Crowdfunding as an alternative source of financing for investment and innovation projects

The development of alternative sources of financing in modern economic conditions is one of the necessary factors for creating a competitive national economy. Due to their advantages, crowdfunding technologies allow to mobilize a significant amount of financial resources for investing in innovative projects. The article presents the results of a study of crowdfunding technologies as an alternative form of financing projects of business structures. The main attention is paid to the mechanism of crowdfunding innovative projects. Within the framework of the conducted research, the main prerequisites for the development of modern crowd technologies are identified, the content of the concept of "crowdfunding" is disclosed, and the main segments - crowdfunding, crowdlending and crowdinvesting are characterized. The paper analyzes the activities of the most popular Russian investment platforms in the context of the main crowd segments, proves the need for further development of crowdfunding models, primarily by improving the mechanisms of legislative regulation.