What is crowdinvesting and crowdsourcing? What are the features of investment crowdfunding? What are the largest Russian crowdfunding platforms where people raise money for personal needs?

Hello, dear readers! Denis Kuderin is with you!

If you are reading this article, it means that you either already know what crowdinvesting and crowdfunding are and want to get involved in these activities in practice, or you have no idea what these words mean and want to understand the unfamiliar terminology.

The new publication will help both. Today I will explain in detail what crowdinvesting and crowdfunding are, what they are used for, and how smart people increase their capital with their help.

At the end of the article you will find tips on how to protect yourself from scammers when engaging in practical crowdinvesting.

So, let's begin!

1. What is crowdinvesting and how does it differ from crowdfunding

Probably each of us has participated in at least one public financial project in our lives. At school, students and their parents chip in to renovate a classroom or purchase new technology for educational needs. IN apartment buildings people are collecting for the installation of doors with an intercom or the installation of an alarm system.

All these are examples of everyday, so to speak, “folk” crowdfunding. IN last years this practice came to new level, especially in foreign countries. People make films with money collected together, finance the release of music albums, create and support social movements with the money of enthusiasts. This is typical crowdfunding.

At the same time, money is not always invested in a project free of charge. If the overall project becomes commercially successful, why shouldn't investors receive profit from it in the form of dividends? In this case, crowdfunding turns into crowdinvesting.

Definitions will put everything in its place.

Crowdfunding(crowd - “crowd”, funding - “investment of funds”, English) - collective financing or direct cooperation of people who pool their resources to support projects, programs, organizations.

A variety of “folk” projects - crowdsourcing. This is the involvement of a wide range of people in solving certain problems in order to use their intellectual, creative and technical potential. The project is being implemented using modern information technologies(primarily the Internet).

Crowdinvesting– a method of alternative financing designed to attract capital to start-ups, commercial ventures, and existing enterprises.

The main tool for raising funds is specialized Internet platforms that act as intermediaries. Less often, companies raise finance directly. The crowdinvesting market is growing every year. The largest amount of money involved in this area comes from the United States. It was there that the first crowdinvesting platforms appeared in 2005.

Why is crowdinvesting needed when there are many other types of financing and investment? The main reason is that it allows everyone to participate in the project - even people with minimal financial resources.

Yes, there are business angels, there is the sale of shares in the form of shares, there are investment funds that work with private individuals. However, crowdinvesting is in many cases a more effective and simpler fundraising model. There is no need to pay interest, as in the case of bank loans, and if the project fails, no one will go to court.

IN developed countries have already assessed the positive impact of this practice on the economy. Therefore, amendments have been made to the legislation of a number of countries (USA, UK, Australia, Italy) to make the life of micro-investors easier.

The main task of crowdfunding and crowdinvesting is to collect the required amount. The more people are interested in the project, the greater its chances of success. The initiators of the fees are individuals, groups of people, companies, foundations.

The main difference between crowdinvesting and crowdfunding is that in the first case, participants receive what they English language is called “equity”, and is translated into Russian as “shares” or “parts”.

Something whole is divided into shares commensurate with investors’ contributions, and then multiplied by a certain coefficient. In the future, investors receive an appropriate profit from their part.

Pure crowdfunding is, in essence, a pre-order for development. The initiator tests the project, checking whether it will pay off or not. No income is guaranteed to the investor (backer, donor).

Gifts or prizes are possible, and in the future - priority access to products and services. Sometimes projects gradually develop into profitable ones, in other cases the development remains a development and does not bring any profit.

Examples

The well-known Skype project was initially conceived as a non-profit project, but as it developed, it began to bring tangible income to owners and investors. This happened thanks to additional options offered by the developers.

Financing the election campaign of former US President Barack Obama in 2008 is a typical example of crowdfunding. In the preliminary stage alone, organizers raised more than $270 million, with the vast majority of contributions coming from individuals.

The English film company Spanner Films raised more than a million pounds sterling for the filming of the documentary film “The Age of Fools” on environmental themes. Now, according to the terms of the project, each participant is paid a portion of the company’s profits (royalties) for 10 years from the date of the film’s release.

In Russia, crowdinvesting has not yet reached the level of development that it has in other countries. The reason for this is the legal subtleties of the process, as well as the traditional lack of public trust in mass public projects.

Which is not surprising: many Russians still remember the MMM pyramids and other scams that emptied the pockets of investors in economically unstable times.

