A platform for collecting money. Crowdfunding in Russia

The assertion that there is no such thing as crowdfunding in Russia is more than erroneous. In our country, you can also register a new project and attract investment from it using platforms specially organized for this matter.

There is no need to study English in depth and run to an overseas Kickstarter. Your own shirt is closer to the body! Moreover, among Russian investment portals you can find exactly the place that suits your goals best.

In this article, the site would like to talk about ten really working crowdfunding platforms where you can post your idea and raise funds to bring it to life.

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

Currently, about two hundred active projects are registered on the site. Among the successful ones you can see the Most street art festival, the film “28 Panfilov’s Men,” a documentary about Oleg the Prophet, and even a planetary energy transmitter.

Kroogi hosts creators of musical projects. It works on the principle of “deal with a free price”, that is, backers themselves name the price of an already created song or composition.

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

Naparapet. The platform was created for creative projects, but it cannot yet be called successful. There is only one project registered here, which did not raise the required amount. The site's creators still need to work hard on its promotion.

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

The name alone speaks volumes about the purpose of the site. Here money is collected for the implementation of mainly creative projects, of which there are about eighty. The platform operates on an “all or nothing” principle.

You can find projects of interest by city or destination. Interesting projects include installing a monument to Steve Jobs, organizing a Rotary park for children with disabilities, launching a donation service, and much more.

The Rusini platform, not as a site, but as a project, has been known since 2010. Not only social but also creative projects, as well as IT-related startups, can realize their potential here. At the moment they are trying to restart the site, and there is a so-called “stub” on the site.

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, design a project, develop a campaign plan, etc. The platform has already helped implement 114 projects, with another 605 in progress.

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

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 obtaining financial support for the implementation of 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 fundraising. 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 oriented activities, 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, you must meet several requirements. 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 contain a detailed overview of the 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 ones on the Russian market is 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.

Where can I get money to start a business? A bank will not give a loan to a beginning entrepreneur; taking money from moneylenders at crazy interest rates is also not an option; before you have time to get started, you’ll already be broke. All that remains is to either look for an investor or save on your own. But the Moneymaker Factory offers another option: to find investments using crowdfunding. Has civilization reached Russia in the form of crowdfunding platforms that will help turn a businessman’s dream into reality? Let's talk about “popular financing”, its pitfalls and other important aspects.

Businessman's story

45-year-old designer Alexey, whose average annual income for the last 5 years barely exceeded 500 thousand rubles, decided to slightly change the direction of his activity and start selling decorative plaster. Moreover: to change people’s consciousness and make this material more in demand and popular than wallpaper, since the raw materials are environmentally friendly and there is no need to destroy forests for its production. His project is based on 3 pillars:

According to the most conservative estimates, he needs 2 million rubles to start, and only a million of his own money. Not wanting to work with banks and microfinance organizations, Alexey turns to us for help in choosing a modern crowdfunding platform.

Is it even possible to raise money for such a project? We analyzed several popular resources and decided to help our hero. Only those sites that have been on the market for 2 years or more were taken as a “sample”.

What is the essence of the idea?

Non-refundable money can also be received from the state in the form of a business development grant. This is real, people on the street get it without any bribes.

Crowd funding (CF) is collective funding of projects, thanks to which the required amount of money is collected to launch a social initiative, a store, software development, publishing a book, recording an album. This list can be continued endlessly - theoretically, CF is suitable for implementing any task, be it launching a spaceship to Mars or lunch for the homeless. The only difference is whether the founder can raise the required amount or not.

Distinctive features of CF:

A clear idea. You cannot collect money “for the future” or “for yourself”: all of it must be directed to achieve a specific goal and within a set time period.
Limited. Both the final amount of money and the collection period are limited to the project. This is necessary in order to understand which project is of interest to the audience and which is not.
Any direction. Around the world, CF sites help raise money not only for artists, musicians and painters, but also for politicians and businessmen.
Venture. By making a contribution to a particular project, the user does not receive a guarantee of return on investment. If we are talking about social initiatives, then there is no need to count on compensation for your contribution.
Gratuitous. In most cases, CF venues do not require return of investment from the organizers. If we are talking about the development of a product or program, or the release of intellectual property, then the backer can only count on a bonus (all this is stipulated by the crowdfunder).
Productivity. The organizer is obliged to fulfill its obligations and report on them. If he does not do this, then he is obliged to return the money received for the implementation of the project.

