MassVenture’s First Texas Equity Crowdfunding Investment Opportunity Now Available to Everyone in Texas

Located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the first equity crowdfunding deal will allow any Texan to invest in a multi-million dollar real estate project for as little as $500

 By Robert Hoskins

Cedar Hill, Texas – San Antonio-based technology start-up MassVenture, Texas’ first approved investment crowdfunding portal, launched the state’s first ever Texas investment crowdfunding project. Located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this project will allow any Texan to invest in a multi-million dollar real estate project with as little as $500.

MassVenture launched the state’s first ever Texas equity investment crowdfunding project, which is limited to Texas investors

The Cedar Hill, Texas real estate investment on MassVenture serves as the first publicly-issued investment crowdfunding project in the state. It will provide for construction of a senior living campus and is designed to meet a growing demographic with an under-served need in a community that currently has more than 340,000 residents living within the primary service area.

“In the crowdfunding market, real estate investment looks to be one of the top sectors for growth and returns,” said Amir Mirabi, VP of Business Development for MassVenture. “Texans love to help one another, and so do we. As we say, It’s Your State, Own It.”

With the posting of this project, MassVenture becomes the first state-approved crowdfunding portal to list a project. Investors who sign up for free on the portal can view the offering for a state-mandated 21-day pre-funding period before the actual crowdfunding campaign commences.

Investors can ask the equity-offering issuer questions regarding the project, the property, the principals or any other matters in advance of investing.

Nathan Roach, MassVenture CEO, added, “Crowdfunding is a great tool for quickly mobilizing interest and investment into Texas-based projects, and the transparency and wisdom of the crowd is a great way for Texans to collectively pool their resources and see a project through to fruition. We see real estate crowdfunding as a great community and economic development tool. What better way to Invest in Texas than to truly invest in Texas?”

MassVenture’s principals, spanning legal, technological, finance and economic development backgrounds, helped craft and advocate the newly enacted state crowdfunding rules that came into effect in November of 2014, making Texas the 13th state in the nation to have such rules.

Investment crowdfunding works similarly to rewards and donations-based crowdfunding, but instead of products, consumers get to purchase ownership in companies and/or their projects, with the prospect of considerable returns. The new state-based crowdfunding rules are unique in that they also open up investment to a new class of investors – non-accredited investors with a net worth of less than $1 million and income of less than $200,00 per year – who traditionally have been left out of early stage venture funding under current federal regulations.

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Seedrs Equity Crowdfunding Site Raises over £4.5 Million for Assetz Capital, Trillion Fund, Landbay, CrowdLords, PledgeSports and CrowdCanDo

P2P lending and equity crowdfunding campaigns rapidly gaining investors with “equity crowdfunding done right” approach

 By Robert Hoskins

London, United Kingdom – Seedrs, one of the largest crowdfunding firms in Europe focuses solely on equity investments, announced that peer-to-peer lender Assetz Capital has raised £3,179,750 from 731 investors through the Seedrs platform, the second largest campaign hosted by Seedrs to date.

Seedrs makes it simple to buy into the businesses you believe in and share in their success

This raise has cemented Seedrs’s position as “crowdfunder to the professionals.” Assetz Capital followed a number of successful campaigns:

• LandBay, the P2P lending platform for buy-to-let property, raised £569,044 across several fundraising rounds through Seedrs in late 2013 and 2014. LandBay has since gone on to raise a venture capital round from Omni Partners.
• Trillion Fund, a leading solar, renewable energy and environmental social crowdfunding platform, raised £536,800 through Seedrs in December 2014.
• CrowdLords, a property crowdfunding platform, raised £150,000 through Seedrs in November 2014
• PledgeSports, an Irish sport crowdfunding platform, raised €100,000 (£72,000) through Seedrs in April 2015
• CrowdCanDo, a events crowdfunding platform, raised £22,000 through Seedrs in September 2013

“All of these crowdfunding and peer-to-peer  platforms focus on asset classes other than equity, so when raising capital for themselves, they wanted to work with the leader in the equity crowdfunding space,”Jeff Lynn, CEO and Co-Founder of Seedrs. “They chose Seedrs because they understand the importance to them and to their investors of our  ‘equity crowdfunding done properly’ approach.”

The Assetz Capital fundraising, which smashed its initial target of £2 million, was the second largest campaign hosted by Seedrs to date. The largest—which holds the record for the largest equity crowdfunding campaign ever in Europe—was Chapel Down Group’s £3.9 million fundraising through Seedrs in September 2014.

