects.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Could startups crowdsource equity investments? | Crain's New York Business
