Get All Access for $5/mo

How Does an Investor Make Money With Equity Crowdfunding? Alon Hillel-Tuch, a co-founder of the crowdfunding platform RocketHub, explains the four ways that an investor can make money off of an equity crowdfunding asset.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Investing in startups is crazy risky. The chance of sinking money into a startup that runs for a bit, putters out of gas and dies without ever getting your principal investment back to you -- let alone any return -- is very high.

There is, however, a chance of making a very attractive return on your investment. Chances are, if you do see a return, it won't be the sort of Facebook 2.0 overnight wealth that fuels Silicon Valley pipedreams. Even still, investors can indeed be rewarded handsomely for taking a savvy risk on the right startup.

How does that work, though? We answer that in our fourth episode of Crowdfund with Cat. In particular, what needs to happen for an investor to make money on an equity crowdfunding investment?

Alon Hillel-Tuch, a co-founder of the crowdfunding platform RocketHub, breaks the language of equity crowdfunding investing down for us into simple, easy to understand language. Promise.

RocketHub was acquired by entrepreneurship resource center EFactor a year ago. Since then, Hillel-Tuch has left and is now a partner at the venture building group, Stacked VB.

The rules and regulations surrounding equity crowdfunding changed -- in pretty significant proportions -- on May 16. For a comprehensive dive of how the rules are changed, check out our series of written stories on equity crowdfunding (linked to below).

Starting May 16, Entrepreneurs Can Raise Money in a Whole New Way. Here's What You Need to Know.

An Entrepreneur's Essential Guide to the New Wild West of Funding Opening on May 16

Your Guide to the High-Risk, High-Reward World of Investing in Startups When Fundamental Finance Law Changes Go Into Effect May 16

Which Entrepreneurs Will Benefit Most From the New Era of Crowdfunding?

Next Generation Crowdfunding Starts May 16. Expect Opportunity and Growing Pains.

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This Former Starbucks Employee Started a Side Hustle That's Making More Than $70,000 a Month — and He's Not Done Yet

When Tom Saar moved to New York City, he spotted a lucrative business opportunity.

Business News

Is One Company to Blame for Soaring Rental Prices in the U.S.?

The FBI recently raided a major corporate landlord while investigating a rent price-fixing scheme. Here's what we know.

Business News

Amazon Has a Blank Book Problem: Buyers Report Receiving Fakes of Bestselling UFO Book

The book looked fine on the outside, but the inside was out-of-this-world.

Business News

Paramount Leadership Alludes to Layoffs If Merger Does Not Go Through

Paramount is awaiting approval on its merger with Skydance Media from majority shareholder Shari Redstone.

Business News

Microsoft Reportedly Lays Off Over 1,500 Employees in Cloud Sector as Partnership with OpenAI Strengthens

Alphabet also reportedly laid off employees from several teams in Google's cloud unit last week.

Side Hustle

10 Online Side Hustles Proven to Boost Your Bank Account

Even the busiest schedules can accommodate finding a precious few hours to create a profitable online venture — something that many are already mastering.