After all, a company or project that has already
experienced success, however small, and managed to generate income in the form of
pre-sales is a safer investment than one whose concept is
untested. Mark Cuban, in fact, has said that crowdfunding should be a requirement for
every startup.
One recent crowdfunding campaign showed, however, that
even a not-so-successful campaign can still gain enough traction to convince an
investor to support a company.
That’s what happened to Oogave, a soft drinks company
based in Denver. Oogave first came to be in 2005,
when Esteban Anson decided to offer a quality, organic soft drink in his
restaurant that didn't contain processed sugar or high fructose corn syrup. The
soda, which is sweetened with agave nectar, proved popular with his patrons,
and Anson decided to expand operations in 2009.
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| www.oogave.com |
Oogave has been well-received, appearing in stores and
restaurants nation-wide. This is especially impressive considering its
competition – the company claims that Pepsi and Coca Cola each sell as
much pop in 20 seconds as Oogave sells in a year. But, nearly four years on,
the company ran into financial difficulties and decided to crowdfund in order
to keep operations running. crowdsourcing.org
