• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Crowdfund Community

    Houston restaurants and bars now accepting investments from everyday investors

    CultureMap Create
    Feb 25, 2016 | 10:28 am

    When Austin’s SquareRut Kava Bar opened its first location in 2011, “relaxation drinks” were a foreign but intriguing concept. The bar enjoyed early success the old-fashioned way, through a good product and stellar customer experience.

    When it came time to expand to a third location in one of Austin’s hottest and most active neighborhoods, the owners decided to try something new. The local business raised $100,000 for its next location through a hot new investment concept that keeps local funds local and gives patrons an opportunity to invest in the businesses they love: NextSeed.

    NextSeed is a new crowdfunding platform that makes it possible to invest funds in local businesses and see financial returns on that investment.

    Crowdfunding small businesses allows consumers to invest in the places they already love. If, for example, a popular EaDo coffee shop in Houston could use a killer patio area to serve its new extended menu, the shop can figure the cost and, with NextSeed, finance that cost with the help of its patrons.

    As the business booms from the upgrade, investors see a financial return on what they’ve invested. Investing in the community is now a real alternative to savings accounts and stocks for people wishing to see financial gains.

    As with popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, NextSeed investors can receive rewards at different levels, based on how much they invest. But with Kickstarter, the final reward is really the finished product itself, if that ever makes it to completion.

    NextSeed’s reward is financial return. Investors receive monthly payments from the businesses they supported.

    NextSeed carefully reviews every deal before presenting an opportunity to investors on its website. Those businesses are presented live on the NextSeed website, where investors can get straightforward information about each offering and choose which business is the best fit for their financial visions. With NextSeed, the resources needed to start investing are available online in a one-stop, user-friendly platform.

    So who can invest? Anyone, now. With recent changes to Texas legislation, anyone can help finance a good idea. You don’t need deep pockets to contribute, and that’s the power of the concept. By offering smaller portions of the pie, it’s easier for everyone to get a piece. Supporting local business then becomes a community effort.

    Houston business owner Simon Nguyen was the first to successfully close an offering with NextSeed. His goal was to enhance his hair salon, Hair Revolution, with an expanded product line and hair shows.

    His investors were promised a financial return, and he added perks like gift cards for hair styling and VIP makeovers and parties. Giving investors VIP access to his business allowed him to connect with the community that supported him.

    For NextSeed chief marketing officer Abraham Chu, the secret to Nguyen’s success and satisfaction with the crowdfunding platform is community.

    “What’s important is that business owners often have trouble getting financing, and even if they can get it, it’s a one-way relationship with an institution,” Chu says. “Instead of just borrowing from an institution that only cares about getting a monthly payment and doesn’t support the business otherwise, [Nguyen is] inviting people from the community to invest and feel a sense of bond and commitment to his business and his success.”

    Nguyen appreciated the free public relations aspect of the campaign. As buzz about his involvement with NextSeed grew, Nguyen found a community invigorated with enthusiasm for the potential of his hair salon. He quickly reached his financial goals and now is profiting from renewed interest in his salon. The salon remains under his ownership, and he’s able to fulfill agreements made to investors from his expanded community.

    Although NextSeed’s crowdfunding aspect is new, community involvement harks back to a more down-to-earth approach to doing business. Houstonians are empowered to invest a range of dollar amounts to boost local bars, restaurants, salons, and other places they are passionate about. With NextSeed, local investors can make their money work for them and their communities.

    For more information on this new crowdfunding platform, and to see which of your favorite businesses have active campaigns, visit NextSeed.

    ----------

    Any views expressed in this article reflect the personal views of the author only for discussion purposes and should not be viewed as investment advice or recommendation, and does not constitute any legal or tax advice with respect to any securities.

    SquareRut Kava Bar's new location on Barton Springs Road in Austin is now open, after successfully crowdfunding on NextSeed.

    SquareRut Kava Bar patio after completion
      
    Photo courtesy of SquareRut Kava Bar
    SquareRut Kava Bar's new location on Barton Springs Road in Austin is now open, after successfully crowdfunding on NextSeed.
    promoted
    promoted
    news/restaurants-bars
    series/nextseed-houston

    most read posts

    Massive, German-inspired beer garden coming to new Energy Corridor project

    4 fresh new restaurants now open in suburban Houston

    Houstonians will get the royal treatment at this lively new steakhouse

    promoted
    news/restaurants-bars
    series/nextseed-houston
    Loading...