ibelieveinyou.ch

What It Is

I Believe In You is a Swiss sports-focused crowdfunding platform for athletes, clubs, sports infrastructure projects, and sports event organizers. The platform uses an “all-or-nothing” model: supporters are only charged and funds are only paid out to the project owner if the campaign reaches its target; if it falls short, supporters pay nothing and the project owner incurs no platform fees. It is not positioned as a general-purpose payment gateway, but rather as a sports fundraising platform that combines payment collection, project presentation, community promotion, and advisory support.

Core Capabilities and Payment Methods

The platform supports two fundraising formats: crowdfunding and Sponsorenlauf sponsored runs. Supporters can pay by Visa, Mastercard, TWINT, PostFinance-Card, or online payment slip. Overseas supporters can only use credit cards or online payment slips, while TWINT and PostFinance are mainly intended for users in Switzerland. The platform handles payment collection, sends invoices or TWINT codes, and provides supporter lists, administrative processing, and guidance on project communication. Campaign durations can be set to 30, 50, or 80 days.

Pricing, Settlement, and Compliance

For successful crowdfunding campaigns, the platform charges an 8% platform, consulting, and processing fee, plus a further 4% fee for payment and financial services, meaning project owners receive 88% of the funds raised. Unsuccessful projects are not charged. Sponsored runs are charged an 8% commission, of which 4% covers transaction fees. Settlement continues after the campaign ends and is completed within 60 days at the latest; failed credit card charges or unpaid supporter pledges may affect the final amount received. On compliance, the text states that Swiss law applies, jurisdiction is in Bern, personal data is processed under revDSG and GDPR, and supporters may be identified in accordance with anti-money-laundering requirements, but no payment license is disclosed.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

Its strengths are a clear focus on sports, strong Swiss localization, payment methods that match local user habits, and human support via phone, email, WhatsApp, and other channels. The platform also discloses that it has hosted thousands of projects and has a relatively high success rate. The downsides are that the combined cost after a successful campaign is a relatively high 12%, its service reach is mainly centered on the Swiss sports ecosystem, overseas payment options are limited, and it does not disclose API access, merchant integration, or productized risk-control capabilities. It is suitable for Swiss athletes, sports clubs, and event projects raising funds, but not for merchants that need global acquiring, subscription billing, or developer payment APIs.

Access from China and Alternatives

The text does not provide information on access from mainland China, RMB payments, or localized support, so its availability in China is unknown. Chinese users who want to support a project would theoretically be more likely to rely on an international credit card or online payment slip, but actual usability would need to be tested. Alternatives include Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, wemakeit, or local charity/crowdfunding platforms.