Raises questions of financial security and legal support when bringing the project to popular crowdfunding platforms.

The essence of this process is the open collection of funds for the implementation of a project. Projects are placed on one of the crowdfunding platforms, after which anyone can become a project sponsor. In this article, we will consider the main issues of financial security and legal aspects of bringing a project to crowdfunding platforms.

Today, such a complex word as "crowdfunding" may seem completely incomprehensible to older people and businessmen. old school, but among young, progressive entrepreneurs or startups and creative individuals, this term has become firmly established in recent years. So what is the essence of crowdfunding? The essence of this process is the open collection of funds for the implementation of a project. Projects are placed on one of the crowdfunding platforms, after which anyone can become a project sponsor. In this article, we will consider the main issues of financial security and legal aspects of bringing a project to crowdfunding platforms.

Kickstarter (kickstarter.com)

Kickstarter is by far the most popular crowdfunding platform. This popularity is partly earned by the fact that Kickstarter was a pioneer in the world of crowdfunding. Creative people, engineers and inventors from all over the world are striving to bring their project to this platform. The basic principle of the platform is all or nothing, that is, you are paid the collected money only if the planned amount is reached. If you missed a couple of thousand dollars, all previously collected funds are returned to the sponsors' accounts.

So, the creation of a project on Kickstarter is currently available for individuals in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg .

An individual must meet the following requirements:

• be over 18 years of age;
• be a permanent resident of the above countries;
• register a project in your name or on behalf of the company you represent;
• have an address, bank account, ID in the country in which the project is created (if the project is created by an individual, then its associated bank account must belong to a person who has passed the identity verification procedure and is participating in the project);
• have a registered and verified Stripe business account (stripe.com);
• have a credit or debit bank card.

As you can see, Ukraine is not in the list of countries, but this does not prevent our compatriots from running successful fundraising campaigns on Kickstarter. One of these Ukrainians is the Petcube team, which in just 2 days managed to raise $100,000 to implement their project. To repeat their success, it is not enough just a brilliant idea and a team. It is also required to collect a solid package of documents and go through more than one verification procedure. You can do this in the following ways:

1. Have a reliable partner in your team who is a permanent resident of one of the above countries, has an identity card (ID), address, social security number, telephone.

Having such a partner, you can entrust him with the registration of all required documents, namely:

• registration of a legal entity;
• obtaining an address for the company;
• opening a bank account, obtaining a bank card;
• registration and account verification on stripe.com.

Keep in mind that this person should be well aware of the peculiarities of the execution of the above documents and the opening of a company. It should be noted that it will be very difficult to get such a person into your team, even for free.

2. Use the services of an intermediary with successful experience in launching a project on Kickstarter.

An intermediary will help you complete all the documents and create a company (or provide a ready-made one) to launch your project. This should significantly relieve you and allow you to fully concentrate on creating a project, presentation and marketing. But it should be understood that the intermediary will require proper payment for their services. Usually this is a fixed amount, approximately 1000 $ + 5-20% of the amount of funds you have collected.

In order to protect yourself from fraud by an intermediary, it is recommended to conclude an agreement that clearly specifies the role of the intermediary, the price of his services, as well as the mechanism for transferring the collected funds to your bank accounts, since after the completion of the company, all collected funds are transferred to the intermediary's bank account.

Of course, there is always a risk that the intermediary will not give you your collected millions, but if you have an agreement, you have every reason to go to court to protect your rights. This contract is best concluded in the presence of a qualified lawyer who has previously studied the contract.

It should be noted that the attitude of the Kickstarter administration towards the use of intermediaries is rather negative, but no one forbids you to include an intermediary in your project team and remove all possible claims.

3. Hire a consulting agency or law firm.

As in the case of an intermediary, the consulting agency will take care of all the legal and financial troubles, but these services will cost more than the services of an intermediary. Also, a fixed fee is charged for the services of the agency, which means that the consulting agency earns regardless of whether your project is successful or not. In this regard, it is best to use the services of a company or agency with a name and reputation.

Taxes and commissions or how much money does the creator of the project get?

After the successful completion of the fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, the time comes for the creator of the project to pay commissions and taxes. So how does it go:

1. After graduation successful company Kickstarter charges a commission of 5% of the total amount you raise.
2. For each donation less than $10, the bank takes a commission of approximately 2.9% + $0.30 from each transaction, and if the donation exceeds $10 - 5.0% + 0.05% from each transaction.
3. If the creator of the project was individual, then income tax must be paid, which varies depending on the country and the amount collected and can reach 50%.
4. broker commission or consulting agency(if hired).