Lynn continued, “We’re proud to have enabled equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer companies to raise money successfully.  Our peers recognize that our approach, based on simplicity and transparency, consistently delivers results. It’s equity crowdfunding done properly.”

“We chose Seedrs for our crowdfunding round because we know it to be the most professional and respected platform in the equity space,” said Stuart Law, Assetz Capital’s CEO. “Its size and reach were important factors, but so was its focus on helping investee companies grow while protecting investor rights. We were thrilled with the outcome of our campaign and fully understand why Seedrs is the equity platform that other crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platforms choose.”

The UK alternative finance market is predicted to grow to £4.4 billion in 2015 up from £1.7 billion in 2014 as businesses increasingly look to source more efficient ways to raise capital.

Between 2012 and 2014 the equity crowdfunding sector alone grew by 410%.  Against this backdrop, in the past three years Seedrs has become the most successful equity crowdfunder in Europe, funding 110 deals in 2014.

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Invesdor Granted a MiFID License to Expand Debt and Equity Crowdfunding Services across All 31 European Union and EEA countries.

Invesdor First in Europe to Receive an EU License to Boost Cross-Border Crowdfunding in SME Sector

 By Robert Hoskins

Helsinki, Finland – Invesdor has been granted a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) license by financial authorities, to expand debt and equity crowdfunding services across all 31 European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries.  The fundraising site is the first crowdfunding platform to receive this level of operational license, part of the European Commission’s drive to harmonize financial regulations across Europe.

Invesdor has been granted a MiFID license by financial authorities, to expand debt and equity crowdfunding services across all 31 EU and EEA countries

“Making the fundraising process fair, transparent and standardized for all participants is very important for us,” says Invesdor CEO, Lasse Mäkelä. “We give growth companies an alternative way of fundraising, and now we can scale our business across Europe,” he adds.

Global crowdfunding almost tripled last year, becoming a $16 billion dollar industry, and the new license means that Invesdor will be able to operate freely in Europe, without having to start from scratch in each country, and apply for a new operating license every time. As Invesdor expands into new countries, startups across Europe can apply for funding on the platform.

Even before receiving the new pan-European operating license, Invesdor had established itself as one of the Nordic region’s most innovative, secure and transparent equity crowdfunding platforms, holding a 46% market share in the Nordic region, based on a recent report by the University of Cambridge and E&Y. Invesdor intends to become the dominant cross-border funding platform for new ventures in Europe.

“Through Invesdor, people become part of great stories and diversify their investment portfolios,” explains Tero Weckroth, Chairman of the Board. “We’re not only helping tech and software startups achieve their full potential in a wider market, but other companies in the sports, medical, musical, and hospitality and catering industries are also current clients,” he says.

Over 30 crowdfunding projects have already raised 4.4 million euros of equity-based funding on the Invesdor platform. The largest round received more than 780 investors and the most international round received investments from 27 different countries around the world.

To build its crowdfunding platform, Invesdor itself has raised more than €800,000 through crowdfunding rounds and public grants. The company will open its new equity crowdfunding round to the public on May 5 at 10AM GMT to boost the platform’s international growth, allowing anyone to be part of its growth story.

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JD.com Launches Equity Crowdfunding Platform to Promote Entrepreneurship and Startups in Beijing, China

Among the first 11 companies to raise funds on the JD Equity Crowdfunding platform, three were featured at the launch event, including Thunderobot, Fastwheel and WeBuzz

By Robert Hoskins

Beijing, China – JD.com, Inc. announced that it has launched a series of initiatives to help finance, develop and promote the creation of start-ups in China. The new JD Equity Crowdfunding platform, which builds upon JD.com’s success in the area of Internet finance, is expected to be China’s largest equity crowdfunding platform upon its launch.

JD.com Launches Equity Crowdfunding Platform to Promote Entrepreneurship in China

JD Equity Crowdfunding, which expands the range of offerings from JD Crowdfunding, will leverage JD.com’s nationwide brand and reputation for authenticity in the e-commerce space to give China’s entrepreneurs access to a broad set of potential early-stage investors. The new platform will provide a unique range of training and support options for companies throughout the entire start-up lifecycle, giving entrepreneurs a greater chance at success.

