What is crowdfunding? Crowdfunding in Russia. The best venues. Crowdfunding - Russian platforms and principles of their work Raising money for projects as they say

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 investment in creative projects of musicians, writers, directors.

One of the pioneers is Kroogi.com, a platform for providing creativity to Internet users in exchange for voluntary donations. It has a dedicated crowdfunding directory where funding can be raised to record albums, make movies and videos, and for charities.

Social services also gained a lot of weight among domestic platforms. Among them:

• Together.ru- a site founded by the community of blog readers dirty.ru. Raises funds for various social projects throughout the territory of the Russian Federation.
• Blagobox.ru- carries out fundraising for the treatment of children with serious illnesses.

Experts believe that the main problem of public funding in Russia is the lack of awareness of the mechanisms of its implementation both among investors and among the authors of projects. So, Russian crowdfunding platforms note a strong shortage in the direction of creating innovative products. This is due to the fact that it is 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 address this issue, the Russian crowdfunding platform Bumstarter offered a free online course on the basics of collective investment, creating and promoting ideas.

The best Russian crowdfunding sites

Difficulties in the development of mechanisms for public funding of ideas are also associated with a high level of mistrust of domestic investors. This leads to the rapid closure of most platforms in the early stages of formation. So, if the rating of foreign services includes dozens of multidirectional services, then the most successful Russian sites crowdfunding for business is represented by a list of three leaders:

• Planeta.ru- one of the first domestic Internet crowdfunding platforms. At the end of 2016, the site raised 565 million rubles, allowing the implementation of about 2.5 thousand ideas. Provides an opportunity to attract funding in 24 categories, including classic business startups, creative projects and social entrepreneurship. Payments are made in the case of a full set of the declared amount, 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. Service commission for commercial projects is 10-15%. Social programs are not subject to commission fees.
• Smipon.ru- Russian platform for crowdfunding "With the World on a String". It provides an opportunity to receive financing for the implementation of 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 implementation of an idea. Only citizens of the Russian Federation can apply. The payment of the collected investments is carried out in the "all or nothing" format (only if the requested amount is collected). Site commissions range from 3.5% to 5%.
• Boomstarter.ru- covers 15 categories of projects, which include various areas of art, production of goods, publishing. At the time of 2016, the site was able to attract more than 326 million rubles and implement more than 1,300 projects. Receipt of the collected funds is possible with a time limit (subject to the collection of the required amount) or upon reaching targeted investments (for non-commercial purposes). Commission fees for projects that have collected the required amount are 5%.

Alternative crowdfunding services

V last years in support of crowdfunding in Russia, the largest Internet companies Yandex and Mail.ru have launched their own products.

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

In addition to the main platforms, there are also platform trackers (Thestartman.ru) aimed at investors. Such services offer a convenient view of all current crowdfunding projects in Russia, collected on various sites.

The main advantage of domestic sites is the ability to get 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. effective work public funding systems.

The assertion that there is no such thing as crowdfunding in Russia is more than wrong. In our country, you can also register new project and attract investments from him with the help of platforms specially organized for this business.

No need to study English in depth and run to an overseas Kickstarter. Your shirt is closer to your body! Moreover, among the Russian investment portals, you can find exactly the place that is best suited for your purposes.

In this article, the site would like to talk about ten really working crowdfunding sites where you can post your idea and raise funds for its implementation.

The first, and probably the most popular, is Boomstarter. This platform works on the “All or nothing” principle - that is, if your project has not collected the full amount required for its implementation, all the money is returned back to backers. There are mainly creative projects - films, quests, comics and the like.

Currently, about two hundred active projects have been registered on the site. Among the successful ones are the street art festival Most, the film “28 Panfilov's men”, a documentary about Oleg the Prophet, and even a planetary energy transmitter.

Kroogi brings together the creators of music projects. It works on the principle of a "free price deal", that is, backers themselves name the price of an already created song or composition.

The platform takes a 15% commission from the collected amount.

Naparapet. The site was created for creative projects, but it cannot yet be called successful. There is only one project registered here, which has not raised the required amount. Site creators still need to do a good job on its promotion.

Unlike the previous site, Planeta.ru is a well-known resource on which social and creative projects are most often registered. At the moment, about seventy startups are registered here, the most relevant of which are fundraising for the restoration of the complex of temples in Selce, a car for volunteer rescuers, and the like.

With the world on a thread, by its name alone, it speaks about the purpose of the site. Here money is collected for the implementation of mainly creative projects, of which there are about eighty. The site operates on an all-or-nothing basis.

You can find projects of interest by city or by direction. Among the interesting projects you can find the installation of a monument to Steve Jobs, the organization of a rotary park for children with disabilities, the launch of a donation service, and much more.