Summary analysis of CF services in Russia:

Name	Planet	BoomStarter	Circles	ThankYou	Rusini	From the world by thread
Internet address
Fundraising method*
Work period	Over 2 years	About 2 years		Over 3.5 years	About 2 years	Over 3 years
System commission (including personal income tax)			15% + payment systems commission		0% + payment system commission
Popular destinations	Creativity, music, literature	Art, dance, comics, food, movies, technology, etc.	Creativity in all its manifestations	All types of creativity	Creativity, social initiatives, business startups, business development	Social projects, joint purchases, sports and tourism
Approximate amount of funds raised	Over 100 million rubles	Over 57 million rubles	No data	No data	Less than a million rubles	Statistics are not disclosed

* VIN - all or nothing (the project is either 100 percent financed or not financed at all), OB - leave everything (it is possible to receive part of the funds collected as part of the project investment), SP - free price (the contribution is determined by shareholders - backers and is used only to encourage creative projects).

"Planet" site

The organizer is over 18 years old;
Have a bank account;
The project complies with the Service Rules.

Funded by: any creative, social, public benefit projects, be it publishing books, releasing photographs, recording albums, making films.

Not funded: any political activity, commercial projects.

Site Features: Before publication, the proposed idea is studied by a moderator, and to launch it, a separate agreement is signed with a personal curator.

Summary: Alexey can try to raise money on Planet to open a “School of Decorative Plastering,” but not to launch his own store selling materials and tools.

Boomstarter platform

Requirements to start a project:

The organizer is a citizen of Russia over 18 years of age;
Availability of an identity document, as well as the permanent registration address of the organizer;
Availability of a debit or credit card or a bank account in the name of the fundraiser.

Funded by: any interesting projects related to creativity - publishing a book, making a film, music album, series of photographs, etc.

Not funded: all applications for starting a business, charity, projects tied to the needs of a specific person (purchase of things, travel, training),

Site Features: The organizer gets all or nothing, and the time frame for fundraising is limited (up to 60 days). Therefore, it is more realistic to collect small amounts of money, including in several stages (by dividing the project into podcasts).

Summary: Alexey will not be able to get money either to start a business or for related needs, or he will have to deliberately deceive both the site and patrons. The presented platform provides an opportunity for high commercialization for creative groups (musicians, theaters, artists).

"Circles" area

Requirements to start a project: ready-made material that needs to be published, and then receive money from fans for using it (listening, viewing, etc.).

Funded by: creativity in all its manifestations (money is transferred from caring users of the project, who can also comment and criticize other people’s works).

Not funded: objects that may be considered non-compliant with legal norms, non-unique (duplicate) content.

Site Features: The site is suitable for those who promote their own creativity and want to receive money for copyright materials.

Summary: Alexey will not be able to find on this site the resources he needs to launch his projects. At the same time, “Circles” is the oldest RuNet project for raising funds for artists, painters and other creative people, and with its help many groups have been able to achieve success and popularity.

"Thank you" platform

Requirements to start a project: the presence of ready-made unique content that may interest the audience (music, books, videos, works of art, etc.).

Funded by: users of the project can reward the creator they like with the required amount of money (determined at the request of the patron) for any project presented by him on the site.

Not funded: duplicate content; objects for which the copyright does not belong to the person who published them; objects that may violate Russian legislation.

Summary: the platform, like its analogue “Circles”, is not suitable for Alexey, since it does not offer a unique creative product.

Site "Rusini"

Requirements to start a project:

Availability of a business plan;
Market overview of the area of interest;
Starting information feed (groups on social networks, etc.);
Publication of information about the implementation of the project.

Funded by: NGO activities, creative projects, startups, social business.

Not funded: the list of projects that will not be published on the site is determined by the Rusini administration individually.

Site Features: When raising funds, the “all or nothing” system operates, however, many interesting initiatives were heard and the necessary amounts of money were collected during the existence of the crowdfunding platform. “Rusini” does not take a commission from its users, so using the service’s services is very profitable.

Summary: the presented site is ideal for Alexey, and his project fully meets the requirements of the site. To raise the necessary money, he needs to work hard and interest potential investors: the analytical materials that are already on the site will help with this. The system for monitoring the expenditure of funds allows us to guarantee their intended use. However, at the time of writing, there were problems with the site: it was not possible to send a letter for feedback, it was not possible to publish the project.

Refund. Invested resources do not require compensation from the organizer. However, he needs to complete the task at hand. This is confirmed by checks and other documents, photographs, and videos.

Platform “A thread from the world”

Requirements to start a project:

The author has Russian citizenship;
The idea and name of the project, the amount and deadline for fundraising.

Funded by: social projects, interesting startups (the website has a successful example of raising funds to open a gym), joint purchases with a social focus.

Not funded: projects that will not be published on the site are determined individually.

Site Features: An agency agreement is concluded between the “From the World” platform and the author of the project. In accordance with this agreement, part of the collected funds is transferred to the site free of charge.

Summary: So, “One Thread at a Time” also suits Alexey, but in order to realize his business goals, he needs to create a beautiful “legend.” At the very least, he should definitely try to raise money to open a decorative plaster school. You can interest users by offering your services, materials, tools - all this is a topic for a separate conversation.

