Invest Local Initiative

Everyone can be an investor. We’re here to help you discover homegrown businesses throughout the Lowcountry that need your support right now. In the Lowcountry, many small businesses lack access to traditional funding due to insufficient collateral or credit history. This program provides financial education and coaching to help businesses become loan ready. It also introduces new funding pathways, promotes 0% or low-interest loans, and endorses businesses through an Invest Local Advisory Committee. By leveraging proven platforms such as Kiva, Honeycomb Credit, and others, this work connects character-based lending and crowd-lending opportunities to entrepreneurs who may face barriers to traditional capital sources. 

We don’t require entrepreneurs to use specific platforms, but we do educate and advise them, both before they borrow, and as they pay back their loans or thank supporters.

Raising Now

Check back often – we’ll update this page to introduce entrepreneurs we’re working with so you can learn more about them and invest in their success.  Interested in viewing past success stories? Explore here.

Crowdfunding

Get to know some of our favorite platforms that we encourage local entrepreneurs to explore:

• Kiva: A global platform that enables businesses to raise 0% interest loans up to $15K through community-driven, crowdfunded campaigns. Kiva focuses on businesses that, due to credit score or legal status, may not qualify for traditional financing. As the first and only Kiva Trustee in South Carolina, Lowcountry Local First is able to endorse loan applicants on the platform. This endorsement serves as a "stamp of approval," helping businesses gain credibility and community trust, but it does not result in any financial kickbacks to LLF.
• Kickstarter: A platform primarily for creative projects, allowing businesses to raise funds through campaign-based contributions. While not lending-focused, it provides businesses with an opportunity to secure capital in exchange for rewards or early products.
• Honeycomb Credit: A platform that facilitates crowdlending for small businesses, allowing them to raise funds through community investors in exchange for interest payments, typically offering more favorable terms than traditional loans.
• NuMarket: Crowdfunding for independent food and beverage businesses looking to grow, open a new location, fund essential equipment, or simply need working capital.