The JD.com initiatives, anchored by JD Equity Crowdfunding, will help to create an ecosystem supporting start-ups from the funding through the online sales stages of development. In addition to capital through crowdfunding, companies will have access new training courses provided by JD.com and seasoned investors and entrepreneurs, as well as to the company’s broader Internet financing tools. In addition, they will be able to sell their products through the company’s e-commerce platform, leveraging JD.com’s unparalleled last-mile delivery network and reputation for trust and reliability.

The company today also announced the first 11 companies to raise funds on the JD Equity Crowdfunding platform. Among these projects, three were featured at the launch event, including Thunderobot, Fastwheel and WeBuzz, which focus on the areas of gaming laptops, personal transportation devices and social media, respectively.

“I know from personal experience how important it is for entrepreneurs to have access to knowledge and early funding,” said Richard Liu, founder and Chief Executive Officer of JD.com. “As the leader in Chinese e-commerce, JD.com is ideally positioned to create a premium platform to give China’s early-stage companies access to resources and seed capital from a broad range of investors. With the advantages of JD.com’s national brand, resources and commitment to supporting early-stage companies, we are confident that JD.com will become the leading platform for equity crowdfunding in China. We look forward to creating innovation and value for investors, consumers and start-ups.”

“The launch of JD Equity Crowdfunding marks a major step forward in JD.com’s vision of providing a wider range of fundraising options than have traditionally been available to China’s entrepreneurs,” said Shengqiang Chen, CEO of JD Finance. “We are dedicated to developing an ecosystem that ensures China’s most innovative entrepreneurs have access to the support they need for success, from early fundraising and training, to an outstanding national e-commerce distribution network.”

Under the JD Equity Crowdfunding model, each investment project will be led by a professional investment manager, from either a venture capital (VC) firm or from a company with similar experience, who will be responsible for working directly with the investee companies and ensuring clear and transparent communications with investors. Participating VCs who will help develop JD.com’s ecosystem for start-up companies include Capital Today, ZhenFund and Sequoia Capital. As part of the program, JD.com will take a small equity stake in the projects that successfully raise funding through JD Equity Crowdfunding.

JD Equity Crowdfunding will join JD.com’s reward-based crowdfunding platform, which launched in July 2014 and has so far helped start-ups raise more than RMB280 million. More than 90% of JD Crowdfunding projects have successfully reached their fundraising goals. Among the successful projects are 69 with a target of RMB1 million and another seven with a target of RMB10 million. JD is now the largest crowdfunding platform in China, contributing about a third of all money raised through crowdfunding in the country.

JD.com, Inc. is the leading online direct sales company in China. The Company strives to offer consumers the best online shopping experience. Through its content-rich and user-friendly website jd.com and mobile applications, JD.com offers a wide selection of authentic products at competitive prices and delivers products in a speedy and reliable manner. The Company believes it has the largest fulfillment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in China. JD.com operated 7 fulfillment centers and a total of 123 warehouses in 40 cities, and in total 3,210 delivery stations and pickup stations in 1,862 counties and districts across China, staffed by its own employees. The Company provided same-day delivery in 134 counties and districts under its 211 program and next-day delivery in another 866 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2014.

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SolBid.com Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Raise Funds for Initiative ‘Brighter Classrooms’

Solar energy start up, SolBid has made it their mission to help schools from the looming educational budget deficit in the U.S. through the use of solar energy

By Robert Hoskins

Boston, MA – SolBid.com is a nationwide solar energy services provider, whose services have a profound economic and environmental impact. The brilliant idea Brighter Classrooms was conceptualized when SolBid’s co-founders Nate Raymond and Ian Ricci were mapping out the final iteration of their business model when over lunch talks of education in the U.S. manifested. Educational funding from both federal and state is diminishing, while costs to educate children are rising. This is causing teacher layoffs, termination of critical programs, increased pupil to teacher ratios, and school closures across the country.

SolBid Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Raise Funds for Initiative Brighter Classrooms

“Because of detrimental budget cuts to education, we are taking away critical resources from our children and their teachers are being laid off. These children are our future leaders and something needs to be done. Schools spend an estimated $8billion a year in energy costs, the second largest budget item behind personnel. Instead of cutting personnel costs, why aren’t we tackling energy costs? Now there’s an idea!” said Nate Raymond, CEO.