The table clearly shows the pros and cons of crowdfunding and crowdinvesting:

2. What are the different crowdfunding models – TOP 5 main types

Projects are divided into 2 large groups - those that are designed for voluntary donations without expectation of reimbursement, and those that involve the return of funds in the form of dividends, privileges or any other remuneration.

There are also several crowdfunding models - schemes under which projects operate.

Type 1. All or nothing

Cash fees are transferred to the project initiators only if, after deadline a predetermined amount accumulates. If not, the money is returned to the donors.

Most online platforms work according to this scheme. In practice, this means that if you do not collect the required amount, you will receive nothing. But if you collect more, then all the money is at your disposal.

View 2. Leave everything collected

All funds, no matter how much they accumulate, excluding commission fees, are transferred to the initiators. It does not matter whether the goal is achieved or not. If there is not enough money to launch a project, then the creators (founders) are responsible for compensating the funds.

View 3. Reward

The collected funds act as a reward for the team ready to take on the project.

View 4. Free price deal

Investors themselves determine the cost of an already created product. For example, if money was collected to publish a book, backers independently calculate its price and allocate a limited amount of funds for this.

View 5. Charity

Such a project involves the free transfer of money for a predetermined purpose. Unlike charitable foundation, which acts as an intermediary and distributor of finances; the donors themselves manage the money.

You will find more information about investment mechanisms in the article “”.

3. In what form can you make a profit in crowdinvesting - 3 main forms

Now about what ways there are to make a profit for investors in certain projects.

In fact, there are more than 3, but we will look at the most common options.

Form 1. Royalty

Reward in the form of a portion of the profit that the financed project will bring. The royalty amount depends on the amount of the deposit. This form is practiced in the music industry (for example, the platform for young musicians SonicAngel), in the field of development computer games, making films.

The royalty principle is promising and very effective. The investor is motivated to receive income, and the investor’s element of involvement with the project is preserved.

Form 2.

The investor knows in advance when he will receive his funds back and what the percentage of profit will be. This form is the leader in terms of the amount of funds raised. The creator of the project has broader prospects than with bank loans, and the investor receives definite guarantees of return of funds.

The source of financing is exclusively the capital of individuals. Most foreign crowdinvesting platforms work exactly according to this scheme. Examples are the American platform Lending Club (annual income more than $1 billion), the British Funding Circle, and the German Smava.

Form 3. Participation in share capital

This form is considered the most advanced in the world of crowdinvesting. As a reward for the contribution, the investor receives a share of ownership, the right to receive dividends and votes on general meeting shareholders.

4. How to raise money through crowdfunding - 5 simple steps

The first thing you need to decide on is an original idea. Not abstract, but preferably thought out to the smallest detail. One that will seem promising to the investor and will force him to make a contribution immediately after reviewing it.

The further algorithm is presented in the form of a step-by-step guide.

Step 1. Choosing a platform for crowdfunding

There are plenty of resources online that provide access to everyone. Depending on the topic of the project, final goals and method of implementation, choose the most suitable platform. By default, the site should be functional, reliable and verified.

Step 2. Create an account on the site

The next step is registration and account creation.

Provide real data if you want investors to trust you.

Step 3. Preparing a project description

Each site has its own conditions for submitting an application. In some cases it is enough to indicate the goal, but more often it is necessary to describe in detail what the essence, originality and commercial attractiveness of the project are. It is advisable to indicate target audience and describe how investors’ money will be spent. Photos and videos will not be superfluous.

A real example of a project from the StartTrack site

The LOT Gold company buys 200-300 g batches of scrap gold from pawnshops, combines them into one large lot and sells them to scrap gold processing plants.

The gold scrap market in the Russian Federation is about 4 billion rubles per month, and the company plans to take a share of 10-15% of this market. To implement the project, about 250 million rubles are needed. working capital. The project is designed for serious investors with long-term plans.

Step 4. We indicate the required amount and time limit for collecting funds

The site allocates a limited time for fundraising. If you do not have time to collect the required amount of funds, the fate of the deposits depends on the crowdinvesting model operating on the sites. Most likely, the funds will simply be returned to the owners.

Step 5. We calculate the costs of gifts to investors and launch the project

Investors love gifts and prizes, so this item should be included in expenses in advance.

Have you thought through all the nuances, calculated all the articles? Launch the project and wait for investment. If your budget allows, launch a parallel PR campaign in the media.

Look for examples of other investment options in the articles “” and “”.

