4. • Date founded: 2008
• Co-founders:
Danae Ringelmann
Slava Rubin
Eric Schell
• Locations: San Francisco, California.
The site is one of the first sites to offer
crowd funding.
5. • Features: it allows people to solicit funds for an idea, charity, or
start-up business
• Business model: charges a 5% fee on contributions.
This charge is in addition to Stripe credit card processing charges of 3% +
$0.30 per transaction
• MV: Fifteen million people visit the site each month
10. In 2002, while working as an analyst on Wall Street, Danae Ringelmann co-produced a reading of an Arthur Miller
play. Though the performance was popular with audiences, there was little financial incentive available, and
Ringelmann decided to seek alternative revenue streams. Ringelmann was originally inspired to work with
independent filmmakers and theater producers after a filmmaker 50 years her senior saw she worked at JPMorgan and asked
her to fund his film.
In 2006, Ringelmann went on to the Haas School of Business to start a company she felt would "democratize"
fundraising. There she met Eric Schell and Slava Rubin, who had had similar experiences with fundraising.
Schell had previously worked with The House Theater Company in Chicago, while Rubin had started a charity fundraiser for
cancer research, after losing his father to cancer as a child.
In 2007, Ringelmann, Schell, and Rubin developed their concept, under the name Project Keiyaku.
In January 2008, the site officially launched at the Sundance Film Festival, with a focus on film projects.
15. Users can create a page for their funding campaign, make a list of "perks" for different
levels of investment, then create a social media–based publicity effort.
Users publicize the projects themselves—through Facebook, Twitter and similar
platforms. 1The site levies a 5% fee for successful campaigns. For campaigns that fail to
raise their target amount, users have the option of either refunding all money to their
contributors at no charge or keeping all money raised minus a 9% fee.
This option must be selected BEFORE the campaign begins, and the goal will be listed,
directly underneath the amount raised, as fixed (only receive funds if goals is met) or
flexible (will receive funds if goal is not met).