Bluegreenstrategy

SME Instrument

No requirements on the number of participants (even single company).
Grants for market-oriented innovation, NOT research.
Technology must be in the prototyping and testing phase. It is recommended the presence of a patent filed or granted.
Target: being on the market in less than 2 years.
There are 4 deadlines per year to submit the proposal.
Projects in 2 Phases: technical and business feasibility analysis (Phase1); product industrialisation and commercialisation preparation (Phase 2).
Grants: 50.000€ for Phase 1; from 0.5 to 2.5 M€ (70% direct costs + 25% indirect costs) for Phase 2.

Equity crowdfunding platforms allow to fund the growth of startups or innovative companies by attracting investments from a large community of potential investors.
To this purpose an online campaign is launched on the crowdfunding platform, with the aim to sell a certain amount of equity, that is, a target value of company shares offered to potential buyers.
To launch a campaign, the first step is to submit an application to the selected platform, including basic information and selected documents (typically a pitch and business plan).
On approval from the platform team and its advisors, suitable communication material has to be prepared, to be validated by the platform team.
Often commitment from initial investors is required before the campaign can be opened to the public. These investors must subscribe a certain % of the funding target, typically around 20%.
Campaigns are scheduled by the platform and last between 30 and 60 days, depending on the platform.
On conclusion, a campaign is successful if the target is reached. In case of success the collected funds are paid to the company, otherwise they are paid back to the investors.
Equity crowdfunding platforms request a fee on successful campaigns, typically between 5% and 7%.