5. The largest Russian platforms for crowdfunding - an overview of the TOP 3 popular ones

To make it easier for readers to find a suitable site for a project or investment, the experts of our magazine selected the 3 most reliable resources and reviewed them.

Read, compare, choose.

1) StartTrack

With the help of StartTrack, investors find promising projects to invest money in, and startup creators and business owners attract finance to their endeavors. The slogan of the site is “Invest in a business that you understand.”

At the time of writing, about 1,500 investors have registered on the site and are ready to invest their money. The turnover of the site is approximately 5 investments daily. During its operation, the company raised more than 800 million rubles. The average rate for an investor is 23-26% per annum.

2) Mypio

Russian collective investment platform. Modern Internet platform effective interaction entrepreneurs and investors. The portal helps businessmen attract investments from all over Russia, and investors - to approach the investment process competently and thoughtfully.

The portal has introduced additional methods to protect clients:

• preliminary risk assessment;
• mandatory verification of the company’s financial documents;
• professional calculation of profitability;
• the ability to transfer funds to the author of the project in stages.

Convenient tools have been created for founders to present a project, post a video, or conduct an online presentation for potential participants.

The authors of the resource call “Planet” the No. 1 crowdfunding platform in the Russian Federation. The portal helps people realize their most daring and original ideas. To date, more than 500 million rubles have been collected, more than 2.5 thousand successful projects have been implemented. Every third site project is successful. Categories of crowdfunding projects are “Music”, “Society”, “Cinema, Video”, “Literature”, “Business” and much more.

If you want to take part in the recording of Alice's new album or the filming of a documentary about racing drivers, act now.

6. How to avoid becoming a victim of scammers in crowdinvesting - 3 useful tips

As in all areas related to finance, there are many scammers in crowdinvesting who want to profit at the expense of ordinary investors. Trusted sites have their own mechanisms for verifying the integrity of participants, but investors themselves should take care of the safety of their funds.

Follow our useful tips, and the chances of saving money and making profits will increase significantly.

Collective financing of business ideas and social programs for domestic citizens is a relatively new experience. The first Russian crowdfunding sites appeared only in 2007. Initially, they covered highly specialized areas of investing in creative projects of musicians, writers, and directors.

One of the pioneers is the site Kroogi.com - a platform for providing creativity to Internet users in exchange for voluntary donations. It has a separate directory for crowdfunding, where you can raise funding for recording albums, filming films and video clips, as well as for charitable purposes.

Social services also gained significant weight among domestic platforms. Among them:

• Together.ru- a site founded by a community of readers of the dirty.ru blog. He is involved in fundraising for various social projects throughout the Russian Federation.
• Blagobox.ru- raises funds for the treatment of children with serious illnesses.

Experts consider the main problem of public financing in Russia to be low awareness of the mechanisms for its implementation, both among investors and among project authors. Thus, Russian crowdfunding sites note a strong shortage in the area of ​​creating innovative products. This is due to the fact that it can be difficult for inventors and developers to convey the essence of the project to a wide range of people, and therefore they choose direct cooperation with real business investors. To solve this issue, the Russian crowdfunding platform Boomstarter offered a free online course on the basics of collective investing, creating and promoting ideas.

The best Russian crowdfunding sites

The difficulties in developing mechanisms for public financing of ideas are also associated with the high level of distrust of domestic investors. This leads to the rapid closure of most platforms even in the initial stages of formation. So, if the rating of foreign services includes dozens of multidirectional services, then the most successful Russian sites crowdfunding for business are represented by a list of three leaders:

• Planeta.ru- one of the first domestic online platforms for crowdfunding. At the end of 2016, the platform had collected 565 million rubles, allowing the implementation of about 2.5 thousand ideas. Provides the opportunity to attract funding in 24 categories, including classic business startups, creative projects and social entrepreneurship. Payments are made if the full amount of the declared amount is collected, as well as with investments of more than 50% of the required capital, if the author of the idea is ready to fulfill obligations to sponsors. The service commission for commercial projects is 10-15%. Social programs are not subject to commission fees.
• Smipon.ru- Russian crowdfunding platform “One Thread from the World.” It provides an opportunity to receive funding for projects in 10 categories. The uniqueness of the site lies in strict manual verification at all stages, from the creation of an application to the execution of the idea. Only citizens of the Russian Federation can apply. Payment of the collected investments is carried out in an “all or nothing” format (only if the requested amount is reached). The site's commission fees range from 3.5% to 5%.
• Boomstarter.ru- covers 15 project categories, which include various directions arts, production of goods, publishing. As of 2016, the site was able to attract more than 326 million rubles and implement more than 1,300 projects. Receipt of collected funds is possible with a time limit (subject to the required amount being collected) or upon achieving target investments (for non-commercial purposes). Commission fees for projects that have received the required amount make up 5%.

