When you’re setting out to create a business, it’s likely that you’ll encounter the familiar hurdle of having to gather funding. Beginning a business from scratch means that you’ll have a great deal of building to do, and much of this costs money. Yet connecting with traditional investors can be difficult and costly, as you have to give away a significant portion of your company to attain their support. Instead, here are three exciting new ways in which you can gather business funding in 2022 and beyond.
Crowdfunding
The world of crowdfunding isn’t new, but the ways in which it can be delivered are changing and developing rapidly. There are still the stalwart websites that you should consider engaging with, such as CrowdFunder itself, but there are also smaller sites that are targeted at private investors who are interested in backing the next big business success story.
You’ll be able to find some of these by searching for them online. Ask your friends and professional contacts if they’ve ever used such services or whether they’re aware of crowdfunding websites that are angled towards a more professional level of investment. This can help you bypass the large investment firms in order to get cash directly from individuals who are passionate about your business.
Marketing
Another way to harness crowdfunded support is to use marketing alongside your crowdfunding efforts. Firms such as Tatango do just that, with an innovative mix of mass SMS texting software and donation services enabling you to connect with more people online and through their smartphones. Tatango’s software is often used for political campaigns but could equally be used for other exciting projects.
In whatever case, your marketing is key to getting the support from grassroots investors that will add up to your investment target. In order to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, you need to appeal to a mass audience of investors who see promise in what you’re working on. So use all the channels available to you – from SMS messages to emails, social media, and your own website – to gather as much attention as possible.
Tech Grants
In the post-COVID age that we’re moving into, much of the economy has shifted, and economic and government policies are changing to meet those shifts. One of the key areas in which many countries are investing is now in the tech sector, which is seen as one of the most profitable to invest in. As such, if you’re making a tech company, you may well be eligible for government grants that are designed to help you and your country prosper.
These grants will require you to undergo a lengthy application process, but the funding that you receive at the end of it, and the support you’re offered by seasoned entrepreneurs, is something that you cannot turn up. The grants are not necessarily loans – some are awarded to you in the expectation that one day your firm will earn more in tax dollars and export revenues for your country.
Make use of these new funding streams in order to bypass the investors when you’re next raising cash to support your firm.