SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
GamCrowd.com has evolved its gambling-specific crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform through the launch of its new Incubator service.
The programme sees GamCrowd directly offer a range of value-added provisions and resources to better prepare start-ups and assist with the process of crowdfunding through GamCrowd. Companies will enter the GamCrowd Incubator process in return for equity in their business.
Participating start-ups can immediately benefit from a full appraisal of their business model, in addition to targeted introductions, marketing advice and ongoing support. GamCrowd may also inject SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) funds and/or other forms of pre-crowdfunding capital as well as recommend partners and/or potential suppliers who may also provide services, such as web development, in return for equity.
GamCrowd CEO Chris North explains that the platform was designed to be adaptable – and that the introduction of Incubator is intended to give more start-ups the chance of making a breakthrough.
“We wanted to get GamCrowd out there and learn from the experience that you can only get by operating a business.
“It has always been our intention to build a virtual incubator by introducing crowdsourcing to the platform, and this new development allows us to add even more value to some select start-ups who we will then support all the way through their development,” he said.
Incubator aims to increase the flow of start-ups through the platform and, on a wider level, boost the quality of start-ups in the industry.
“To date, more than 100 start-ups have contacted us and many need a lot of help before they are ready to crowdfund. Only two have reached the stage where they are equipped to go on the platform and one of those didn’t meet its funding target. We have several more that are close to being ready and Incubator should accelerate this process – and allow us take on multiple start-ups simultaneously in the future,” added North.
GamCrowd will host a series of workshops and presentations that discuss incubating start-ups at ICE Totally Gaming on Tuesday 3rd February.
At ICE, the company also plans to fully launch its crowdsourcing platform, Marketplace, to help all start-ups in the industry to access the skills and resources they might need at reasonable costs, regardless of their fundraising requirements.
