Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding Assignment:
Students will investigate some of the current crowdfunding sites and present three opportunities in which they would be willing to invest their money or prepurchase a product. There is a sample assignment on Moodle as well.
Students will have to draw from two out of the three different types of crowdfunding sites:
A. A crowdfunding site which allows people to investing in a company with equity.
B. 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 lending where one person lends someone money so they can buy a stereo.
C. A site which you can support an entrepreneur by donating money and you receive a reward usually a pre-purchase of a product. (Kickstarter)
Given the rules to access information on some opportunities on peer to business lending does change you do not have to use this type of site if you find it
challenging. You still have to present THREE opportunities, but they can come from A & C only if you which.
The assignment is NOT you reviewing the crowdfunding sites but finding businesses or ideas that you think merit investment or entrepreneurs you wish to
support via pre-purchase. This is what you write the paper about. Again, you write about three different businesses.
As a reminder – there is a sample assignment on Moodle for you to view.
Students will prepare a seven to nine-page report discussing the following:
1. 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
• Why they think this product or company will be successful
• Terms of investment or donation for a reward site.
2. Students should discuss:
• The market potential for the product
• Advantages the product and company has. These should be your thoughts. Do not cut and paste from the crowdfunding site. Cutting and pasting is
plagiarism.
• Potential competition where you evaluate how the product/company compares to competitors. Interject some of the marketing mix here.
• Any other factors.
3. Link to the site.
4. Students should conclude the report with a two-to-three-page reflection where they must discuss:
• What they learned in completing the assignment
• How entrepreneurs are using crowdfunding
• The types of pitches entrepreneurs are using and so forth. Why?
• What students found surprising, interesting, and relevant.
5. To earn a outstanding grade (A) or (A+) grade students must:
• Read the text, find articles on crowdfunding, and compare and contrast what they have learned, what they agree with, what is new information and so forth.
• Interject information from the text into their reflection. This it not repeating information but considering what is written and comparing/contrasting it to your
thoughts and findings.
• Interject information from our optional videos or other sources. An outstanding paper will see students read five or more articles on crowdfunding and
inject that information into their paper.