Alternative crowdfunding services

In recent years, in support of crowdfunding in Russia, they have launched their own products largest internet Yandex and Mail.ru companies.

• Project “Together” from Yandex- a non-standard platform that allows you to create Internet pages requesting funding for various purposes, including personal needs (see Crowdfunding for personal needs and goals). Payments from investors are made immediately and have no restrictions on time or volume.
• Welcome Mail.Ru- service offers great amount charitable projects that anyone can finance. Fundraising is carried out until the required amount is received.

In addition to the main platforms, tracker sites (Thestartman.ru) aimed at investors are also appearing. Such services offer convenient viewing of all current crowdfunding projects in Russia, collected on various websites.

The main advantage of domestic sites is the opportunity to receive money even in the absence of the fact of collecting the full amount, and often without a time limit. This allows you to launch projects, providing newly attracted investors with real evidence efficient work public finance systems.

The main problem for the implementation of most projects is the lack of funding. Sometimes the creation of a business, art objects, gadgets and much more is forced to be postponed due to the reluctance of large enough investors to take risks and invest funds, or when they set conditions for cooperation that the organizer cannot agree to. Crowdfunding is one of the forms of receiving financial security to implement various ideas. In fact, it is a method in which funds are provided by a large number of people. Evaluate existing ones to increase the likelihood of successfully attracting investors.

The concept itself can be literally translated as “crowd financing.” As a rule, for the money invested, people are provided with a certain product or service, which will become the main source of profit for the organizer of the company after successful collection funds. Sometimes there are options that allow you to consider crowdfunding as gratuitous fees. Today, a huge number of platforms on the Internet have been created to interact with potential “investors from the people.” The Russian-speaking space was no exception.

Crowdfunding - Russian sites

Today in RuNet there are quite a large number of different crowdfunding portals, but below we will look at the largest and most popular today. Each of them has its own characteristics, including both advantages and disadvantages. However, the latter are determined by the goals facing the businessman. For example, many intend to open a business, but do not have the initial capital.

Advice: Don’t rush to start a project on the first site you come across. Evaluate which projects are successful on a particular crowdfunding platform and which are not. This will allow you to assess the interests of users. You need to find the most suitable site for fundraising, as well as evaluate the conditions, and only after that announce the start of the collection.

"A thread from the world"

The crowdfunding site “From the World by Thread” requires project organizers to have Russian citizenship. All initiators of fundraising must voice the key idea of ​​their project, as well as the specific amount of funds needed and the deadline within which the funds must be found.

The priority areas are social projects, joint acquisition of socially focused projects, as well as promising startups. Crowdfunding financing of projects that have not received prior approval from the administration is prohibited on the site. It is worth noting that the organizer is obliged to transfer part of the collected funds to the owners of the site. Specific amounts and percentages are determined by the agency agreement, which is concluded on an individual basis.

"Planet"

Among the first, it is worth mentioning the crowdfunding site “Planet”. To announce a fundraiser on this Russian portal, several requirements must be met. You must have a bank account, be 18 years of age or older, and the project itself must not violate the requirements of the site. This Russian crowdfunding site can be used to finance almost any creative project. At the same time, not a single commercial undertaking, like a political initiative, will find understanding with the administration. It is worth noting that moderation on this site is quite strict and scrupulous. Before launching the project, you will need to sign a special agreement with the person who will supervise it.

"Boomstarter"

Another crowdfunding platform where you can raise funds to implement a creative idea is Boomstarter. To start working with this Russian resource, you will need to provide the administration with documents to confirm your identity. The initiator of the fundraiser must be an adult citizen of Russia and also have a bank account opened in his own name.

Crowdfunding can be carried out for projects that are in one way or another related to issues of creativity. It is prohibited to collect funds to open a business, purchase various things for a specific person, or for charitable purposes. There is a rule on this site according to which the organizer of the collection can receive either all the funds (if the set goal for the amount of funds is achieved) or will receive nothing. Collection time is limited to 60 days.

