May 4, 2015 @ 7:47 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Crowdfunding is coming of age. Crowdfunding is at turn point from being “alternative” towards being “normal”. This is a good development as it should unlock more funding as more people, who might still consider crowdfunding a bit exotic, will join. In addition, normalisation indicates that… Read More

February 4, 2015 @ 8:58 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

One month into 2015 and we’ve seen a lot of predictions being made.  But what is much harder to predict than exponential growth, is a selection of crowdfunding platforms that will be the winners of 2015! What are the platforms that we’ll have to watch… Read More

December 18, 2014 @ 10:26 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

The crowdfunding industry in 2014 has experienced immense growth. In the last three years crowdfunding has tripled according to Clearity, and according to NESTA the growth percentage even was an amazing 400%. The expectations of a $10 billion crowdfunding industry are hardly a month away… Read More

November 13, 2014 @ 10:46 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Crowdfunding ­is ‘hot & happening’. So ‘hot & happening’ in fact, that a lot of valid criticism, however badly formulated at times, is discarded. One of the points made that is taken as an outright insult, is the mention that “Crowdfunding is just a drop… Read More

October 24, 2014 @ 9:59 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

What’s happening: the industry wants equity It’s ironic that crowdfunding makes it possible to set up companies that otherwise never would’ve come into existence, only to ruin them later by postponing the valuation issues that any start up will have to solve sooner or later…. Read More

August 5, 2014 @ 8:30 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Why do we want more women in business? Practicing gender equality is usually not the reason one starts a company. Are men making a mess of our economies and companies? Is “the men’s world” not functioning or failing in creating sustainable growth within our economies?… Read More

July 9, 2014 @ 8:26 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

A few weeks back the value of VC’s for the crowdfunding industry was extensively discussed. Why? Because there are lot of areas where crowdfunding and VC’s can connect. And though traditional funding and alternative funding are not as rigorously separated as many want to believe,… Read More

June 23, 2014 @ 9:06 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

As a proposition manager for Symbid, we’ve recently ran an amazingly successful campaign called “Kidswatcher”. After his little niece went missing in a ski resort, Eric Recter had an idea: develop an App for parents in combination with a digital watch for their children so… Read More

June 5, 2014 @ 11:30 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Last February Europe, Fleur Pellerin, the former minister of SME’s & Digital Economy, introduced a first draft that outlines a separate legal status for crowdfunding platforms in France. Though France was and still is lagging within the crowdfunding industry in terms of volume and entrepreneurial… Read More

May 23, 2014 @ 10:52 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Greg Anderson posted an interesting question in the beginning of 2013: “Should we celebrate equity crowdfunding at the first investment or first exit?”. More and more savvy (crowdfunding) investors like Nelson Gray and Daniel Isenberg are leaning towards the latter, pointing out the problems of… Read More

May 8, 2014 @ 9:00 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Crowdfunding is hopelessly dependent on traditional funding sectors to educate a new generation of investors and fully develop the industry. The alternative funding industry values its’ own innovative and somewhat ‘rebellious’ character – two characteristics the traditional financial industry isn’t well known for. On top… Read More

May 1, 2014 @ 9:05 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Forbes already knows: smart startups start in Europe. But why? Startups are a thriving resource of jobs and competitive advantage through innovation, and what they need are great startup ecologies. Europe is well on its way to develop several entrepreneurship hubs, and the lists with… Read More

April 24, 2014 @ 9:05 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

The recent commotion concerning crowdfunding legislation is easy to understand considering Europe’s seemingly passive attitude concerning crowdfunding (J.D. Alois) and the discussion on open or closed crowdfunding markets. Accreditation can help to speed up the development of industry-fit regulation, but it requires companies to play… Read More

April 14, 2014 @ 8:24 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

  As the European Union continues to monitor crowdfunding developments, countries in Europe, like France and the U.K., are already developing legislation in an attempt to establish a cohesive government approach. These developments make an interesting case study that can help to decide whether or… Read More

April 3, 2014 @ 9:30 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

As the U.S. is making major efforts to implement the JOBS Act, the European Union seems to be only capable of analyzing the developments, as J.D. Alois’ article “EC Releases Communication on Long Term Financing Including Crowdfunding” shows. The most important conclusion was that the… Read More

August 4, 2013 @ 7:00 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

It could fund your project, boost our companies, create jobs and maybe even save our entire economy: crowdfunding. Advertised as the go-to digital cash machine if the bank doesn’t get you the money you need, crowdfunding is well on its way to become a major… Read More

June 11, 2013 @ 8:24 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

In the final lesson, we go over how to plan for success and be prepared for failure.

May 28, 2013 @ 7:44 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

These tips were compiled by Ella van Leeuwen, Margit Laurs and Melvin Loggies, Master students Entrepreneurship & New Business Venturing at the Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University), Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Content shared in partnership with Symbid. Raising capital through traditional financing methods has become harder… Read More