With crowdfunding now a $34 Billion a year industry, it is starting to change lives.
As noted in the Washington Post article, crowdfunding is helping struggling artists get a start while they clean toilets to pay the rent.
Crowdfunding seems to democratize fund raising allowing women and minorities finance their dreams where they would find resistance with the established financing routes (white males?). It releases people from their insular social networks, geography and conventional wisdom. It’s the true way to find your audience.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/part-time-janitor-looks-to-crowdfunding-to-become-full-time-entrepreneur/2016/03/18/896d5900-d714-11e5-9823-02b905009f99_story.html