Crowd-Funding Loans + Resources
CIC Partnership Programs Providing Alternative Funding
Wefunder and Kiva Tucson
CIC has helped bring special support for local businesses with two alternative funding platforms Kiva Tucson and WeFunder to the Tucson area to help with small business growth.
Kiva Tucson
In 2019 Growth Partners Arizona and CIC formed a partnership to bring a Kiva Hub to Tucson. Kiva provides community backed loans focused on character and not credit score.
Kiva Tucson helps financially excluded entrepreneurs in Arizona gain access to capital by providing no-interest, no-fee community-backed business loans on its global online platform. Kiva loans range from $1,000 to $15,000 for up to three years. Kiva can be the first rung on an otherwise inaccessible capital ladder for some small businesses.
To learn more visit growthpartnersaz.org/kiva-tucson or contact Paul Mendoza, Capital Access Manager, Kiva Tucson at 520-891-4413 or paul@growthpartnersaz.org
Wefunder
Also in 2019 CIC formed a partnership with the equity crowdfunding platform, Wefunder, to support early-stage businesses with equity funding. That partnership has been handed off to Startup Tucson to help businesses launch and market their campaign.
Wefunder is an equity financing platform set up like a marketplace where entrepreneurs and founders can pitch their business ideas to a network of over 300,000 online investors in order to raise money for their businesses. In the simplest terms, the investors get part ownership of the businesses they choose to invest in.
To learn more visit wefunder.com or contact Keneshia Raymond, Program Director, Startup Tucson, Keneshia@startuptucson.com
