Step 3: Funding the Launch
Starting a venture requires capital, and funding options depend on organizational structure. Corporations pursue venture capital or angels seeking equity and governance roles; nonprofits can access grants and loans.
A cooperative operates differently: returns flow back to members — workers and researchers — rather than founders or investors. That limits fundraising to loans, grants, and pre-launch member fees, and unfamiliarity with cooperatives makes it harder still.
Co-founder Laurel Haak on Digital Science's support: "They see the value of privacy-first identity verification workflows, and their grant will help VeriMe work with partner organizations."
Digital Science CEO Daniel Hook said the company is proud to support the cooperative's mission of digital research verification services — a practical and important step towards safeguarding research integrity.
We continue to seek aligned organizations interested in investing in open-by-design research infrastructure.
Originally published at https://verime.coop/blog/step-3-funding-the-launch-of-verime