StartEngine is an equity crowdfunding platform that allows everyday people to invest and own shares in startups and early-stage companies. StartEngine has helped over 300 entrepreneurs raise over $125M in capital.
StartEngine (startengine.com) has 531 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.1 out of 5.
Also known as
startengine.com
Website
startengine.com
Category
Investments & Wealth
Location
Burbank, California
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 89% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Site not for non-americans.
Asks for what country right away but takes ALL social insurance details just to say they dont serve non americans.
*Update, they don't respond to the contact email, refuse to delete data.
Response from StartEngineNov 7, 2024
Hello! Thanks for your feedback! Happy to clarify more about our process. StartEngine does accept international investors, however, it is best practice to reach out to us directly to see if your country may be prohibited from investing on our platform. Please refer to the company's campaign page for more details, as some companies only accept investments from certain countries as well.
Should you have any additional questions about investing, please reach out to us directly at [email protected]
SC
sean C.
StartEngine is a scam
StartEngine is a scam. I say this because I have LEGITIMATE PROOF. After they contacted my company by not one not two not even three but 5 different people, the two we spoke to were Ishmael Badzee and Camille Richards. Firstly, neither one could even spell my name correctly which is insulting beyond belief. I told them how to spell it in reply emails... the ignored it and continued to mispell my name on purpose. I politely explained it reply emails that this was bad form. I even went as far as sending our pitch deck, they then ghosted myself and my company. StartEngine has no problems having failed college students do their own job but when it comes to actually helping someone, StartEngine seriously can not help their own founders get out of a paper bag. DEFINITELY DO NOT DO ANY BUSINESS with this JOKE of a company. Go to angel investors instead
Response from StartEngineNov 5, 2024
We’re sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate your feedback. We strive to ensure respectful communication and provide a positive experience for everyone we connect with. If you’d be open to it, we’d love the chance to address your concerns directly. I have requested more information from you through this review. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
PE
Peter
Absolutely terrible site and support is…
Absolutely terrible site and support is none existent. I have been trying to invest for a long time but they won’t allow me to submit my documentation (passport) their support ignores all my request by just closing them and don’t respond.
I can only advise everyone to not use this site .
Response from StartEngineOct 23, 2024
Hello! We're sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing, I have reached out directly through this review to obtain the necessary information so that I can look into this further. I hope to hear from you soon to resolve this swiftly! Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
RS
Randy S.
The link to Start Engine isn't working
The link to Start Engine isn't working. Computer says FORBIDEN. Google searching for Start Engine, none of the links aren't working either. Whats going on?
Response from StartEngineOct 14, 2024
Hello! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We have requested more information through this review to assist you further but have not heard back. We apologize for any difficulties you are experiencing and would be happy to assist immediately. Please contact us directly at [email protected] so we can get this taken care of.
MO
Matthew O.
Deceiving, bad communication, expensive
First of all, this is based on my own experience.
1. They get you signed up and in the contract it doesn't say anything about your commitment to bringing a set number of investors or amount of investment. Then, they ask you to convince them that you will bring the first $300K to the campaign by yourself. If your plan is not convincing for them, they excuse themselves and cancel your campaign after weeks. So, don't waste your time.
2. It's very expensive. They'll take 3.5% of your company plus $70k (based on $1.07M goal) for just listing you on their website. Also, they force you to your lackluster cap table software.
3. It takes days to get an answer from them. They have internal communication issues.
4. They're extremely rude and unprofessional. Trustpilot doesn't allow explaining.
The salesman is a good guy though. He doesn't belong there.
Response from StartEngineOct 8, 2024
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear your experience did not meet your expectations. We'd be happy to share additional information.
We understand that costs can be a concern, but our fees cover a range of services aimed at giving your campaign the best chance of success. We’re also listening closely to feedback on the cap table software and exploring ways to offer better tools in the future.
Many companies have successfully raised from both crowdfunding and VC. Crowdfunding can demonstrate strong market validation, and we’re here to help founders navigate their funding strategy in a way that best supports their long-term goals. We also apologize for any communication delays and are working to improve response times.
We’re glad to hear you had a positive experience with our salesperson and are committed to maintaining that professionalism throughout.
Thanks again for your input, and we’d love the chance to discuss how we can better support you moving forward.
WW
William W.
Nothing but problems
I invested in a Start Engine company, and the investment never showed up on my account.
I contacted their support, and got nothing but a bunch of useless canned replies.
I did hear from their corporate office, after I posted a review, and the person did a great job of blaming me for the problems.
No wonder they have 25% negative reviews on Trust Pilot.
I had to dispute the charge on my credit card to get my money back.
Response from StartEngineSep 16, 2024
Thank you for providing more information, and we sincerely apologize for the frustration you've experienced with our customer support. After looking into your case, it appears that the issue stemmed from having two accounts, which caused confusion with your investment visibility. We also confirmed that your investment was successfully canceled per your request.
We understand how disappointing this situation has been and regret that our initial responses did not meet your expectations. Your feedback is valuable, and we’re committed to improving our support process. If there’s anything further we can assist with, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at [email protected].
DJ
Diego J.
It's a scam
It's a scam. Avoid at all cost. I have been trying to get my money back for Two years and they always come up with an excuse to delay payment. No ROI at all, just excuses.
Response from StartEngineAug 6, 2024
Hi Diego, We appreciate your feedback and concerns. We have requested more information through this review to be able to contact you directly but haven't heard back. We would be happy to address your issues privately, please contact us directly at [email protected].
Just to clarify, StartEngine provides investors an opportunity to invest in early-stage start-ups. What this means is that you are often investing in early stage companies. Investments in these types of companies are risky by their nature, and many often fail without any element of fraud or misconduct.
As we try to remind you in various places throughout the website, including in the educational materials which all users agree to when creating an account, the universal website footer, and every investment agreement used in conjunction with any offering on our platform, these investments are speculative, illiquid, and involve a high degree of risk including the possible loss of your entire investment.
Even if a company is successful, it takes some time, often years, before an investor can have an opportunity to realize any returns on these types of investments. While we wish all the companies who raise our platform the best of success, we also encourage investors to remember when making any investments through the platform that all investments are speculative, illiquid, and involve a high degree of risk including the possible loss of your entire investment, and to take this risk under consideration and invest responsibly.
To learn more about investing with StartEngine, please check out our Help Guide: https://help.startengine.com.
We look forward to hearing from you and are happy to address any further concerns directly!
RO
Robert
Start engine not stealing just incompetent reps
I invested in WIGL through Start Engine 3 years ago, since then WIGL has canceled their campaign with statr engine for a different company at greater valuation. Wigl has stated funds will be returned. Start engine, in spite of proof I've shown them, keep trying to refer to a failed transaction that was rectified. After half a dozen emails a management employee finally explained that the round in which I made my investment is still intact. All the other reps just kept saying, no refund no refund.
Response from StartEngineJul 31, 2024
Hi Robert, thank you for expressing your concerns and providing your feedback. We will be happy to address this. I would also just like to confirm that we did reach out to your separately and confirmed this already. We would like to clarify that WiGL had three different fundraising rounds, and only one of these rounds was canceled. Each round is completely separate from the others. Your investments in the remaining rounds (including the $1,035 investment that you submitted) are still secure, valid and active. The other two fundraising rounds were NOT impacted by the cancellation of the one round.
Because of this, no refund is due to you.
We hope this brings some additional clarity but should you have any other questions or concerns please don't hesitate to reach back out directly to us. We hope that this clarity has shifted your experience and are feeling happy and satisfied with our service.
