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A Guide to Crowdfunding Ecosystem

As the crowdfunding concept is starting to draw a crowd, new startups built on a version of the Kickstarter model are now popping up all over the place, in sectors from gaming to health to education. GigaOM offers a snapshot of the fast-growing crowdfunding ecosystem.

According to GigaOM crowdfunding platforms tend to come in one of two flavors. The first is platforms that help fund a wide variety of one-time projects through donations, loans or pledges in exchange for rewards. These platforms are more about pledging support for an idea, project or person than investing in a product or company.

The second type of crowdfunding, sometimes called crowdinvesting, includes funding platforms designed to help more people get into the investing game by allowing them to take a piece of equity.

The following platforms are presented:

General crowdfunding platforms

Crowdfunding for social causes

Crowdfunding for health and medical

Crowdfunding for small and local businesses

Crowdfunding for science

Crowdfunding for music

Crowdfunding for education

Crowdfunding for gaming and apps

Crowdfunding for startups and companies

More info

A GigaOM guide to Kickstarter wannabes