The Mission

We empower potential entrepreneurs: Those who have great ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit, but don't yet know how to take the leap. We combine crowdfunding with Incubators to help companies get funded and grow their idea to a working business. We want to improve access to funding for SMEs, as well as give people an opportunity to make investing tangible by investing in and earning from their local businesses.

The Challenge

The Netherlands is actually one of Europe's best places to start a business and have it succeed, with a 84% survival rate for new businesses in the first year. However, still, most people who dream of their own business never have the courage to do it. People are risk-averse, intimidated, and overwhelmed by complex business matters like legal and accounting, especially if they're not from a business background. The second problem many potential entrepreneurs face is difficulty funding and validating their idea. Banks are often skeptical to invest in people's ideas if they don't yet have a fully fleshed out business plan and a dedicated set of customers already. We want to help these millions of potential entrepreneurs take the step and create the local business they want to have.

The solution

GrowthShare adresses both problems, the fear and overwhelm as well as the difficulty to get validation and funding. We aim to do that by combining crowdfunding with acceleration and support services. In crowdfunding, projects are posted to a website, then hundreds of people can commit their money to fund the project, and when enough is pledged, everything is collected and handed directly to the entrepreneurs, who then set off on their own and build a product. In return, the investors get a return on their investment, sometimes money, sometimes the products they helped to fund. Through crowdfunding, companies can get the funding they need, but also validate their idea: Funding is only set in motion if enough people are convinced of your idea, meaning those who invest now will become your customers later. This solves funding and validation, but the initial fears and insecurities remain: Not every potential entrepreneur is a business student or comes from an entrepreneurial background, and a lot of people might have visions and good ideas, but don't know how to make them real. GrowthShare will help these people by co-creating a business plan with them, helping them with tax and legal advice, marketing, communication, and networking, all free of charge. This takes away the feelings of overwhelm, risk-aversion and hesitation that are holding so many potential entrepreneurs back. Crowdfunding already exist and has been proven successful, but our innovation of providing free support even after the investment does not currently exist at scale. We believe that if we can combine these two things, we can become a one-stop-shop for all local potential entrepreneurs that want to explore and make their ideas reality. By providing these services to the entrepreneurs, we make sure that the invested money is being used wisely and that the new business is more likely to be successful, allowing us to make a return on the investment through a stake in their business, a simple loan, or a profit-sharing agreement. A part of that gain is then given back to the original crowdfunders, who can enjoy their profit and be satisfied to have made a concrete impact in the economy, supporting a cause they agree with. For example, if somebody wants to start a skate shop, like in our video pitch, the community can make it happen together. That way, once the business is set up, there’s already a guaranteed set of potential customers (the original crowdfunders) who are both emotionally and financially invested in the new business. Let's give people the Maastricht they want and empower potential entrepreneurs. Check out our demo website: https://growthshare.eu/