Crowdfunding app Tilt gets iOS 8 update so you can raise money faster

Just in time for your iOS 8 update, crowdfunding app Tilt is getting a makeover.

Formerly known as Crowdtilt, Tilt is a crowdfunding app like any other. What differentiates it from Kickstarter and Indiegogo among others, is that it offers a super stripped-down version of crowdfunding. And CEO James Beshara assures me you can use the app to raise money for just about anything. Of course, Tilt’s terms of service prohibit raising money for firearms, pornography, gambling, or anything that breaks the law. In general, Tilt is fairly unrestricted.

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The update app, Tilt 2.0, is a lot prettier than its first version. “We had never built a [mobile] app before, so it was built for a web world,” says Beshara of Tilt 1.0. It definitely showed. The new iteration features a sleeker design and cuts down on the number of steps needed to start a campaign from your phone.

With this newest update to its mobile app, you can start a fundraising campaign in just a few steps. First, of course, you have to log on. Under your profile you can see who you’re following, who’s following you, campaigns you’ve contributed to, and campaigns you’ve launched.

Beneath that, Tilt invites you to “Create a Campaign” and then asks you three questions. What are you collecting money for? How much should each person pay? How much money are you trying to raise?

After you answer those questions, you’re taken to another screen that let’s you upload a picture for your fund, add a description, and then determine whether you want to run this campaign among friends and family or publicly. Finally, hit “save and share.” In a span of five minutes, I started a fund for my future wedding.

It’s worth noting that the mobile app doesn’t allow you to “Sell Something” like the web app does. So you’re limited to fundraising and collecting money.

That’s a pretty neat function, and I can see the use for personal campaigns and causes. But Beshara also tries to make the case for Tilt as a money-sharing tool, something you’d use to split a party bus among friends. “I think of it as a cool way to pool money,” says Beshara.

Peer to peer money sharing is a incredibly cutthroat market, and frankly I can’t see the use of an app like this for cost sharing when there are so many other options. However, as a crowdfunding tool for mobile, Tilt might catch on, especially among smaller funds. The company collects a fairly low percentage rate of 2.5% on funds raised (Kickstarter takes 5%) — unless you’re just pooling money, in which case it’s free.

Tilt was founded in 2012.

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