The co-founders of crowdfunding platform Fundsurfer, based in the Engine Shed, have been invited to visit a number of interested investors in California as well as other start-ups and business incubators. The company was founded in 2012 before being accepted into the award-winning SETsquared Centre in November 2013 and launching www.fundsurfer.com in 2014.
Fundsurfer gives people the chance to fund social and creative projects by offering a series of rewards and benefits for those who choose to donate to the project. Later this year, Fundsurfer also intend to allow those who have donated to receive equity in the project, a ‘hybrid’ concept which would be the first of its kind in Bristol.
Oliver Mochizuki and Derek Ahmedzai are the pair behind the website, which Oliver says has been created to ‘offer a simple yet highly effective platform to raise funds.’
“Currently bank lending to small businesses and funding for creative and social projects has been cut dramatically” he said. “With councils expected to deliver 100% of services for 60% of the budget there is huge scope for disruption of traditional funding models. This applies to all sectors and industries, in the future all kinds of companies will be involved with crowdfunding”.
Derek added: “It’s a real honour to be part of the SETsquared Centre. We are also in discussion with key figures from the public and private sector to create a number of partnerships across Bristol. It is no exaggeration to say that in the future billions if not trillions of pounds will go through crowdfunding platforms. Anyone interested in submitting a project can register on the site for free and start raising funds, it’s a fantastic way to see if your idea is a good one without it costing you anything”.