The two co-founders found themselves in a situation where they could make an impact. SolBid’s solar solutions harvest energy from the sun to produce electricity, are virtually maintenance free, have an average life span of about 30 years, and can offer a return on their investment in little as 4-5 years. Beyond the economic benefits, solar is also a clean energy source that can help offset the use of damaging fossil fuels that release toxic carbon dioxide and mercury emissions that lead to harmful pollution and climate change.

What better than the use of solar energy on schools to reduce operational costs, alleviate budgets and help foster a better education for our children all while saving the environment.

So the men have vowed to take their patronage further by creating a business model which includes donating a portion of SolBid’s sales revenue for the life of the company to an initiative they are calling, Brighter Classrooms. Through this program SolBid will provide solar energy systems to disadvantaged schools across the U.S. and have them installed by local solar installers, generating yet another positive effect on the economy in the school’s surrounding area.

The school in turn will receive up to 30 years’ worth of free, zero-emission electricity generated by solar, saving school districts a tremendous amount of money. This will allow schools to funnel more dollars directly towards the education of our children, and potentially save a number of teachers from unwanted layoffs.

The vision of Brighter Classrooms is to free up school budgets and in return helping schools provide a better education for our children while at the same time reducing our carbon footprint and saving the environment.

There are over 120,000 schools in the United States that could greatly benefit from a solar power system. To support the cause SolBid is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo beginning this Earth Day, April 22, 2015. The campaign will assist in launching the program and in donating the 1st solar energy system. For converting this idea into reality, the founders of SolBid seek the support of the people and are looking for contributions in favor of this campaign.

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Gridmates.com Unveils New Energy Crowdfunding Site for Electric Utility Companies, Corporations and 501(c)(3) Non-Profits to Help Raise Money to Pay for Low-Income Customers’ Electricity Bills

The crowdfunding site will allow non-profits, disadvantaged, disabled and low-income customers to build profiles detailing their need for energy assistance and then match them to energy donors

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – Gridmates.com announced a new donation-based, energy crowdfunding site that will allow donors to browse through a directory of distressed electricity customer profiles and then donate energy assistance. The site seeks to help low-income customers such as single moms with young children, elderly couples, disabled veterans, storm/hurricane survivors and unemployed people that for some reason are living in energy poverty and need temporary help paying their electricity bills.

Gridmates Energy Donation Crowdfunding Site for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs

For fun, please check out the energy donation process. It is very easy. Donors simply search through the Gridmates energy crowdfunding profiles until they find one they want to support. Next, donors simply type in a dollar amount into the energy calculator, which shows contributors how many days of energy they will be sharing. Energy donations can be billed to any valid credit card or to a PayPal account.

The first energy crowdfunding profile to be listed is Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Community First Village located in Austin, Texas. This coming June, the Community First Village will be moving 240 homeless and disabled people off the streets of Austin into new shelters where they will receive warm meals and hot showers.

The Community First Village’s energy crowdfunding goal is to raise $85,000, which will provide enough electricity to power the homeless community for several months. The Gridmates site has already successfully raised more than 50% of the fundraising goal ($42,500), but more donors are needed to reach the final goal by the end of May.

All energy donations to the Community First Village are tax-deductible and are a great way to support people who are currently living without electricity.

People who donate $17.50 of energy will receive the reward of knowing that their contribution will be enough to pay for one week’s worth of electricity. A donation of $75 will be enough to pay for an entire month. These electricity donations will be used to turn on the lights, heat water, wash clothes, refrigerate/cook food and assist with many other household chores that most people take for granted.

“Imagine what it’s like to live in a dark shelter with cold showers and no way to refrigerate food or cook warm meals,” said George Koutitas, Gridmates’ CEO. “The Community First Village is a great opportunity for supporters and community relations managers throughout Texas to make a big difference for people who are living without electricity.”

“We are currently seeking more corporate sponsors to work with Austin Mayor Steve Alder and the City of Austin to raise enough money to pay the entire electricity bill,” Koutitas added. “If your business would like to help us raise money to fund this project, please give me a call on my personal cell phone at (512) 632-4363.”

As the Gridmates site grows, more and more energy poverty profiles will be added. The future platform will be able to segment energy crowdfunding profiles by energy needs, zip codes, geographic locations and by utility company service areas. Gridmates soon will be positioned perfectly to help electric utility companies throughout the United States begin collecting online donations to help them pay for their Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP).

