Frequently asked questions

Yes — always. Listing a business, building a wishlist, and being backed by supporters are all free. There are no paid plans, no listing fees, and no premium tiers.

No. SponsorMyStartup never touches the money. Purchases happen on the retailer's site and direct payments happen through the owner's own payment accounts, so there is nothing for us to take a cut of.

No. Nothing on SponsorMyStartup is an investment, and supporters receive no equity, shares, returns, or securities. Everything here is a gift, a direct purchase, or a tip toward a small business's needs.

Two ways. They can follow an item's link to the retailer and buy it there, or they can send money directly through the owner's own payment links (PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Ko-fi, and more). SponsorMyStartup is never in the middle of a payment.

Directly. Product gifts ship to you from the retailer, and cash support lands in your own PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, or other account through the links you add. Money never routes through SponsorMyStartup.

Every public page can be reported by anyone, and our admin team reviews reports and can suspend pages that break the rules. We also encourage supporters to verify a business and use payment methods with buyer protection.

Yes. Owners keep their address private and encrypted. A supporter reveals the shipping address by entering the last 4 digits of the owner's phone number — a light check that keeps the address out of public view while still letting real supporters send gifts.

No. Addresses are encrypted at rest and never shown on your public page or to search engines. An address is only revealed to a supporter who passes the last-4-of-phone check.

Wishlists are for legitimate business needs only. You may not list: Weapons, Controlled substances, Alcohol, Tobacco & nicotine, Illegal items, Adult content, Gambling, Stolen or counterfeit products. Pages that list prohibited items can be removed.

Any small business. We see everything from lawn & landscaping crews to food & beverage shops, creative & media studios, trades & construction teams, and more. If you run a real small business, you belong here.

Just an email to create your account, a few details about your business, and the items you want to add. You can build your wishlist a little at a time and publish when you're ready.

Supporters do not need a SponsorMyStartup account to buy an item or send money. How much personal information they share depends on the retailer or payment provider they use, not on us.

Because SponsorMyStartup never holds funds, we cannot issue refunds. Resolve any issue directly with the retailer or payment provider used for the transaction, since that is where the money and order actually live.

You can unpublish or delete your business from your account settings at any time. For a full data-deletion request, see our data deletion page.