As you can see, taxes and commissions can significantly reduce the amount of funds you raise with the help of Kickstarter, so you should form the budget necessary for the implementation of the project, taking into account all taxes and commissions. Also, in order to optimize taxation and choice suitable country for your project, it is recommended to contact experienced specialists in these matters.

Are you a creative person? Do you have an idea about creating an invention that has no analogues? Or maybe you are planning to write a program/book/music? In any case, the idea, in your humble opinion, is wonderful.

But to implement it, you will need a certain amount of money, which will go to the purchase of parts, software and other expenses. Perhaps your current savings will not be enough, and you are afraid that while you are saving the required amount, you will have time to burn out in relation to your project.

Do not rush to give up on your dreams. Kickstarter is here to help you and other creatives. It was founded in 2009 and involves a crowdfunding system - the collective collection of voluntary donations from all users.

The scheme is simple: on the website you tell about your project in as much detail as possible, and those users who are interested in your idea, list you cash so that you can start the project as soon as possible.

The bottom line is to collect the right amount of money for a certain period, otherwise the project becomes inactive, and the money already transferred is returned to users.

Anything can be funded through Kickstarter: the creation of high-tech prostheses and gadgets, the shooting of a new movie, the publication of video games, music albums, comics, books, etc. This is a great platform where young and mature creatives from all over the world gather.

In order to draw the attention of the public to your project, nothing supernatural is required.

How to launch your project on Kickstarter

• Register on the site, describe in as much detail as possible what exactly you want to create. This is partly done for the site moderators: they rather strictly consider incoming applications and select the most promising ones. But it is thanks to their work that there are very few projects on the site in which no one has invested.
• Show a schematic or a working prototype if you already have one. Necessarily upload photos and videos. The presence of video, even animation, significantly increases the chance of attracting investment to the project.
• Name the exact amount that will be required to implement the project and indicate the time frame.
• Tell about your project on social networks so that as many people as possible learn about it and look at the page with your project.

After that, you just have to wait and communicate with users. If people like the idea, you will quickly raise money and be able to start work. It is quite possible that there will be investors who are ready to donate more than one hundred dollars at once. Don't forget to thank your sponsors and customers and send them an exclusive copy of your product when it's ready with personalized congratulations.

In an immobile state. Before it starts working, it needs to be untwisted with external source energy. In practice, the following options are used:

Human muscle strength

It is used when starting small engines. On outboard motors and chainsaws, they pull the cable wound around the flywheel or starting drum (“ rope starter »); on motorcycles, they use a sharp foot pressure on a special lever ( kickstarter ); on mopeds - pedaling bicycle type; on cars - crank the crankshaft starting (crank) handle ("crooked starter"). Muscular strength is always available and does not depend on the charge of the batteries, etc. However, this method of starting is not very convenient to use; more often it is used as a backup. On modern cars, as a rule, the use of a “crooked starter” is not provided for at all.

There are also manual inertial starters , in which a small flywheel is spun by the handle (through a step-up gearbox), and when it stocks required amount kinetic energy, this flywheel is connected through a gearbox (reducing) to the crankshaft of the engine being started. This method allows you to increase the starting power and not create excessive effort on the starting handle. In the USSR, such starters were installed on a part of the T-16, T-25 tractors and small marine diesel engines.

For a long time manual way was the main one for starting aircraft piston engines - everyone is familiar with the footage of the chronicle when the crankshaft of an aircraft engine is spun, pulling the propeller by hand. This method ceased to be used with an increase in the power of the motors, since the muscular strength was simply not enough to turn the shaft of a heavy and powerful engine, often also equipped with a gearbox.

electric starter

The most convenient way. When starting, the engine is spun by a DC collector electric motor powered by a battery (after starting, the battery is recharged from a generator driven by the main engine). But it has one significant drawback: in order to crank the crankshaft of a cold engine, especially in winter, it needs a large starting current, which is given out by the battery, which is rapidly losing maximum current and capacity with decreasing temperature. Sometimes, along with using too viscous oil, which makes it impossible to start in cold weather.

