Funding that utilizes social media and online groups to gather small amounts of capital from multiple people in order to fund an idea. This is known as alternative finance.
Examples
The following are two popular crowdfunding websites for science projects.
- Experiment – “An online platform for discovering, funding, and sharing scientific research . . . [Experiment is composed of] a team of scientists, designers, and technologists passionate about helping ideas grow.”
- MedStartr – “MedStartr serves a global community of healthcare innovators that want to improve how healthcare works for everyone.”