Gridmates is developing and soon will be beta-testing a new, scaled-up version of its energy crowdfunding site. The company is seeking Texas electric companies such as AEP, Austin Energy, CenterPoint Energy, Oncor Electric, Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), Reliant Energy, TXU Energy or any of the seventy-plus Texas electric cooperatives to help stress test the future site’s functionality.

Instead of blind giving, Gridmates’ mission is to let donors and philanthropists browse through real-life energy poverty profiles and find their own personal grid mate that they will enjoy supporting with their energy donations. Once the energy crowdfunding site has been verified and is ready to scale, Gridmates plans to rollout the service state-by-state in the U.S. and then on a country-by-country basis in international markets.

To participate, electric utility companies, corporate sponsors and non-profit organizations can all sign up at www.gridmates.com/corporations. Or send an email to contact@gridmates.com for more information on how to get started.

More details, facts, figures, logos and photos are available via the Gridmates online pressroom.

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Just in Time for Spring BBQs – the GoBQ grill is the Perfect Portable Solution for the Football Tailgating Crowd

The GoBQ Grill is the coolest way to cook a hot meal at the game partying with friends and then put it safely away before the first kickoff

By Robert Hoskins

Chicago, IL – Grilling enthusiasts across the globe are gobbling up a good opportunity to buy a GoBQ Grill during April. Right now outdoor adventurers can get a hot deal on a cool way to grill food at tailgating parties as well as other types of remote grilling opportunities such as hikes, trips to the beach and remote backpacking trips. Apparently the portable grill is serving a big appetite. In less that two weeks, their Indiegogo campaign  has raised more than 120% of their $30,000 goal with 196 backers from over 19 countries worldwide.

The GoBQ Grill is the coolest way to cook a hot meal and pack it away safely before the 1st kickoff!

The Indiegogo campaign can be found here:http://www.IndieGoBQ.com.

I guess that means it’s time to buy a grill and get ready to start cooking outdoors, but now grillers won’t have to be confined to their backyards or tethered to their SUVs.

Weighing in at only eight pounds, the patented GoBQ is a revolutionary grilling system complete with a metal grate cooking surface large enough to feed a family, chain basket to hold charcoal, and lid to contain heat.

But unlike other grills on the market, all GoBQ components fold in on themselves to become a black cylinder that resembles a small, sleek duffel bag. Take it with you camping, tailgating, picnicking, biking, boating or fishing, and people everywhere will ask, “Wait, that’s a grill?”

“What makes the GoBQ unique is you can sling it over your shoulder or stuff it in a backpack,” says co-founder and product chief Eric Goeken, who invented the GoBQ and built its early prototypes in his own garage.

After only five days on the market, critics are already weighing in on the ingenuity of the GoBQ. “Imagine a lightweight portable charcoal grill with nearly 200 square inches of cooking surface that fold up into a tiny little package,” says barbecue and grilling expert Derrick Riches of bbq.about.com. The GoBQ “could revolutionize the portable charcoal grill forever.”

The body of the GoBQ is made of a silicon-coated fiberglass material that can withstand flames and high temperatures. The fabric base, nickel-plated metal grate and charcoal basket all fold up to fit neatly inside the grill’s fabric lid, which also folds together to become its own compact carrying bag. Set up and tear down are a breeze, as the GoBQ body cools to the touch soon after dumping the charcoal embers—unlike other metal grills, which can take forever to cool down.

“The GoBQ is a game changer,” says company co-founder and CEO Todd Zaroban. “Those other so-called portable grills are either too cumbersome to carry or too flimsy to properly cook anything. We believe it will change the way people think about outdoor cooking.”

GoBQ is targeted to ship in August of this year, just in time for college and NFL football tailgating season.

The GoBQ Grill is a portable, packable grill made of heat and flameproof fabric that folds up like a camping chair to fit in a backpack or store in a drawer.  The GoBQ is the patented brainchild of start-up company Grillfold LLC and its founders—product design and engineering guru Eric Goeken, and Todd Zaroban, a successful entrepreneur with 25 years of marketing, branding and web development experience.

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Los Angeles-based Real Estate Equity Crowdfunding Platform Raises ~$24 Million to Fund Debt Investments and Pre-funded Real Estate Loans

Targeting one of the fastest growing verticals within the lending marketplace, Patch of Land’s real estate equity crowdfunding site has emerged as one of the industry’s most innovative companies

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, CA – PatchofLand.com announced that it has raised $23.6 million to finance one of the leading crowdfunding solutions for the real estate industry that brings together borrowers and lenders through a simple online interface.