"Thank you"

To open a crowdfunding project on the Russian site “Thankyou”, you need to have at your disposal unique content that can interest a wide audience. Users registered on the site can finance the organizer for any amount they deem necessary. It is important that copyright must belong to the owner of the project. Otherwise, the collection will not be initiated.

In addition to complying with legal regulations on content, it is necessary to sign a special contract, without which payment of funds to the author of the project will be impossible. In some cases, small projects may not be approved. It is worth noting that reducing the amount increases the chances of successful completion of a crowdfunding campaign, so in some cases it is reasonable to save on contracting specialists of various profiles. They can help with this. For various work on such sites you have to pay significantly less.

"Circles"

The administration of “Circles” strictly stipulates that any content that does not comply with the current legislation of the country is prohibited from posting. You cannot use content that is already available on the Internet and is therefore a duplicate. This imposes some restrictions on those who intend to receive funds from the implementation of their creative work. In particular, artists should remember that today in Russia there is no anti-piracy law that would allow a fine to be collected from persons who violate copyright for using images on the Internet. Those who plan to sell a material product will also not be able to use this platform.

"Rusini"

The Rusini fundraising platform allows you to organize fundraising for various commercial projects among users of the Russian segment of the Internet. Among the mandatory requirements for persons opening a crowdfunding project is the presence of a business plan.

The description must include detailed review market for a specific area of ​​business activity. All initiators of the fundraiser will have to inform the social media audience about the launch of the fundraiser. For this it will be useful to know. On this site you can collect finances for NPOs, various startups and business areas. The administration reserves the right to prohibit the publication of any project after consideration. It is worth noting that if fundraising is unsuccessful, this crowdfunding platform does not require the organizer to provide compensation to users, but the fulfillment of obligations to the project investors is strictly monitored.

Among the large number of projects, the number of successful Russian market relatively large. This is achieved through proper planning as well as limited crowdfunding fees. In RuNet, “popular financing” is only gaining popularity, so in the future the share of successful projects will inevitably decrease.

Aspiring businessmen and startups without capital have to look for money to launch a project. Searching for an investor takes time and effort, and the result may be zero. But we still hear about the great successes of newcomers in business. It turns out they can help ordinary people who are ready to take their word for it and give money. And this phenomenon is called crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding – modern model searching for funding among individuals who are ready to support their favorite project with money. Information is found on special websites – crowdfunding platforms. Unlike crowdsourcing, crowdfunding involves only raising funds, and not searching for volunteer help.

You want to publish a book or magazine, host a festival, or launch a new product, such as an inflatable sofa without a pump. It is unknown how long it will take to find funding. Crowdfunding allows you to receive money in just a few months. To do this, the authors of the projects describe in detail the idea, the costs of its implementation and set a goal - how much money they want to raise.

Whether you succeed depends on whether people trust you and see the value in the project. Crowdfunding has helped and continues to help small businesses and startups. Using “collective” funds, they conduct charitable events, develop free programs, record music and make films.

The interactive course of the online university Netology “Crowdfunding: how to get funding for your project” will help you decide on the choice of a site, properly design the project and develop a reward system.

Who's who in crowdfunding

The main characters of crowdfunding are the founder (the author of the project) and the sponsor (backer, or donor). Sponsors finance the project through the system, and the author receives funds for its implementation.

Before launching a fundraising campaign, the author calculates the costs in detail to determine the amount required. An important condition for crowdfunding is openness. People need to see how much money you need, how much you managed to raise and how much is still missing. The collected amount can only be spent on the purpose - there will be a demand from the author.

Crowdfunding fundraising models

• All or nothing: if the project does not reach the required amount by the appointed date, it receives nothing
• Leave everything: the author receives exactly the amount minus the commission that he managed to raise
• Remuneration: first the amount is collected, then a team is created to implement the project; she gets paid for her work
• Free-price deal: the author creates a product (for example, a book, an audio recording), and the sponsors themselves decide how much to pay for it
• Charity: free transfer of money

Global crowdfunding giants

The most famous crowdfunding platform is Kickstarter. It has been operating since 2009, and during this time it has attracted the attention of major American corporations, government agencies and venture funds. Here they select the most suitable projects for investment. This platform operates on an “all or nothing” model.

Kickstarter's main competitor is Indiegogo. This platform allows for a more flexible financing model, unlike the first one. It doesn’t matter what part of the declared amount was collected, all the money will go to the author. However, he may choose an “all or nothing” model instead of a flexible model. It will cost him less: the commission will be lower.