The Rusini platform has been known since 2010, not as a site, but as a project. Here, not only social, but also creative projects, as well as startups related to IT, can realize themselves. At the moment, the site is trying to restart, and the site has a so-called "stub".

The Startman service makes it possible not only to raise money for the implementation of your project, but also provides a variety of services - for example, you can order a consultation, project design, development of a campaign plan, etc. The site has already helped implement 114 projects, and another 605 are in the process.

The investment platform StartTrack has been operating since 2013. Here you can post information about a startup completely free of charge, then potential investors can familiarize themselves with it and sponsor the project. At the moment, the company has about thirty projects and more than three hundred investors in its database.

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

Crowdfunding is a modern model of fundraising among individuals who are ready to support a project they like with money. Information is found on special sites - crowdfunding platforms. Unlike crowdsourcing, crowdfunding is all about raising funds, not looking for volunteer helpers.

You want to print a book or magazine, hold a festival, or launch a new product, such as an inflatable sofa without a pump. How long it will take to find funding is unknown. Crowdfunding allows you to get 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 they want to collect.

Whether you succeed depends on whether people believe you and see the benefits of the project. Crowdfunding has helped and continues to help small businesses and startups. The "collective" funds are used to hold charity 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 the site, correctly design the project and develop a reward system.

Who's Who in Crowdfunding

The main characters crowdfunding - founder (author of the project) and sponsor (backer, or donor). Sponsors finance the project through the system, 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 be spent only for the purpose - there will be demand from the author.

Crowdfunding fundraising models

• All or nothing: if the project has not collected the required amount by the appointed date, it does not receive anything
• Leave everything: the author receives exactly the same amount, minus the commission that he managed to attract
• 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 decide how much to pay for it
• Charity: donation of money

Global crowdfunding giants

The most famous crowdfunding platform is Kickstarter. It has been operating since 2009, and during this time has attracted the attention of large American corporations, government agencies and venture capital funds. Here they select the most suitable projects for investment. This platform works according to the "All or nothing" model.

Kickstarter's main competitor is Indiegogo. This platform allows for a more flexible financing model than the first one. It doesn't matter how much of the declared amount was collected - all the money will go to the author. In doing so, he can choose the All or Nothing scheme, instead of the flexible model. It will cost him less: the commission will be lower.

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

Crowdfunding platform "Bumstarter"

It is called the Russian equivalent of the Kikstrater. The site opened in 2012, and at first offered fundraising only on the "All or Nothing" model - until the deadline. In 2016, it became possible to collect money indefinitely - to the goal.

A manager is assigned to each fundraising campaign. He warns and corrects errors. The system commission is 10%, and another 13% is income tax.

Boomstarter engages creative, technical and other projects with a purpose. This site collects money to create 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 - to 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 for the reprint of classic Ninja Turtles comics in book format (800,000 rubles were needed)
• In May 2016, 998 sponsors raised 3,890,140 rubles for a pocket sofa 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... The greatest response is received by projects in the categories of music, films, books, computer games.

Features of "Boomstarter"

- Fundraising

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

Contribution of the author. 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 credited to the general piggy bank, but upon successful completion of the campaign, they are not paid. There is no such possibility on the "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 email, which is slower.

Online training. Boomstarter quickly teaches you to launch projects in the online school at any time. "Planet" conducts classes only once every 3 months, and you need to attend them in person.

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

Planet crowdfunding platform

"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 was launched in test mode. The first project was to raise funds for the recording of the studio album of the BI-2 group (co-founder of the platform, Max Lakmus, acts as a bass player in it). 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, the service expanded.

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

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

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

Main directions of projects

The first project of "Planet" was a fundraiser for recording music, so creative categories find the maximum response. They help to find money to release an album, make a film, and organize a festival.

Successful fundraising cases

• The "Planet" record holder in fundraising was the cartoon project "Three Melodies". The author set a goal to collect 2,200,000 rubles and surpassed it by another 50,000 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 a concert edition (DVD + CD)
• In the sector of events, the project of staging a musical based on the songs of the "Aquarium" group stood out. It took 1 million rubles, it was possible to collect - 1 147 997 rubles

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

Features of the "Planet"

"Boomstarter" attracted an audience that is more interested in business ideas and technologies, and "Planet" - creativity and charity

Fundraising on Planet famous people, they are loved and known, therefore they are more willing to give money. In the shadow of the stars, it can be difficult for casual authors to engage audiences. Boomstarter has a reputation for being a beginner's platform, so there are more chances 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 site, focus on its "specialization". Business projects, development of new technologies and products can find a greater response at Boomstarter. Planet attracts more creative and social projects.