Automotive starter motors have a special design with four brushes, which allows you to reduce rotor resistance, increase rotor current and motor power.

Auxiliary internal combustion engine

The main engine is started by another internal combustion engine of lower power (the so-called "starter"); this method is used on many tractors. The starting engine is usually a carburetor two-stroke, its power is approximately 10% of the power of the main engine. This ensures reliable starting in all conditions. The auxiliary engine itself is started manually (by pulling the cable) or from an electric starter.

Compressed air

Used to run large diesel engines on diesel locomotives, ships and armored vehicles. Previously, this method was the main one for starting piston engines in aviation. In the cylinders, in addition to the usual intake and exhaust valves, additional starting valves are arranged. When starting, they open in such a way that the air entering through them into the cylinders pushes the pistons and spins the engine. Tanks with compressed air are replenished from the compressor driven by the main engine during its operation.

Direct Start

The German company BOSCH has published the results of experiments to study the possibility of a direct (without external scrolling) start gasoline engine with direct fuel injection. The bottom line is this: in an idle engine with 4 or more cylinders in one of the cylinders, the piston is in the position corresponding to the working stroke. Knowing the position of the crankshaft, you can calculate the volume of air in this cylinder, inject the necessary dose of fuel there and set it on fire with a spark. The piston will begin to move, rotating the crankshaft. Further, the process develops like an avalanche and the engine starts. The experiment was recognized as successful, but, according to the BOSCH management, Direct Start is still far from being used on production cars.

exotic ways

A car (like a motorcycle) with a manual transmission can be started by towing it with another car (or by pushing it with your hands, this is called "push start"), as well as accelerating it in gear on an incline.

When the battery is discharged, it is often necessary to connect to the battery of another car (this is called “lighting up”).

In principle, you can start the motor by spinning it with an electric motor powered by an external power supply. The power and operating time of such a network starter are almost unlimited, however, it is far from possible to connect to the power grid everywhere.

To start the engine after a short shutdown, a flywheel storage was proposed: spun up by the engine while driving, it then allows you to start the engine without loading the battery.

Ignition at startup

For engines with spark ignition, the problem of supplying the ignition system at the time of start is also relevant. Conventional generators with electromagnets take some time to self-excite, so at the time of starting, the ignition is powered only by the battery. As a result, the IZH and Ural motorcycles do not start when the battery is discharged, although the start is made by a kick starter, and not an electric starter. This problem is solved by using a generator with permanent magnets (as on the Minsk and Voskhod motorcycles) or magnetos, which give current immediately, but such generators have less power. The problem becomes much weaker when using electronic ignition, but it is also unable to work with a completely dead battery. The problem of a completely planted battery is exacerbated by the fact that modern generators use an excitation winding instead of permanent magnets. This means that even with a rotating motor (for example, a towed car), there will be no spark.

In addition to problems with the power supply of the ignition system, there is also a problem with mixture formation when starting a cold engine. At low temperatures, the fuel does not evaporate completely enough in the carburetor, because of which it enters the combustion chamber in the form of droplets that can “fill in” the spark plug. free from this deficiency.

If you consider yourself a geek or at least someone interested in IT, then you simply must know what Kickstarter is. Kickstarter is not a store, not an auction and not a place for development, Kickstarter is one of the largest platforms in the world, but here, believing in the idea of ​​complete strangers, no one guarantees you anything, and your money spent on supporting a promising project may be gone going nowhere. Nevertheless, every day enthusiasts who have cool IT ideas earn tens of thousands of dollars on them thanks to the support of other enthusiasts interested in the new product. So let's figure out what Kickstarter is, how it works, and why people are willing to spend tens of dollars on a possibly unpromising idea.

How it works

So, Kickstarter is the world's largest crowdfunding platform, which in human terms means public funding or voluntary donations. The layout of the site is quite simple - you have a mind-blowing idea related not only to information technology, but also various projects in the field of physics, cinema, photography and even comics. The basis of your project offered on Kickstarter is a video demonstrating the work of a device invented and developed by you (we are talking about IT, not about music). By the way, everyone's videos are very interesting and well-made, and this is not surprising, because thanks to correctly presented visual information, a person best perceives what you want to convey to him.

We figured out the demonstration of the project, so we can smoothly move on to raising funds to start producing the gadget. The author or team of authors themselves sets the amount necessary to start mass production device and until the required amount of money is collected for a certain period (set by the author of the project), the authors will not start launching the device. If the required amount is not reached, then the money will be returned to those who donated their hard-earned money to this reluctantly accepted idea.