In 2015, Kickstarter raised $71.5 million, a global leader. And although there are no sites with similar turnover in Russia, two of the largest can be identified: Boomstarter and Planeta.

Crowdfunding platform "Boomstarter"

It is called the Russian analogue of Kickstrater. The site opened in 2012, and at first it offered fundraising only according to the “All or Nothing” model - before the deadline. In 2016, it became possible to collect money indefinitely - until the goal.

Each fundraising campaign is assigned a manager. It warns and corrects errors. The system commission is 10%, another 13% is income tax.

Boomstarter attracts creative, technical and other projects with a purpose. This site raises money for the creation of films, music, video games, books, software and not only. There are 13 categories in total: society, games, food, design, fashion, art, publishing, music, technology, theater, video, photography and choreography.

"Boomstarter" does not support charity or anything related to it. Authors raise money for clear goals - record a music album, publish a book, create a finished product or work of art.

• In 2013, Boomstarter managed to raise over 3 million rubles for the filming of the film “Panfilov’s 28,” although the authors asked for 300,000 rubles
• In November 2016, sponsors raised 1,429,220 rubles to reprint classic comics about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in book format (800,000 rubles were needed)
• In May 2016, 998 sponsors raised 3,890,140 rubles for a pocket sofa that can be inflated without a pump. The authors of the project asked for “only” 1 million

Since the opening of the site, 1,458 projects have managed to raise 309 million rubles. Projects in the categories of music, films, books, and computer games receive the greatest response.

Features of "Boomstarter"

— Fundraising

If we compare “Boomstarter” with another service - “Planet”, then it differs primarily in its fundraising model - “All or nothing”. The author had to collect the amount by a specific deadline. If less was collected, the site returned the money to sponsors. Later, the platform softened, and it became possible to raise funds indefinitely - until the desired goal is achieved. “Planet” gives away the money if the amount is collected at least half (50%).

Author contribution. If the author of the project found part of the money outside the crowdfunding platform, then “Boomstarter” allows him to make an “author’s contribution” with this amount. These funds are counted towards the general fund, but are not paid upon successful completion of the campaign. There is no such opportunity on Planet. You can withdraw the amount if it reaches 50% of the target.

Personal manager. “Boomstarter” assigns a manager to each project. You can keep in touch with him by phone. In “Planet” communication is only by e-mail, and this is slower.

Online training. “Boomstarter” quickly teaches you how to launch projects in an online school at any time. “Planet” conducts classes only once every 3 months, and you must attend them in person.

Refund. Boomstarter charges a commission from sponsors when returning money from unsuccessful projects. "Planet" returns the funds in full.

Crowdfunding platform "Planet"

“Planet” appeared on the RuNet among the first crowdfunding platforms in 2012. Initially, the creators of the site had the idea to create a service that would help fight piracy in music - by pre-ordering albums.

In 2011, the service opened in test mode. The first project was to raise funds for the recording of a studio album by the group “BI-2” (the co-founder of the platform, Max Lakmus, serves as its bass player). We managed to collect 1,250,000 rubles for the recording. Behind it successful project others followed - also from the field of music. Later other categories joined and the service expanded.

Gradually, Planet grew into an online broadcasting service and an online store and began producing content itself.

Money is collected according to the “All or nothing” model, but there is an advantageous condition - you need to collect at least 50%. The system will take a commission of 10% of half of the amount set as a goal, and will return the remaining money with a commission of 15%.

When the fundraising deadline expires and 50% of the desired amount has been accumulated, the platform offers the choice of either withdrawing the money (with different commissions) or extending the campaign for the same period as initially (180 days).

Main directions of projects

The first project of “Planet” was to raise funds for recording music, so the creative categories receive the maximum response. Here they help find money to release an album, make a film, organize a festival.

Successful fundraising cases

• The “Planet” record holder for fundraising was the “Three Melodies” cartoon project. The author set a goal of collecting 2,200,000 rubles and exceeded it by another 50 thousand rubles
• The BI-2 group collected 1,262,250 rubles for the recording of the Spirit album, 1,023,100 rubles for the recording of another album - “16+”, as well as 1,073,460 for the concert edition (DVD + CD)
• In the events sector, a project to stage a musical based on the songs of the Aquarium group stood out. 1 million rubles were required, but we managed to collect 1,147,997 rubles

The official website of Planeta states that as of May 2017, 638,550,369 rubles were collected through 2,790 projects (according to statistics, every third project managed to achieve its goal).

