It’s no secret that tech in the past five years has leaped farther than we ever thought was possible, faster than possible. Fintech is a force of nature completely reshaping the world as we know it, both literally and figuratively.

For the layman, it can be hard to see how on the grand scale this is happening. Fintech like crowdfunding platforms have taken cues from sites such as gofundme and moved beyond general projects such as funding medical procedures and trips to a whole new level. How? By building niche platforms with a specific focus of connecting industry insiders in everything from real estate to film directly to investors.

While institutional money is still all-powerful, it alters the playing field by providing alternative finance options for a variety of projects that would have been impossible otherwise. Why does this matter? Basically, in the next few years, we are going to see hundreds if not thousands of platforms try and pop up that handle a particular need for funding in niches/industries. That need is funding high-quality projects/partnerships that opt out of or require more funding than institutional scrutiny would be willing to partake in.

The new channels connection offer opportunities that investors and business owners alike dream of.

Now is the time to build a crowdfunding platform. How?

Focus on the selling point.  

Specialized Vs. General

Specialized platforms offer far more regarding usability, and offer a higher likelihood of capturing communities. They offer the advantage of being an authority or a specialist within a niche/industry.  

For instance, when it comes to brewing, while it has more widespread appeal than other crowdfunding opportunities for investment, it still is most potent because of dedicated communities. Brewers are a passionate bunch, and as such, there is the tendency to drift toward what other brewers are doing regarding marketing/investment opportunities.

A platform such as Crowdbrewed is an example of a niche platform corning a part of their market by specializing in special craft beers and connecting fans who are invested in these projects with projects that need funding.  

It works because it’s a dedicated community that receives rewards for their participation in helping fund quality projects run by top-tier teams of taste.  

Their site espouses the finer points of brewing, offers a community to interact with, and tries to establish itself as the brewing haven for would be brewing teams and hobbyists alike.  Community? Check. Niche? Check. Opportunity? Check.

When it comes to choosing to create your own crowdfunding platform, look at the opportunity that is around and look to either connect:

1. Large amounts of small to medium investors with niche product creators
2. Reasonable amounts of medium to large investors that want to own or benefit from a piece of their ownership in companies/projects that are promising.

The price of a platform is not as important as long as the tech that it is based on is solid, the team running it is responsible and efficient, and patience when building the community it will be based off is present.