FAQ

General

What is ScitechStarter?

ScitechStarter is a crowdfunding website that focuses on projects related to science and technology. If you're a student, professional, faculty, or someone who has curious mind, we welcome you to start a project or pledge on your favorite ones.

What is crowdfunding?

According to Wikipedia, crowdfunding "describes the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their resources, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations."

In ScitechStarter terms, crowdfunding is the act of backers pledging money and offering assistance to projects they feel strongly for.

Why focus on science and technology?

We firmly believe that science and technology projects will be the impetus for wider improvements and faster innovations. Creative projects are good but they usually do not provide solutions to small and big scale issues. It is not to say, however, that science and technology projects cannot be creative. In fact, we encourage project owners to think outside of the box and present their smart ideas in an artistic and imaginative way.

 

Creating a Project

Which types of projects are allowed?

Aerospace, Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science, Electronics, Energy, Engineering, Environmental, Fisheries Science, Forensics, Forestry Science, Genetics, Linguistics, Materials Science, Mathematics, Medicine, Nanotechnology, Nuclear Technology, Physics, Robotics and A.I., Science Fiction, Security Engineering, Social Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Zoology.

Which types of content are prohibited?

Adult oriented material, Contests, Coupons or discounts, Cash-value items, Credit services, Equity-, debt- and revenue-based crowdfunding, Get rich quick schemes, Illegal and offensive materials and activities, Marketing businesses, Raffles and lotteries and sweepstakes, Phone services, Real estate, Regulated activities, Rewards not related to the project, Travel and time shares, Weapons and firearms. We reserve the right to reject projects that we deem inappropriate for the website.

Do I need to have a PayPal account to create a project?

Yes. We require anyone who wants to start a project from anywhere in the world to have a valid Personal or Premier PayPal account with verified status. All transactions are processed in USD.

How much should I set my goal amount to?

The goal amount depends on your requirements. We allow a minimum of $1000 USD to be set and a maximum of $10M USD. Your goal amount should be reasonable and should closely match the cost to build your project. You should do your own due diligence when coming up with the appropriate price for your project.

Can I edit the project while in open status?

Yes. Project owner can update project information while in open status. However, it is not allowed to modify funding end date and the goal amount once the project is open for funding.

Can I cancel a project?

Yes. Once the project owner decides to cancel the project, he will lose all the pledge amounts.

 

Funding a Project

What does all or nothing funding mean?

All or nothing funding means that project owners will only receive the money they raised when they reached the goal amount. This also means that backers pledge amounts will get cancelled if the funding is not successful.

What is overfunding? And is it allowed?

Overfunding is when goal amount for the project is exceeded. By default, ScitechStarter allows projects to collect more than the goal amount. It is the discretion of the project owner to override this setting and disable overfunding.

Are there minimum and maximum pledge amounts?

The global site minimum amount is $1 USD and the maximum amount is $2000 USD. However, the project owner can set a different minimum amount greater than $1.

Can owners fund their own projects?

No. The reason for this is we want to account for all the funds that go into the project and we do not want to give a false first impression of the funds being raised for the project. If the owners personally know of funders that would like to pledge money, they should ask them to create user accounts with ScitechStarter.

Can owners fund other projects?

Yes. Project owners can contribute towards the success of other projects that they deem will benefit mostly by their funding and they believe will be able deliver.

Can funders offer assistance?

Of course. We encourage funders to get involved with the projects they want to give support to. They can offer assistance in the form of free website development, free consultation on a subject matter, free moral support when times get tough, etc. We require that any assistance offered to the project owner must be completely free.

 

Fees

Does ScitechStarter charge a commission fee? And are there any third party fees?

Yes and yes. For successful funds, i.e. you reached your goal amount, we charge 5% commission. We also use PayPal Adaptive to process your funds. With micropayment enabled and you being the primary receiver of funds, Paypal will charge you 5% plus $0.05.

For example,

1000.00 (total amount raised)

-  50.00 (ScitechStarter  commission) 

  950.00 (amount without gateway fee)

-  48.05 (PayPal Adaptive gateway fee)

901.95 (amount that gets transferred to your PayPal account)

How about project listing and sign up fees?

We do not charge project listing and sign up fees. It is absolutely free to create a user account and build a project profile.

As an affiliate, will I get charged withdrawal fees?

ScitechStarter will charge a 2% transaction fee to the withdrawal amount. You can issue a withdrawal request once your commissions reach the minimum withdrawal limit. You will also need a PayPal account to transfer funds.

Do funders get charged any fee?

No. Only users that receive money will get charged.

 

Rewards

Am I guaranteed to receive my reward?

ScitechStarter does not guarantee any reward. The agreement is between the project owners and the funders. Project owners are generally credible people who will make every effort to deliver on their promises. After successful funding, they will gather some necessary information from the funders in order to provide status and fullfill the rewards. Do not hesitate to communicate directly with the project owner regarding the timeline of completion of the project as well as the rewards. Funders can also subscribe to project updates and feeds and leave comments for the owner.

How do I get my reward?

Again, funders and project owners must communicate with each other to iron out any kinks regarding the delivery process, if there are any shipping requirements, how long it will take for the item to arrive at your doorstep, which delivery method is best, etc.

Can I choose not to get a reward?

Most definitely. Sometimes funders just feel generous and wants to show support for the project without any reward compensation. Although we believe that asking for a reward can motivate an owner to finish the project in a timely fashion and deliver on his rewards.

 

Refunds

Can I cancel my pledge?

Yes. Funders are allowed to cancel their pledge amounts at least 7 days prior to project end date.

Will I get a refund when the project I pledged money to did not reach its funding goal or got cancelled?

Yes. Since we use PayPal Preapproved Payments, once the backer pledged, the amount will be authorized and if any cancellation is done, the amount will be refunded to the backer. If the project is not successful and if goal is not reached, then the amount will be refunded to backer.

What if the project is successful but the owner did not deliver on his promise for the reward, can I still get a refund?

Each project has a different timeframe for completion and there might be hiccups along the way which would delay the delivery of rewards. That said, it is the responsibility of both parties to communicate with each other and figure out the estimated timeline for the rewards and which chargeback and refund policies apply if ever the promise is not met.