Crowd-sourced funding giving business a kickstart

Crowd-sourced funding began with Kickstarter. Now Irish businesses — and musician Neil Young — are using it, says Sharon Ní Chonchuir.

WHAT are your options if you have a great idea for a new business but don’t have the funding? Previously, you had two choices: you could apply to your bank for a loan, or ask family and friends to lend it to you. Now, there’s a new alternative: crowd-sourced funding via the internet.

Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) is one of the oldest crowd-sourcing websites; it celebrates its fifth birthday this month.