Trusted Crowd Funding Platform: Using Blockchain for Funders and Fundraisers

Crowdfunding has gained popularity as an innovative approach to raise capital for startups, social initiatives, and creative ventures. However, traditional centralized crowdfunding platforms often face critical challenges such as lack of transparency, risk of fraud, and high intermediary costs. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a decentralized crowdfunding platform built on the Ethereum blockchain, leveraging smart contract technology to ensure transparency, accountability, and security. The primary objective of this work is to design a trustworthy and automated system where funders and fundraisers can interact directly without relying on third-party intermediaries. The platform enforces pre-defined conditions for fund distribution, allowing profit-sharing and fund release mechanisms to be executed autonomously through smart contracts. This enhances both the reliability and precision of transactions. Funders have real-time visibility into project progress, improving their confidence and decision-making. The proposed solution also reduces operational costs by automating core functionalities like funding, profit allocation, and capital release. All interactions are securely recorded on the blockchain, ensuring auditability and eliminating manipulation. This paper presents the system's architecture, implementation strategy, and evaluation results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the blockchain-based model in overcoming the shortcomings of centralized platforms. The proposed platform offers a more secure, efficient, and transparent alternative for the crowdfunding ecosystem.