In the past 10 years crowdfunding – raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically online, to fund a project or venture – has evolved into a $16 billion market. It is growing around 300 percent per year and is concentrated in North America and Europe. The purpose of this paper is to capture lessons learned from East African entrepreneurs who were some of crowdfunding’s first adopters. Their experiences can serve as a practical guide for entrepreneurs looking to more effectively utilize crowdfunding across all emerging markets.