Refund. At the end of the promotion, in case of successful collection of the required amount of money, the organizer must provide all participants with the designated bonuses. Thus, Alexey can offer all investors tools, materials or free training at his school.

Conclusion: Crowdfunding in Russia is better than nothing

Thus, a quick analysis of popular projects demonstrates the low development of the idea of crowdfunding for promoting business initiatives. Existing sites, without a doubt, have excellent functionality, are hosted on good CMS (administrative platforms), and the requirements for ideas are formulated very clearly. However, it is too early to draw conclusions about their overall success (failure), since crowdfunding has only recently been known in Russia.

It is also impossible not to note the superficial elaboration of many proposed projects on most sites. There is often no cost calculation or detailed information about what specific purposes funds are required for. At the same time, in Western countries, CF was initially used specifically for social projects, and its history goes back less than two decades. Therefore, in the near future we can hope that the platforms will be used to launch successful business startups.

Project Success Criteria

Developed business plan. If we are talking about a commercial idea, then it must be based on real calculations (rent of premises, cost of manufacturing materials, etc.). The numbers must be real, otherwise investors will begin to doubt.
Timeliness. It is best to start CF projects in the fall, when people return from vacation. It is worth studying the work of the sites and starting your work when the chances of success are maximum.
Realism. You shouldn’t set too ambitious goals for yourself: you need to move towards your dream in small but confident steps. It is better to collect a small amount than not to receive a giant jackpot.
Openness. It is much easier to promote and improve an existing project than to try to create something large-scale from scratch. The more information there is about the organizer, the better: people will trust you.

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 a large number of people.

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.

in the field of entrepreneurship - $6.7 billion,
in the social sphere - $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:

1. Reward crowdfunding: the most popular type, in which investors receive bonuses and rewards in exchange for their financial investments. 2. Debt crowdfunding: investors are promised a share in a future project or a return on investment from future profits. 3. Equity crowdfunding: the author of the initiative sells part of his business to an investor or offers a share on conditions.

Basic Rules

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.

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. Money is paid on the basis of a contract, which must be concluded by any author who posts his work.

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 mechanism of work is as follows: first, information is collected on social networks 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 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. The uniqueness of this resource is 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.

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.

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 disseminate information about any campaign on a social network, and the informer will show in real time how much money has already been collected,” commented Natalya Khaitina, Deputy General Director of the payment system.

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

Crowdfunding Rules

Clearly stated goal
A public calculation of all costs proposed to be covered by donations.
The thesis “There is no such thing as too much money” is absolutely not suitable here, because donors can use the funds for other charitable needs. In the global practice of crowdfunding, there are no successful examples of a campaign without a target.
Transparent collection process
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 details, 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 makes the donor think that the transfer would be good to do with patronage.
Help is not only monetary
Among the people who sympathize with the project may be potential advertisers, managers of advertising agencies who can include the project in their media plans, and owners of visited sites who could help attract audiences.
Matching
Many Western charitable structures present grant applicants with the same condition: show us matching funds - the money that other sponsors invest in your project. The presence of 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, what matters is not the partners involved, but the team efforts made to extract maximum efficiency from the donated money.

How do crowdfunding platforms make money?

Typically, platforms take a percentage of the funds raised. The size of the commission varies in Russia 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). There are no platform fees for charitable projects. In addition, the service sells music albums, various accessories, and is also planning to open the sale of concert tickets.

The Rusini platform, by the way, does not take a 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 - micro-investors.

This does not mean that only micro-investors are involved in the project. There are different schemes. For example, 51% of the shares belong to the funders, 20% to a business angel or venture fund, and the remaining share is sold to micro-investors who are ready to invest several thousand rubles. Microinvestors can receive shares of a company or a share of a startup's assets. 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 prospects and necessity of the project. And the main attractive factor is the opportunity to play with luck, try to guess which startup will take off. Meanwhile, the world economy is filled with real money from piggy banks. The amounts can be quite small - the point is not to attract “conditionally free” start-up capital, but to attract more participants to the investment market and startup activities.

Crowdinvesting is a game. Not all startups will be successful: only a few will become breakthroughs. The remaining investments will either fail or bring little profit. So crowdinvesting is only suitable for those who clearly understand:

All the riskiness of micro-investments, psychologically ready to lose investments
That crowdinvesting is a long-term story
That they actually provide the startup with a round of seed investment
This is not a “bet of your life”, you need to give a truly free amount
In many ways this is 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: is there anything new awaiting us? If crowdfunding companies abroad are growing, if not like mushrooms, but there are nevertheless quite a lot of them and they are spreading their influence further and further, 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 goal of which is to digitize the 90-volume collected works of Lev Nikolaevich.