Finance & Funding

Crowdfunding for Your Business

Updated: 2026-05-27 Holdwise editorial team Crowdfunding Funding Marketing

With crowdfunding, you raise money from many small backers, usually through an online platform. If your campaign succeeds, you get money and proof that people want your product at the same time. If it goes badly, you can spend months for little result. At Holdwise, we updated this answer on 27 May 2026 and change it when the rules change.

The four types of crowdfunding

Reward-based: backers pre-order the product or receive a reward. This is common for products and creative projects.
Loan-based ("crowdlending"): backers lend you money you repay with interest.
Equity: backers receive shares in your business. This means more paperwork and stricter rules.
Donation: backers give money as a gift. This is mainly used for good causes and rarely for businesses.

Choosing a platform

Reward-based campaigns often appear on large international platforms. Dutch loan and equity crowdfunding has its own platforms. Choose the platform that matches your type, audience and country.

What makes a campaign succeed

An audience you bring with you. With crowdfunding, you rarely find a new audience. You raise money mainly from people who already follow you.
A clear, specific product or goal that backers can picture.
A credible founder and team, visible behind the campaign.
A strong campaign page with video, story and proof.
Active promotion before and during the campaign.

What usually fails

If you launch a campaign before you have an audience, with vague goals, a weak story and little promotion, the result almost always disappoints. You need more than a good product. You also need an audience and a clear story.

Costs and effort

Platforms take a percentage of the amount raised, plus fees for processing payments. The biggest cost is usually your time. Preparation often takes weeks or months, and while the campaign is live, you need to work on it every day. Plan for that effort.

When crowdfunding works

Ordinary service businesses, and those that lack a clear story, are usually a poor choice for crowdfunding.

Tip: a successful crowdfunding campaign is also good marketing. During the campaign, more people get to know your business, and you build an audience. You also see whether people want your product, whatever amount you raise.

Frequently asked questions

Will crowdfunding bring me an audience? +

Rarely. With crowdfunding, you mainly raise money from people who already know you. Build your audience first, and then start the campaign.

What is the typical fee on a platform? +

A percentage of the amount raised, plus fees for processing payments. The biggest cost is usually the time and energy you spend preparing and running the campaign.

Is equity crowdfunding worth the complexity? +

It can be for businesses with serious growth plans and a story that appeals to backers. For most small businesses, the rules and reporting duties are too heavy for the amount they raise.

Sources Belastingdienst · KVK · wetten.overheid.nl Last updated: 2026-05-27