Questioning Crowdfunding for the New Year:

I got introduced to Crowdfunding around 2011.  At that time, it was really an underground movement from the hip & creative society.  #Kickstarter where the pioneers, and people really responded by simply backing an interesting project.  I would notice that people are willing to contribute money to someone just because they loved their idea.  Some people would contribute as little as $5 and others would give $100 dollars.  Next thing I would see that the project raised one hundred thousand dollars and that their idea had become a reality.  Wow, I was amazed that creative artists crafted their dream with people willing to contribute to their vision. Today Crowdfunding is way different and you could say is reaching its peak.  With nearly six billion dollars raised just this year.  Crowdfunding companies are popping up everywhere, even Africa is raising major money for cleaner water and new technology.  Platforms such as; #Indiegogo, #kickstarter, #RocketHub, #GoFundMe, #CrowdCube and #OurCrowd are all major players that brings in millions of dollars of funding to new Startups.  People give money in forms of getting a reward, pre-orders, equity and even just because they want to. However, with Crowdfunding reaching such a milestone, problems are starting to transpire.  I would say that one major problem today is transparency and communication within the Crowdfunding world. Why can’t we message the founder of the Startup campaign?  Why can’t we speak to the individuals that have given funds?  Kickstarter, for instance, doesn’t even have a user profile for people to view and communicate with. This is raising the eyebrows of many, including myself. Imagine a Crowdfunding platform where everyone could communicate together.  From the backers to the founders, and even Startups talking together about their campaign and success and failures. That would be amazing! And would create more transparency and security in this industry. This is my vision, and hopefully with the help of many it could become a reality. Building an open-source Crowdfunding Social Network is the Future.  It is the next Facebook : ). Please let me know your thoughts.