DONALD TRUMP ENTERS THE CROWDFUNDING INDUSTRY WITH FUNDANYTHING
Donald Trump, one of the most prominent businessmen in the world, gave crowdfunding his stamp of approval earlier today, helping to launch the new platform FundAnything.
“People’s lives have been destroyed by this economy and they feel hopeless,” Trump said in a press release announcing the platform’s launch. “FundAnything is a real solution.”
The rewards-based platform will allow projects of all kinds (hence the name) to raise money, as long as they don’t violate the site’s terms.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Google Joins Lending Club’s Big Name Backers
It’s hard to get much bigger than the big names that are now backing crowdfinancing platform Lending Club. Last week it was announced that Google has taken a minority stake in the company
Airbnb Introduces Verified ID Feature
Airbnb has rolled out a new Verified ID feature in hopes of promoting more trust among its community members.
How to Create, Execute, and Deliver a Successful Kickstarter Project
Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games writes in with some excellent tips on how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.
CircleUp Raises $7.5M in Series A Funding
The equity crowdfunding platform CircleUp recently announced a $7.5 million Series A funding round.
Crowdfynd Aims to Help Locate Lost and Stolen Items 
We take a look at crowdsourced lost and found platform crowdfynd, which launched recently.
NPR’s Kickstarter Campaign Hits $300,000 
We take a look at NPR’s Kickstarter campaign, which just passed the $300,000 mark, and discuss some other crowdfunded journalism initiatives.
OpenStreetMap Unveils New Map Editor 
OpenStreetMap launched a new map editing tool yesterday, hoping to make the editing process easier and thus entice more contributors
9 of the World’s Top 10 Brands Are Crowdsourcing
Every business in the world can learn from these top brands who are tapping into the power of crowdsourcing to create brand value.
A Conversation on Crowdfunding Film in the Crowded Room #22
In this full half-hour version of the Crowded Room podcast, Episode 22, Eric Blattberg and Anton Root cover all the week’s headlines and have a conversation about crowdfunding films today with two special guests, Karen Worden and David Branin of FilmCourage.