It would be a breakthrough. The hype is over. With the 2.5 million euros raised, crowdfunding is definitely on the map, the fans say with conviction. But is that true? And will that growth continue? Will we go to tens, hundreds of millions like in the US? Five experts talk about crowdfunding. Douw: “It is hip and hyped. In 2012, a number of platforms will definitely go under!”
says economist Mathijs Bouman, “on a micro scale. Many projects and startups can now do something they couldn’t do before.” He just wants to say it. Crowdfunding is fun and sociable, because money brother cell phone list is invested in an informal way. “It’s about goodwill and it involves small amounts. Moreover, money is often raised within your own network,” says Bouman. But it is precisely this informal atmosphere why the RTLZ analyst does not believe in the growth of crowdfunding. “You can only grow big with formal control systems. They don’t exist,” says Bouman.
Risk
This is being worked on. The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) are currently considering the laws and regulations that are needed to formalize this new financial market and protect investors. After all, private investors run a great risk of losing their lent money, as can be read in the small print on the platforms. "That is precisely why we advise spreading the risk," says Martijn van Schelven, one of the founders of the crowdfunding platform geldvoorelkaar.nl. "Do you have ten thousand euros? Then it is better to invest ten times a thousand euros and not bet the entire amount on one company." After all, the chance that a company will not get off the ground is great, Van Schelven also knows. "One in three start-ups does not make it to the end of the third year."