The oversubscribed Series A round was led by SF Capital Group, a private investment firm focused on direct equity and debt investments in the financial technology space. Neil Wolfson, President of SF Capital Group will also join the Board of Directors of Patch of Land. Ron Suber, president of Prosper Marketplace, a leading online marketplace for consumer credit, also participated in the Series A round as a strategic investor.

Patch of Land Real Estate Crowdfunding Raises $23.6 Million to Expand Debt Investments

“We are very pleased to have completed this round of financing,” said Jason Fritton, CEO Patch of Land’s CEO. “We look forward to working with SF Capital Group and welcome Neil to our board. Our ability to attract sophisticated investors such as SF Capital and industry thought leaders like Ron Suber clearly validates the strength of our business model. Neil and Ron understand marketplace lending and their collective advice and network of contacts will be integral to our continued growth and success.”

As one of the biggest issuers, by volume, of 506(c) real estate debt investments, Patch of Land will use the capital from the Series A financing to aggressively increase its market share and further expand the company’s leadership position through additional investment in the technology and data systems that power the marketplace. The company will also utilize these funds to hire additional leading real estate and technology professionals.

“The real estate lending marketplace is quickly transforming the way investors and developers interact, and Patch of Land is at the forefront of this change,” said Neil Wolfson, SF Capital Group’s President. “Patch of Land was one of the first companies to focus exclusively on real estate debt investments and the first to offer pre-funded loans, which dramatically shortens the time developers wait to get funded. The company is a true pioneer within this industry and its consistent and steady focus is clearly evident through the rapid growth of its portfolio. We are excited to work with this dynamic team and help them capture the tremendous opportunity they have identified.”

“I have witnessed first-hand the emergence and growth of marketplace lending. Real estate is one of the fastest growing verticals within all of marketplace lending, and Patch of Land has emerged as one of the most disruptive and innovative companies,” said Ron Suber. “I am very excited to help the company reach the next stage in its growth cycle.”

For over a year, Patch of Land has consistently grown its portfolio of short-term residential and commercial loans to qualified borrowers across America, quickly earning its place as one of the top real estate crowdfunding companies to launch since the JOBS Act was passed into law.

SF Capital Group is a private investment firm representing the interests of a single family. The firm invests across all asset classes with a flexible, long-term investment focus. SF Capital’s portfolios include allocations to traditional as well as alternative investments such as hedge funds and private equity. The firm also invests in direct equity and debt investments of private companies.

Patch of Land (POL) is a crowdfunding solution for real estate financing that brings together borrowers and lenders through a simple online interface. Patch of Land’s goal is to solve the problem of inefficient, fragmented, and opaque real estate lending by using technology, data-driven processes, and expert human touch to create transparency and efficiently underwrite projects.

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Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites in the United States, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and other Global Markets in 2015

Seeking New Crowdfunding Sites on a Worldwide Basis to Be Ranked for the Upcoming June 2015 Top Crowdfunding Sites in the United States and the Rest of the World

 By Robert Hoskins

[Click to Tweet this Top 100 List to Your Friends]

United States – We are currently updating our List of the Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites for 2015 in the United States, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and other global markets.  

Clicking on the website traffic links below will take readers to one of the most insightful resources of information that details each website’s traffic ranking; the number of unique visitors per month; the average time spent on each site per visit; and the number of pages viewed per each visit.

Of more interest to crowdfunding campaign managers will be the precise ratio of social media, content marketing, search engine marketing, email marketing and display advertising that is being utilized by each crowdfunding site’s marketing campaigns to drive readers and investors to their crowdfunding profiles.

GoFundMe vs Kickstarter SimilarWeb Stats

Even though these numbers reflect the aggregation of all of a given portal’s crowdfunding campaigns marketing efforts, they offer direct evidence of what is working and what is not.  Note the difference on how much social media and display advertising is being used by the Top 10 Crowdfunding Sites compared the lower 90 crowdfunding sites. 

This information can be used by crowdfunding sites as well as their crowdfunders to get a thorough understanding on how to plan future marketing campaigns that will have a higher than average success rate.

Want to know how GoFundMe just bypassed Kickstarter as the #1 crowdfunding platform on the planet? Click on the links below and use the comparison tool to show side-by-side comparisons of SEO keywords, link referrals, and social media usage. See the bottom of the page for more crowdfunding marketing tips.