Features of "Planet"

“Boomstarter” attracted an audience more interested in business ideas and technology, while “Planet” attracted an audience more interested in creativity and charity.

“Planet” is raising funds famous people, they are loved and known, so they are more willing to give money. In the shadow of the stars, it can be difficult for average creators to engage an audience. Boomstarter has a reputation as a platform for beginners, so there is a greater chance of success without such strong competition from celebrities

How to choose a crowdfunding platform for your project

Comparison table between Boomstarter and Planeta.ru

When choosing a crowdfunding platform, focus on its “specialization”. Business projects, the development of new technologies and products may find greater response at Boomstarter. “Planet” attracts more creative and social projects.

If you have never raised funds on such platforms, then at Boomstarter you will be trained online and assigned a manager-curator to the project. At Planet you will have to study “live” - attend classes in person. If you don’t live in Moscow, then this is inconvenient.

Pay attention to the amount of funds raised. Both “Boomstarter” and “Planet” show good results. This means they are working to improve the service and make the collection process more efficient.

Video: how to describe a project on a crowdfunding site

Crowdfunding can help you

If the idea for a startup or creative project can really be useful, it will be easier to get money. People will be interested and will collect them for you. The task of the author and aspiring businessman is to convince them of success. Crowdfunding platforms will help with this.

If you have anything to add on the topic, don't hesitate. Leave comments!

Today, a popular method for financing and implementing your ideas is crowdfunding. In this article we will look at the best Russian platforms for crowdfunding.

The term "crowdfunding" appeared in 2006 and means attracting financial resources from large quantity of people.

The goals of crowdfunding are:
• sale of a service or product;
• hosting an event;
• helping those in need;
• support for legal entities and individuals.

How it works

The scheme of work is quite simple: some people put forward various ideas and ways to implement them, while others make their financial contribution to these endeavors. Investors usually receive various bonuses, for example, a percentage of future profits as a result of the project.

Watch the video about the nuances of crowdfunding and the general scheme of work:

What is the price

In this way you can collect quite impressive amounts.

For example, with the help of crowdfunding sites around the world, the following has been collected:
• in the field of entrepreneurship - $6.7 billion,
• V social spheres e - $3.6 billion,
• for the needs of cinema and theater - $1.97 billion,
• in real estate - $1.01 billion,
• in the recording industry - $0.74 billion.

According to Wikipedia, the first case of crowdfunding was recorded in 1997, when fans of the British band Marillion raised about $60,000 to finance the band's US tour.

There are 3 main types of crowdfunding:

Most popular destinations

Crowdfunding in Russia is represented by the following popular areas:
• "All or nothing": if the financial goal is achieved, the author of the project receives money. If the goal is not achieved, all funds are returned to investors.
• “Leave everything collected”: Regardless of whether the goal is achieved, the startup author receives all funds raised, excluding commission.
• "Reward": the collected amount is received by a team that is ready to take on the project.
• "Deal with free price": usually the product is exhibited creative activity, and investors set their own price.
• Charity.

Before moving on to a review of the best platforms for crowdfunding in Russia, let’s consider its basic rules and patterns.

Basic Rules

In order to attract potential investors, you need to adhere to certain rules developed empirically:
• Make a plan. It should clearly indicate the path to implementation of the project.
• Be convincing, because you are asking complete strangers for help.
• Choose the platform that best suits your goals.
• Offer gratitude for assistance provided. This could be providing investors with the final product of the campaign or some kind of souvenir.
• Attract promoters. The most difficult task is to tell as many people as possible about your campaign. This is where the help of relatives, friends, and people who have invested in this startup comes in handy.
• Learn from successful startups.
• Look professional.

Russian crowdfunding platforms

We present to your attention an overview of crowdfunding platforms in Russia.

Boomstarter.ru

The Boomstarter platform began its work on August 21, 20012. Its founders are Evgeny Gavrilin and Ruslan Tugushev. This site does not provide dividends to investors in the form of finance or shares in the business.

In order to place your project on this platform, you must:
• register on boomstarter.ru;
• complete the project using the online designer;
• indicate the type of remuneration for sponsorship;
• send the project for moderation;
• After successful completion of moderation, launch the project.

Boomstarter is considered the Russian analogue of Kickstarter. The second activity of this platform is crowdgifting: on the site you can choose a gift for yourself or loved ones, and sponsors can contribute money to purchase this gift.