You may have a natural question - is there really so many people in the world who are ready to selflessly donate money to the idea of ​​strangers? In fact, there are some, but donors get their buns. for example, the development team has planned the release of the game - te future cost will be $20. So, if you spend $1, then you will be thanked and that's it, and if you donate $10 bucks, you will get the game before the official release, if $20, you will get a premium account. Of course, this is all figurative and each author decides for himself how to reward the donors.

From each successful project, Kickstarter receives 5% for the performance of the service of providing a platform for PR of your idea.

And what is the risk?

The main problem is that the person who donated money to a noble cause may never see it again. Kickstarter itself is only a platform for project proposals and does not bear any responsibility. Therefore, you are unlikely to be able to sue your legitimate money.

This was the case with Eyez glasses (before Google Glass), which shoot HD video and send it to your smartphone. They were offered to anyone who offered $150 or more. More than 2,000 people pecked, and so far they have not received any money or points.

Another problem is ignorance of the real quality of the product being prepared. So, for example, it happened with the iPhone case made of a single piece of aluminum i+Case. This project collected as much as $ 85 thousand, and as a result, users received a signal jammer cellular network, since the metal did not pass the signal well (the same situation was with the Asus Transformer Prime, the back cover of which was entirely made of aluminum).

Conclusion

Of course, bad situations always happen, but in the case of Kickstarter, they are quite rare. Basically, the developers who received the required amount still bring the project to the end, albeit not very high quality, maybe damp, but still bring it to the end. If you are really interested in new technologies and ready to support talented authors and get this gadget, game or music album before the start of sales, then you can easily do it and all thanks to Kickstarter!

Target: 50 thousand dollars.

Collected: more than 13 million dollars.

Idea. In 2014, Ryan Grepper decided to create a portable refrigerator of the future that would cost just $185. In addition to the banal cooling of food and drinks, it can:

• mix drinks and grind ice with the built-in blender;
• play music, as it is also a wireless speaker;
• charge a couple of devices through two USB ports.

You can also cut a salad on it or cut meat for barbecue. The knife is not afraid of him, as there is a special coating. Inside there is a compartment for dishes, an opener and a place to store knives, and there is also LED lighting for evening gatherings.

In general, the dream of lovers of picnics and outdoor recreation. Not surprisingly, the necessary $50,000 was raised in just 36 hours! A month later, the amount exceeded $ 13 million, which is even more than the first Pebble. The refrigerator was waiting for 56 thousand people and, according to Ryan Grapper, should have received it in February 2015.

What happened. But in February 2015, no one received a refrigerator. People understood and forgave: after all, a large-scale campaign, a delay of a couple of months is not critical. And they waited a little, and then a little more. The manufacturer periodically reported problems either with the battery or with delivery.

jeremybrigden.com

By the end of the summer of 2015, only 3,000 people out of 56,000 received a refrigerator. The dissatisfaction of the sponsors grew, but the surprises did not end there. In the fall, the coveted refrigerator went on sale on Amazon for $500 instead of the originally announced $185. Ryan Grapper explained this by not calculating the shipping cost and there was not enough money. It turns out that Amazon buyers paid for delivery to Kickstarters.

Even now, in May 2016, Coolest Cooler has not yet reached all customers. It just so happened that one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns turned into one big scandal. And only illiterate management is to blame here.

Skarp laser razor

Target: 160 thousand dollars.

Collected: more than 4 million dollars.

Idea. Imagine a shave without cuts, irritation and expensive replacement blades. The idea is great, and I agree with 20,000 investors who have invested about $4 million in the Skarp project.

Skarp is a laser razor that, according to the developers, should replace the usual razor with blades. The laser gently cuts the hairs, eliminating cuts and irritation. The razor runs on an ordinary AAA battery, one battery is enough for a month of work. People liked the idea of ​​the device, and 24 days before the end of the campaign, approximately $250,000 was raised.

What happened. The idea is certainly cool, but how feasible? Many began to doubt the reality of the project, if only because there was not a single real image of a razor. Just renders and promises. The principle of operation of the device also raises questions. According to the manufacturers, the laser beam should simply cut off the hairs, as a regular razor does. But this is hardly possible, because this will require a laser that is several times more powerful than a laser pointer. He, of course, cuts off the hairs, but at the same time leaves a severe burn on the skin.

