Crowdfunding Assignment

PART 1 – Students will investigate some of the current crowdfunding sites and present three opportunities in which they would be willing to invest their money or pre-purchase a product.

Students will have to draw from three different types of crowdfunding sites:

A crowdfunding site which allows people to investing in a company with equity

A crowdfunding site which allows people to lend entrepreneurs money. This can also be described to as peer to business lending. (Note this is not peer to peer where one person lends someone money so they can buy a stereo.)

A site which you can pre-purchase a product.

PART 2 – Students will prepare a five to nine-page report discussing the following:

The product/company they selected to invest in or pre-purchase the product. Students should explain why they selected the company and/or product. Students should explain what made the company interesting to them and why they think this product or company will be successful.

Students should consider the market potential for the product, advantages the product or company has, potential competition and other factors.

Link to the site.

PART 3 – WRAP UP THE REPORT AND TIE IT ALL TOGETHER, (adding information that integrates theory with real-life with your own thoughts and ideas will give you higher points). Students should conclude the report with a one to two-page reflection where they can discuss what they learned in completing the assignment, how entrepreneurs are using crowdfunding, the types of pitches entrepreneurs are using and so forth. Students should also discuss what they found surprising, interesting and relevant.

Tips/Help:

Historically, there have always been students who ask the instructor ‘Where do I get this information?’. To avoid this, I am going to offer the following: Pretend this is a job assignment for which you have been given clear instructions and it is up to you to find the information yourself. If I was a student, I would start with Google, I would discuss it with my peers and/or family, I would read the textbook, and I would make sure to read online articles. That is what I would do. You may choose to find this information another way and I will leave it to you to determine the best method to complete the assignment.

Students should recognize that there are a variety of crowdfunding sites and the differences between them. You will not be able to complete this project only using one crowdfunding site.