The Boomstarter platform takes a reward in the form of interest in case of successful fundraising for a particular startup.

Planeta.ru

The next platform for crowdfunding in RuNet is Planeta Ru. The secondary services of this site are broadcasts of concerts, shopping in stores, and various news. A citizen of any country who has reached the age of majority can launch a project on this site. The Planet service does not finance commercial programs or political activities.

About the features of creating a project using the Planeta Ru platform, watch the video:

The resource commission is 5% of the collected amount, but if the project attracted 50–99% of the required investments, then a commission of 10% is charged. Also, 5% is transferred to payment systems. There is no charge for charitable initiatives.

The main condition of the platform is that the project cannot be simultaneously launched on any other similar resource.

One of the advantages of the Planet platform is the possibility of extending the fundraising period for the project, which is provided one-time.

Kroogi

The Kroogi project was founded by Miroslav Sarbaev in 2007. This is the oldest of the largest Russian crowdfunding platforms. A special feature of this platform is crowdfunding in the creative field. It hosts music, videos, books and distributes it on a pay-what-you-can basis. There is also a section directly related to crowdfunding, where funds are collected for the implementation of creative ideas and projects.

At the beginning of its activity, the Kroogi platform did not charge any financial reward, but over time a flat commission of 15% was established.

ThankYou is a platform similar to the Kroogi service, which hosts musical and literary works. Opened in 2010. Users can download any site content for free or pay any amount for it at their discretion. Cash are paid on the basis of a contract that any author who posts his work must conclude.

Together

The Tugeza platform was created to finance charitable and social spheres. The site started on August 7, 2010. The site can be used for crowdfunding for personal needs, that is, with the help of people, to find, for example, some thing.

The working mechanism is as follows: first in in social networks information is collected about who needs what kind of help. Then a message about the action is posted on the Tugeza website. It must be indicated in what time frame it is necessary to raise funds, to whom and for what they will be used.

At the moment, the site has frozen its functions as a crowdfunding resource.

Naparapet

The Naparapet platform was created for the implementation of art projects in 2011. But at the moment it is not developing as a crowdfunding project.

StartTrack

The StartTrack platform was created with the support of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund in 2013. Medium and small business projects are hosted here. StartTrack became the first crowdfunding platform to receive over 90 million rubles as investments during its creation.

The work flow is as follows:
• The platform hosts a project of a running business.
• Information must be updated every 2 weeks (important business indicators and income must be indicated).
• The fundamental operating principle: the main investor attracts co-investors and together they form an investment syndicate.
• Investor participants are offered a share in completed projects.
• Investors must be accredited.
• Investors can make proposals for adjusting the project in the direction of increasing investment expectations.

For a review of the StartTrack company, watch the video:

CrowdPress

CrowdPress is designed as a platform for creative projects. Today it is a dead resource.

"My teacher"

This platform differs from other crowdfunding sites in Russia in that it was intended to provide assistance to the initiatives and ideas of teachers. Despite the unique idea, this site ceased functioning.

"A thread from the world"

“From the World by Thread” is also a platform for crowdfunding, its official website is smipon.ru, the project was launched in 2010. Uniqueness of this resource the fact that both charitable and social initiatives, as well as technical or creative ones, can find a response there. Bonus opportunity - extension of the campaign period by 25% of the initially stated period if 70% of the required funds are collected.

“Rusini” (official website - rusini.org) was the first platform for socially oriented crowdfunding. Founded on April 10, 2010. To publish a project, you must have a clear business plan.

All posted initiatives are divided into groups:
• environment;
• aged people;
• children;
• animals;
• social business;
• Culture and art.

The special feature is that anyone can post information about their initiatives.

At the moment, this crowdfunding platform has suspended its operation in Russia.

"Startman"

The website of the Startman platform is distinguished by its laconic interface and convenient division into areas (for example, design, sports, society, technology and others). The site was created on March 12, 2012.

"Startium"

The Startium platform was launched on October 14, 2014 and specializes in supporting startups related to new technologies and IT. A special feature is the ability to vote for projects.

Is crowdfunding right for my startup?

In order to have a successful outcome of your campaign, before launching it you need to soberly assess its feasibility and chances of success. With the right approach, crowdfunding is suitable for almost any startup. But for this you need to have a detailed business plan, be socially active and expand your contacts. And the main thing is to be ready to take everything into your own hands.

Now you know what fundraising for projects is called, and you can find the most suitable platform for your ideas.