Mateja Kuhar couldn't stop thinking about the idea of developing a pen from recycled organic waste for more than two years. After she noticed how much organic material was being binned by a local coffee shop and flower shops, she finally shaped the idea of ??making Fabula – organic pencil. This pencil is created from the used tea leaves and coffee grounds from cafes, together with petals discarded by the many florists. When it gets too short to use, the Fabula stub can be activated in water to plant a young Goji berry, golden in berry or a paulownia tree. In December 2015 Mateja and her team launched the crowdfunding campaign so that she could finish and perfect the unique machine used in the manufacturing process.With the support of 270 ba...

Last week the Crowdfunding Academy team felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory – except there was no chocolate river or a lickable wallpaper. If we don't count that rainbow hallway on the way to a rainbow metro station, it wasn't even psychedelic looking. But taking into consideration that we love good ideas as much as Charlie loves chocolate – you will understand this comparison. As we've mentioned in few of our earlier blogs – Crowdfunding Academy went global. Over the last two months we've been intensively working with UNDP offices around the world on preparation of their crowdfunding campaigns. Keeping in mind that crowdfunding might not be the only alternative financing option suitable for their projects, we've been explo...

​''STEMI'' is a robot you can make on your own at home. He can teach you much scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical concepts in a fun and easy way. By building STEMI you can learn 3D modelling, electronics, Arduino programming and mobile app programming. STEMI came as a spin-off of a non-profit organisation "Wind of Knowledge". It is an educational technology company that aims to improve the society by making learning a more enjoyable experience. This crowdfunding campaign was launched in December 2015, and with help of 280 backers and over 30 partners, STEMI raised $ 36,816 (although the initial objective was twice smaller). But the team behind the project did not stop there. The successful campaign enabled them a collabo...

Taste of Home is a culinary-cultural-research project that introduces the culture, customs and countries of origin of refugees and migrants in Croatia. Taste of Home initiative wanted to help refugees and migrants earn a living and become settled in Croatia. The crowdfunding campaign was launched in November 2015. With the help of over 500 backers, they have raised $ 19,649 and enabled financing for the kitchen space, and purchase of kitchen appliances (like refrigerators, cookers, blenders, pots, pans - basically everything that is necessary for cooking and starting a catering business). Since the campaign's initial goal ($ 17,000) was exceeded, this initiative successfully established social cooperative run by refugees, migrants, and Croa...