Stacked financing: which combinations are possible? Bank credit + crowdfunding

Enough forms of financing, but which ones are interesting for SMEs and can be combined well? The most important combinations are mentioned in the whitepaper ‘Stacked financing’. Can you combine bank credit and crowdfunding and how do you do that?

Popular combination

Entrepreneurs are increasingly combining a form of bank credit with a form of crowdfunding. The bank’s strength lies in its reliability as a financier. The bank has the necessary knowledge on board because of the enormous experience in the field of lending. The advisory role of banks is therefore still a big plus. Bank financing comes in many shapes and sizes. A credit or loan from the bank is in almost all cases the cheapest form of external financing you can get for your business.

Support base

Crowdfunding can be a good additional option to create more support for your total funding requirement . With crowdfunding you immediately test whether there is an audience that believes in your idea and is willing to pay for it. This can further convince a bank of your plans and their financial feasibility. That’s why this combination is so powerful. In addition, less bank financing is then required, which in turn increases the chance that it will be provided.

Good campaign

Crowdfunding in the Netherlands is growing fast, the market grew from 32 million in 2013 to 329 million in 2018. If you have an appealing (new) product or project, crowdfunding can be a good option for you. The big advantage of crowdfunding is its marketing function. Your company and your product are in the spotlight, especially if the campaign is successful. A large group will see your plans. That can of course also be a disadvantage. You must expose yourself to a large extent, for example also make your finances public. A crowdfunding campaign also costs you quite some time. In addition, about 75 percent of the campaigns do not achieve the desired goal. So make sure you have a strong crowdfunding campaign that has a good chance of success. First ask in your environment whether people would invest a small amount in your idea and ensure a powerful story in words and images.

Knowledge

See which part of your plans is suitable for crowdfunding and which part you prefer to place with the bank. Bank credit + crowdfunding is a nice combination of closed financing (bank) and open financing (crowdfunding). You call on a financier with a lot of in-house knowledge (bank) and use the most appealing new form of financing of this decade (crowdfunding). Banks are also increasingly looking for combinations of financing and are open to crowdfunding. For example, ABN AMRO was one of the initiators behind the crowdfunding platform Seeds.nl (which has since been discontinued) and other major banks also applaud the developments surrounding crowdfunding. So talk to the bank and use the knowledge they have in house.

Bank credit

Pros:

  • Relatively cheap
  • No loss of control
  • Reliable
  • Knowledge and experience

Cons:

  • No venture capital financing

Crowdfunding

Pros:

  • Marketing function
  • Grows fast
  • Involvement of customers / fans

Cons:

  • Finance public
  • Good campaign takes a lot of time
  • +/- 75 percent of the campaigns fail