Written by Wyles Daniel
For decades, startups have been told there’s one path to success: pitch the suits, give up equity, and pray a “big check” investor believes in your vision.
But a growing number of founders are rejecting that model, and for good reason.
Equity crowdfunding is rewriting the rules of startup finance.
That shift is being championed by Maverick Brands, the strategic marketing and advisory firm co-founded by Meg Hansen and Scott Hansen, which helps startups and growth-stage companies raise capital through equity-based crowdfunding. The firm has quickly earned a reputation as a leader in this new era of founder-first finance, helping brands grow their community, protect equity, and unlock new sources of investor capital.
The Big Problem With Big Money
Big investors like to talk about partnership. In reality, their “partnership” often comes with strings long enough to wrap around your business. Board seats. Veto rights. Aggressive growth timelines. Pressure to sell.
Venture capitalists and angel investors are trained to optimize for exit, not necessarily for purpose, product quality, or community. When a few people with large checks control your future, they also control your pace, your priorities, and sometimes even your brand’s soul.
It’s a dynamic that can turn passion projects into pressure cookers. Founders suddenly spend more time managing investor expectations than building what they set out to create.
The Crowd Plays a Different Game
Equity crowdfunding flips that power structure. Instead of relying on one investor writing a $500,000 check, a company can raise the same amount from 500 people investing $1,000 each.
These aren’t just investors. They’re fans, customers, and advocates who are buying into your mission, not just your balance sheet.
Under Regulation Crowdfunding, startups can raise up to $5 million per year from both accredited and non-accredited investors. In plain English: anyone can now own a piece of the next great American company.
For founders, that means retaining control, protecting equity, and building an audience that’s financially - and emotionally - invested in the brand.
It’s the same model Maverick Brands has helped dozens of companies execute successfully, from consumer products to innovative tech startups, by blending strategy, storytelling, and investor engagement.
Community Capital > Control Capital
Here’s the secret the old guard doesn’t want to admit: a thousand small investors are more powerful than one large one.
When your customers become your shareholders, you’re not just raising money — you’re creating momentum. Every investor becomes a marketer, a repeat customer, and a voice spreading your story. That’s the kind of organic network effect even the savviest VC firm can’t manufacture.
Crowdfunding also removes the artificial pressure to “exit fast.” The crowd wants you to build, to grow, innovate, and endure.
They’re not chasing a quick flip; they’re betting on your staying power.
The Maverick Approach
At Maverick Brands, Meg and Scott Hansen are helping founders harness that power. Their team builds fully integrated crowdfunding strategies, spanning investor storytelling, digital advertising, community activation, and email marketing, to ensure campaigns not only raise capital but create believers.
“The companies that win in the next decade will be those built with their community, not just for it,” says Scott Hansen, co-founder of Maverick Brands. “Crowdfunding isn’t just a financial strategy, it’s a movement toward economic inclusion.”
Adds Meg Hansen, who leads creative and investor engagement strategy: “We’re helping founders realize they can raise millions without losing control, and build an army of true believers along the way.”
The startup economy doesn’t need more gatekeepers. It needs more believers.
Thanks to equity crowdfunding - and the teams like Maverick Brands guiding the way - the crowd is already writing checks.
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