No, Mainvest is very different from traditional crowdfunding platforms. With Kickstarter, GoFundMe or Indiegogo, you are simply making donations to businesses and get nothing in return other than “rewards” (e.g., a backpack, new watch, etc.).

Mainvest is a regulation crowdfunding platform, meaning you are actually investing in financial securities when you invest in a business on Mainvest. A business can choose to offer either debt-based (Revenue Sharing Notes) or equity-based securities to their investors. Generally, an equity security represents an ownership interest in the Issuer, while a debt security represents a loan that the Issuer will repay both principal and interest back over time.