Equity Crowdfunding Sites for Investors & Entrepreneurs

 AngelList

Founded in 2010, AngelList is one of the oldest and most established equity crowdfunding platforms. It was originally conceived to broker connections between cash-strapped technology entrepreneurs and angel investors – high-net-worth, tech-savvy funders, many of whom earned their fortunes by selling out of their own successful startups.

CircleUp

CircleUp connects investors with consumer-facing startups, mostly in the technology, fitness, and food and beverage sectors. Most companies have at least $1 million in revenue, and all “have a tangible product or retail outlet that you can touch, taste, use, or visit.” CircleUp’s machine learning engine, Helio, evaluates more than 1 million companies on billions of individual data points to pick the most promising startups from the pack.

Fundable

Fundable offers rewards-based crowdfunding, a la Kickstarter, as well as equity crowdfunding. For companies interested in equity crowdfunding, Fundable provides hands-on help with onsite profile building, pitch construction, and even business plan development. Now operating under the aegis of TheStartups.co, whose portfolio businesses include virtual assistant platform Zirtual, its wheelhouse is software, hardware, and consumer products startups.

Crowdfunder

Though it doesn’t formally restrict admission, Crowdfunder‘s listed companies and funds skew heavily toward innovative consumer products, consumables, and social/nontraditional niches (such as green energy startups and African real estate funds).

As with Fundable, investors make nonbinding funding pledges (“reservations”) through the Crowdfunder platform, but the actual funding transaction takes place off-site. Transactions don’t typically close until listed companies reach their investment target. Crowdfunder doesn’t explicitly set out an investment minimum, but it’s rare to find offerings with minimums lower than $1,000.

EquityNet

Founded in 2005, EquityNet bills itself as the “original equity crowdfunding site” and claims to hold the only patent for the concept. Its listed entity mix is similar to Crowdfunder, with emphasis on consumer products and social enterprises. EquityNet also appears to attract single-asset projects, such as assisted-living facilities and medical clinics, as opposed to product-based startups or multi-asset funds. High-tech B2B concepts – enterprise-grade SaaS security solutions, next-generation lithium-ion batteries, “smart” glass coatings – proliferate here too.

Wefunder

Wefunder‘s co-founders were heavily involved in the debate over the JOBS Act and claim some credit for the crowdfunding-friendly measures that made it into the final legislation. Whereas most competitors require investors to put up at least $1,000 per company or fund, Wefunder offerings’ minimum investment thresholds can be as low as $100 – though many offerings require at least $500 or $1,000. Listed offerings range from funds invested in 10 to 15 early-stage companies to individual startups in the biotech, green energy, insurance, logistics, retail, and packaged food segments.

https://www.moneycrashers.com/equity-crowdfunding-sites-investors-entrepreneurs/