[Click Here to Tweet this Top 100 List of Crowdfunding Sites]

Rank	© Front Page PR	Global Rank
#1 (2014: #2)	www.gofundme.com	1,318
#2 (2014: #1)	www.kickstarter.com	1,373
#3 (2014: #3)	www.angel.co	2,010
#4 (2014: #6)	www.indiegogo.com	2,277
#5 (2014: #4)	www.lendingclub.com	7,545
#6 (2014: #9)	www.justgiving.com	8,558
#7 (2014: #8)	www.youcaring.com	13,563
#8 (2014: #12)	www.kiva.org	15,111
#9 (2014: #23)	www.ulule.com	16,099
#10 (2014: #15)	www.donorschoose.org	21,617
#11 (2014: #17)	www.pledgemusic.com	24,461
#12 (2014: #13)	www.crowdrise.com	26,906
#13 (2014: #18)	www.tilt.com	29,512
#14 (2014: #10)	www.giveforward.com	32,576
#15 (2014: #38)	www.crowdcube.com	34,262
#16 (2014: #5)	www.fundingcircle.com	34,307
#17 (2014: #14)	www.razoo.com	44,329
#18 (2014: #16)	www.fundly.com	48,132
#19 (2014: #36)	www.pozible.com	48,898
#20 (2014: #19)	www.firstgiving.com	58,401
#21 (2014: #20)	www.fundrazr.com	64,163
#22 (2014: #27)	www.circleup.com	68,095
#23 (2014: #25)	www.fundable.com	73,430
#24 (2014: #new)	www.kickante.com.br	75,510
#25 (2014: #26)	www.crowdfunder.com	77,551
#26 (2014: #34)	www.equitynet.com	88,181
#27 (2014: #new)	www.zeczec.com	90,296
#28 (2014: #35)	www.gogetfunding.com	97,023
#29 (2014: #29)	www.fundrise.com	112,206
#30 (2014: #55)	www.fundedbyme.com	116,409
#31 (2014: #new)	www.experiment.com	133,573
#32 (2014: #22)	www.realtymogul.com	134,519
#33 (2014: #61)	www.geldvoorelkaar.nl	146,963
#34 (2014: #new)	www.onevest.com	149,343
#35 (2014: #24)	www.rockethub.com	149,430
#36 (2014: #33)	www.wefunder.com	169,021
#37 (2014: #32)	www.offbeatr.com	174,673
#38 (2014: #30)	www.seedinvest.com	184,226
#39 (2014: #37)	www.slated.com	210,555
#40 (2014: #new)	www.patchofland.com	220,267
#41 (2014: #43)	www.givezooks.com	234,356
#42 (2014: #58)	www.pledgie.com	241,865
#43 (2014: #new)	www.microventures.com	241,967
#44 (2014: #28)	www.fundanything.com	248,200
#45 (2014: #46)	www.ourcrowd.com	248,635
#46 (2014: #44)	www.pave.com	268,856
#47 (2014: #68)	www.growvc.com	285,285
#48 (2014: #62)	www.ppl.com.pt	297,874
#49 (2014: #48)	www.dragoninnovation.com	306,056
#50 (2014: #54)	hwww.seedandspark.com	319,789
#51 (2014: #47)	www.pubslush.com	336,465
#52 (2014: #41)	www.opportunity.org	354,764
#53 (2014: #45)	www.peerform.com	376,044
#54 (2014: #60)	www.bolstr.com	388,543
#55 (2014: #new)	www.investx.com	403,141
#56 (2014: #11)	www.uinvest.com.ua	417,925
#57 (2014: #new)	www.plumfund.com	421,110
#58 (2014: #40)	www.fundraise.com	433,539
#59 (2014: #new)	www.earlyshares.com	442,508
#60 (2014: #new)	www.barnraiser.us	482,296
#61 (2014: #new)	www.flashfunders.com	485,226
#62 (2014: #new)	www.trucrowd.com	485,665
#63 (2014: #57)	www.piggybackr.com	518,504
#64 (2014: #67)	www.symbid.com	558,247
#65 (2014: #new)	www.crowdstreet.com	704,602
#66 (2014: #39)	www.assetavenue.com	742,849
#67 (2014: #51)	www.microgiving.com	834,667
#68 (2014: #new)	pitchfunder.asufoundation.org	861,826
#69 (2014: #77)	www.artistshare.com	928,003
#70 (2014: #new)	www.nextseed.com	992,563
#71 (2014: #76)	www.appsfunder.com	1,047,453
#72 (2014: #42)	www.assob.com.au	1,049,032
#73 (2014: #79)	www.foodstart.com	1,080,478
#74 (2014: #new)	www.loquidity.com	1,087,691
#75 (2014: #70)	www.faithlauncher.com	1,089,032
#76 (2014: #80)	www.solarmosaic.com	1,108,499
#77 (2014: #new)	www.crowdfundingpays.com	1,256,560
#78 (2014: #new)	www.dreamfunded.com	1,267,585
#79 (2014: #82)	www.propellr.com	1,350,583
#80 (2014: #75)	www.pledgecents.com	1,363,715
#81 (2014: #new)	www.massventure.com	1,388,521
#82 (2014: #new)	www.crowd2fund.com	1,494,834
#83 (2014: #96)	www.ipledg.com	1,567,232
#84 (2014: #new)	www.texasenetworks.com	1,721,280
#85 (2014: #63)	www.icrowd.com	1,769,510
#86 (2014: #65)	www.banktothefuture.com	1,836,932
#87 (2014: #new)	www.acquirerealestate.com	2,169,205
#88 (2014: #056)	www.sterlingfunder.com	2,533,134
#89 (2014: #new)	www.realtywealth.com	2,647,893
#90 (2014: #85)	www.massivemov.com	2,826,166
#91 (2014: #89)	www.venturehealth.com	3,931,192
New	www.offerboard.com	4,112,781
#92 (2014: #31)	www.rockthepost.com	4,505,534
#93 (2014: #84)	www.funderhut.com	5,182,841
#94 (2014: #83)	www.fundafeast.com	5,325,919
#95 (2014: #71)	www.crowdit.com	5,535,187
#96 (2014: #88)	www.crowdhelps.com	5,892,083
#97 (2014: #95)	www.crowdfundingbank.com	6,503,461
#98 (2014: #98)	www.startacure.com	8,281,014
#99 (2014: #78)	www.cMEcompete.com	9,332,644
#100 (2014: #87)	www.endlesscrowds.com	12,934,557