If you have never raised funds at such sites, then at Boomstarter you will be trained online and assigned a manager-curator to the project. On the "Planet" you will have to study "live" - ​​attend classes in person. If you do not live in Moscow, then it is inconvenient.

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

Video: how to describe a project on a crowdfunding platform

Crowdfunding to help you

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

About Yandex.Money

Yandex.Money has long been used to raise money for crowdfunding. But if earlier people collected money on their websites, now they are moving to social networks. Our application will help them quickly spread information about any promotion in social network, and the informer will show in real time how much money has already been raised, ”commented Natalya Khaitina, deputy general director payment system.

It should be noted that recently large companies have also been paying attention to the global trend and increased interest in crowdfunding, for example, the Yandex.Money application has appeared on Facebook, with the help of which users can organize fundraising for various needs - from scientific and charitable projects before going out of town with friends. The application was named “Collect money”. Also, the Yandex.Music service team announced the start of the opportunity to send funds to a popular artist. At the moment, users can send money through the system.

Crowdfunding rules

• A clearly stated goal
  Public calculation of all costs that are proposed to be covered by donations.
  The thesis "Money is never superfluous" is categorically unsuitable here, because donors can direct funds to other charitable needs. In the world practice of crowdfunding, there are no successful examples of campaigns without a target.
• Transparent collection progress
  The information needs to be made publicly available. Not only for those who have already made a contribution, but also for those who are just about to make a decision. Publicity and transparency.
• Before publishing the requisites, they need to be tested
  When you try to transfer money to a specific account, the system may display a message that the recipient is anonymous. This leads the donor to the idea that it would be good to make the transfer with patronage.
• Help is not only monetary
  Among people who sympathize with the project, there may be potential advertisers and managers of advertising agencies who are able to include the project in their media plans, and owners of visited sites who could help to attract an audience.
• Matching
  Many Western charitable structures present the same condition to grant seekers: show us matching funds - the money that other sponsors are investing in your project. The fact that the grantor has third-party partners who believe in this project and are ready to invest in it serves as a guarantee of its reality and viability. In the case of crowdfunding, it is not the partners involved that count, but the team's efforts to extract maximum efficiency from the donated money.

How crowdfunding platforms make money

Usually platforms take a percentage of the funds raised. The size of the commission in Russia ranges from 5% to 15%. Planeta.ru, for example, keeps 5% of the amount raised by a successful project. Another 5% goes to payment aggregators. If the project has collected from 50 to 99%, the total commission will be 15% (10% - Planeta.ru and 5% - payment systems). Platform commission is not charged for charitable projects. In addition, the service sells music albums, various accessories, and is also going to open the sale of tickets for concerts.

The Rusini platform, by the way, does not take any commission at all - it was created to solve social problems.

What is crowdinvesting

Crowdinvesting is an investment in a project made by a large number of people - microinvestors.

This does not mean that only micro-investors are involved in the project. Schemes are different. For example, a 51% stake belongs to founders, 20% belongs to a business angel or venture capital fund, and the remaining share is sold to micro-investors who are ready to invest several thousand rubles each. Microinvestors can receive shares of the company or a share of the assets of a startup. Lending is possible - the founder will have to return the money borrowed from crowdinvestors with interest.

Crowdinvesting has the same advantage as crowdfunding - a massive assessment of the viability and relevance of a project. And the main attraction factor is the opportunity to play with luck, try to guess which startup will take off. The world economy, meanwhile, is being filled with real money from piggy banks. The sums can be quite small - the point is not in attracting "shareware" start-up capital, but in attracting more participants to the investment market and start-up activities.

Crowdinvesting is a game. Not all startups will be successful: only a few will be breakthroughs. The rest of the investment will either fail or make a small profit. So crowdfunding is suitable only for those who clearly understand:

• All the riskiness of microinvestments, psychologically ready to lose investments
• That crowdinvesting is a long-term story
• What they actually provide the startup with a seed round
• This is not a "lifetime bet", you need to give a really free amount
• This is largely an image story.
• Due Diligence may not be carried out at all, the prospects of the project are assessed "by eye"

By the way, the Russian platform for crowdinvesting is SmartMarket.

Forecasts

The main question is whether something new awaits us? If abroad crowdfunding companies are growing, if not like mushrooms, but nevertheless there are quite a few of them and they are spreading their influence more and more, then in Russia new projects are either hiding somewhere, or they simply do not exist. You can, of course, take into account some single projects, like "All Tolstoy in One Click" (opened in June 2013), the purpose of which is to digitize the 90-volume collected works of Lev Nikolaevich.

Video about crowdfunding

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