Guide to 4 Top Crowdfunding Agencies

Preface: Keys to Differentiating Crowdfunding and Initial Coin or Security Offerings (a la Blockchain)

While industry pros can easily tell you that not all crowdfunding campaigns are ICOs or STOs yet all ICOs and STOs are crowdfunding campaigns, it might be tougher for an executive or young company entering the field to understand the difference. While engagement marketing is still paramount in any of these adventures, it’s important to notice that raising funds in a crowdfund (a la GoFundMe) has been an ages-old method for getting capital long before ICOs and STOs (a la Blockchain) became an option.

What this really means is that there are precedents and applicable law surrounding crowdfunding while crypto’s ICOs and STOs are surrounded by an enigma when it comes to regulation, and certain countries have higher or less easy-to-understand approaches to crypto crowdfunding — including outright resistance.

As a further note, there’s a key difference among the three — crowdfunding, ICO and STO — that’s worth mentioning. Whether or not an investor or contributor owns a share or stake in the company, as is true with traditional investments, allows the investor certain rights and obligations — like accountability for profitability — that being a contributor in an ICO doesn’t allow you, since under that legal umbrella you’re just giving your funds out of the kindness of your heart. This difference may be a make-or-break consideration for you when you consider the projects or platforms you’re looking to support, and is key to understand before you risk any of your portfolio. On that note, an STO (or Security Token Offering) does give you a legal stake in the organization — which is why they’re going to be the real winners in 2019 and beyond.

In 2012, years before the ICO craze, crowdfunding was reported to raise $2.7 billion dollars. As Forbes described it, this new floodgate of micro-investments allowed people to now invest in both ‘profit and purpose.’ What this means for the everyman is that you can now back those projects that you think will net a return — as is traditional in investing — but you can also give funds to those causes that are raising funds for those areas of interest you have.

A Pitch to Consider: CrowdCreate

Not only is CrowdCreate a go-to name in the crowdfunding arena, they’re also actively pushing content that attracts attention specifically surrounding crowdfunding outside of crypto. While they’re predominantly an agency that fits more well into the ICO and STO marketing category, their recent advances and newer clientele sometimes hail from the broader crowdfunding category.

CrowdCreate is a one-stop shop for marketing, brand, strategy, engagement and social media automation and moderation. They can help you create and celebrate a winning platform and help tweak your value proposition to be one that works in the crowdfunding arena — because the crowd itself has very specific requirements for a product or service they’ll back, and it’s not always logical!

These folks have helped raise more than $100mm in investments and contributions, and they have dozens of raving testimonials from happy clients that would recommend them to friends, colleagues and family — taking on the internet by storm!

It’s worth noting that they interface well with some of the names on this list, even offering packages to organically grow IndieGogo or Kickstarter.

Top 1: MicroVentures

MicroVentures has many ways to add value to your crowdfunding campaign. Their platform allows you to easily add KYC and AML compliance to your sale, and attract their existing list of accredited investors to warrant their investments. Like CrowdCreate, they’re also skilled at and embracing the ICO/STO revolution, although they’re more targeted towards the traditional startup market.

Their platform allows you to collect bonuses, discounts, and other perks from investing in early-stage startups — and even allows you to position yourself as a silent partner or someone who’s interested in a more active or vocal part of the organization you’re supporting. Altogether, their site and supporting mediums allow you to fully control your experience with investing in these promising opportunities.

Top 2: KickStarter

KickStarter is probably the most well-known name in the business crowdfunding arena at home and at the kitchen table. They’ve been in the business of helping businesses secure micro-investments across geographies and demographics for a long time. They have an entire web-based kit and onboarding process to help you define your pitch, your mission and vision, and your value proposition in such a way that potential investors can learn and become supporters.

They cater to specific categories of innovation, and might be a more suitable bet for you and your platform should you be able to claim entry based on one of these categories. They’re well-positioned in the market as one of the most reputable names delivering the early startup investment experience to the masses and allowing nearly anyone to benefit from backing these kinds of opportunities.

Top 3: IndieGogo

IndieGogo is another industry favorite and startup-friendly crowdfunding platform, although they’re more tailored to actual products vs the broader mandate of some organizations. They allow you to pitch your product, raise funds, and give certain benefits to early or larger backers — I’m sure we’ve all seen one or more novel pieces of tech or fashion featured here that has sparked our interest!

Because they’re focused on products, they can tailor an experience that surrounds not only potential returns from owning a stake in an organization. This means that some of their biggest segment or subsection of users are people actually interested in purchasing the product after it goes live, which adds a whole other opportunity for market penetration for the companies listing their opportunities on their platform.

Top 4: Angel List

Angel.co is usually thought of as a centralized board for companies to post and receive applications for startup opportunities worldwide — or local to you — but Angel is also a go-to location for these startups to crowdfund capital. You can post a profile, post what you’ve successfully raised or are hoping to raise, and interface with potential investors to see if they’re after their own piece of your own disruptive or otherwise attractive pie!

Angel.co is one of the single biggest repositories of knowledge surrounding the health of early-stage startups, with metrics like job openings, market, supporting websites and other information, employee count and funding stage — where people can compare the perceived health of potential investments.

Conclusion

Whether or not you’re looking to invest or whether or not you’re looking to raise capital through crowdfunding, the above platforms should give you the insight and ability to achieve your goals. Their experience, dedication and abilities are among the best available for people wearing many hats, and any one of them is worth consideration for your next investment or crowdfunding campaign!

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