Source: Feb 2015 SimilarWeb Website Statistics

Crowdfunding PR’s goal is simple. We want to make it possible for crowdfunders to shop for  crowdfunding platforms in a similar manner to the way media planners/buyers used to analyze ABC and BPA audit statements to buy advertisements in the business-to-business trade publication industry, where important media buying decisions were based on straight mathematics, not popularity or random guessing.

For example, would you rather run a crowdfunding campaign on a site where visitors are looking at 2-3 pages in around 3 minute’s time or a site where buyers are spending 6 to 11 minutes reviewing 6 to 10 pages?

This is the difference between shoppers who are visiting a site to see a particular crowdfunding campaign based on a marketing campaign versus people who are visiting a site to explore and actually shop around to find good deals to buy or invest their money.

This is why launching a campaign on Kickstarter or GoFundMe does not guarantee success. While GoFundMe or Kickstarter may be the largest sites in the world, people are only spending enough time to shop through more than 2 to 3 crowdfunding profiles before they exit. While other sites like Razoo.com, DonorsChoose.org, and FundingCircle.com have visitors that stay more than 6 to 11 minutes and view 6 to 10 pages.

When researching, planning and executing successful marketing programs for both crowdfunding platforms as well as their individual crowdfunding customer profiles, it is extremely important to see what is driving the most traffic to any given crowdfunding site.  Success is usually determined not only by what site the crowdfunding campaign is being hosted on, but also the marketing programs being harnessed to drive potential donors/investors to a specific crowdfunding profile.

Clicking on each link above will allow media planners/buyers to understand what role direct traffic (content marketing), search engines (SEO, PPC Advertising), social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Quora), email marketing and display advertising (Google Display, Outbrain, AppNexus) are having on the success of crowdfunding campaigns.

For example, when planning a social media strategy, one of the most popular questions we get asked is – what social media networks are driving the most visitor traffic? Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram? The links above will make this answer crystal clear.

Not satisfied with your position on the list? Front Page PR’s team of crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing experts can help crowdfunding sites and crowdfunding campaigns plan the perfect mix of integrated marketing programs to significantly improve the amount of website traffic being driven to any given fundraising campaign or crowdfunding platform.

Feel free to call (512) 627-6622 with questions or request help to improve your website statistics before June.

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