The inventors answered all questions with a video in which five (!) Hairs were cut in two minutes. Such a demonstration of the capabilities of the device gave rise to even more doubts. As a result, Kickstarter simply closed the project due to the lack of a working prototype.

But it didn't seem to be a big disappointment for the authors of the project, as it soon appeared on Indiegogo. On this site, real prototypes are not required, and in three hours 34 thousand dollars were collected from the declared 160 thousand. Naturally, real images of the razor never appeared, so I think this is nothing more than the work of scammers.

Nanodrone Zano

Target: 190 thousand dollars.

Collected: over $3.5 million.

Idea. The authors of the project decided to create a small drone that can fly and shoot high-definition video. The baby had to easily fit in the palm of your hand, it was proposed to control it using a smartphone or gestures. There was an idea to make the most simple and convenient control that anyone can master.

The potential of Zano is, of course, amazing. Thanks to a variety of sensors, the drone was supposed to fly almost autonomously, avoid obstacles, shoot and broadcast streaming video for at least 15 minutes. They promised support for wireless charging, video stabilization, and even a thermal imaging camera. A tempting set of features for such a crumb.

There were many people who wanted to get Zano, they managed to collect more than 3.5 million dollars. The developers promised to deliver the drones in June 2015.

What happened. And it turned out to be one of the most high-profile scandals on Kickstarter. According to the already familiar scheme, the creators of the project first fed the sponsors with promises, postponed the deadlines several times. As a result, having broken all the deadlines, they sent a couple of hundred half-dead drones (with 3 thousand customers). The gadgets turned out to be of terrible quality, they were only able to rise a few centimeters above the ground, after which they flew into the wall. There was no autonomous flight and obstacle avoidance at all.

This caused a wave of indignation, because of which Kickstarter even had to hire well-known journalist Mark Harris (Mark Harris) for an independent investigation. Naturally, everything turned out to be a lie, videos demonstrating the capabilities of the drone were falsified. The money was spent on personal needs, and when they ran out, the company declared itself bankrupt.

Peachy Printer 3D Printer

Target: 50 thousand dollars.

Collected: more than 650 thousand dollars.

Idea. Rylan Grayston and David Boe set out to make a 3D printer accessible to everyone. They developed a compact device called the Peachy Printer, which was supposed to be sold as a kit so that each user could assemble and configure the printer, starting from specific task. The gadget was able to print even colored objects using eight blendable colors. In general, a useful thing, and for only $ 100.

Having collected more than 650 thousand dollars, the creators of the project promised that they would return soon, and disappeared for more than two years.

What happened. And then Rylan Grayston got in touch, announcing that his partner had spent most of the money building his house. Since they did not have a joint account, all funds raised on Kickstarter went to David Bo's account. When Raylan asked to give him the collected money, David transferred only 200 thousand dollars. Before going to the police, Raylan decided to appeal to the conscience of his companion and demanded that he confess to the theft and return the money with interest.

David, of course, apologized, but only returned $107,000 of the remaining $450,000. The rest went home. However, Rylan Grayston decided not to give up and promised to still send printers to customers, even without having the full amount.

Ant Simulator

youtube.com

Target: 4 thousand dollars.

Collected: 4.5 thousand dollars.

Idea. ETeeski decided to create an Ant Simulator game. As you may have guessed, in it you are offered to become an ant: to extract resources, fight, build - in general, do the usual ant business. At the same time, the emphasis is on virtual reality, support for Oculus Rift glasses, ANTVR and others is announced. In addition to third-party investments, the guys raised more than $4,000 on Kickstarter and were already preparing for open beta testing.

What happened. In early 2016, game developer Eric Tereshinski posted a video announcing the closure of the project. It turned out that his partners and part-time best friends spent all their money on booze, poker and strippers. According to Eric, almost all the money has been spent, so he cannot continue developing the game. Moreover, his ex-partners threatened Eric with a lawsuit if he began to work on the project on his own.

The moral here is simple: choose partners wisely and don't blindly trust them, even if they are your bosom friends.

Here's a selection that came out. It is a pity that many interesting projects fail simply because of stupidity and illiterate management. Well, Kickstarter should select projects more carefully, as well as develop a support system for users affected in such situations.