Tilt.com

Tilt.com, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Crowdfunding
Founded	2012 (2012)
Founder	James Beshara, Khaled Hussein
Defunct	2017 (2017)
Fate	Acquired by Airbnb (acqui-hire) and platform discontinued
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	James Beshara (CEO), Khaled Hussein (CTO)
Products	Group funding and crowdfunding platform

Tilt.com, Inc. (originally known as Crowdtilt) was established in 2012 by James Beshara (CEO) and Khaled Hussein (CTO), with its inception supported by Y Combinator. This platform allowed communities and groups to raise funds, pool resources, and collect money online, catering to both individuals and nonprofit entities.

Starting out in Texas, Tilt eventually relocated its headquarters to San Francisco, California to strengthen its footprint within the U.S. market. The company distinguished itself by offering a versatile crowdfunding service that specialized in enabling group payments and fundraising for a wide array of initiatives.

In 2017, Airbnb acquired Tilt through an acqui-hire transaction, subsequently discontinuing the Tilt platform to incorporate its technology and personnel into Airbnb’s larger corporate framework.

Background

James Beshara, Tilt’s CEO and co-founder and a Wake Forest University alumnus of 2008, conceived the idea for a group-funding platform while working as a microloan collections officer in South Africa. He utilized the concept of social collateral to launch Dvelo.org, initially designed to facilitate group-funded loans for micro-insurance providers. As users increasingly funded projects beyond charitable causes, Beshara adapted the model to support fundraising for events, gifts, parties, and other purposes.

In 2011, Beshara teamed up with Khaled Hussein. Together, they rebranded Dvelo as Crowdtilt and participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2012 batch, marking a pivotal moment in the company’s development and market entry.

Growth

Crowdtilt secured its initial funding round of $2.1 million in May 2012 from investors including SV Angel, CrunchFund, and Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. By November 2012, the company complied with federal nonprofit fundraising regulations, allowing it to fully support charitable campaigns with tax-deductible receipts—broadening its market appeal.

In December 2012, Crowdtilt introduced its crowdfunding API, enabling third-party apps to integrate its group payment functionality—a strategic initiative aimed at expanding global reach and enhancing competitive positioning.

April 2013 saw Crowdtilt raise $12 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, increasing total capital raised to approximately $14 million. This capital injection fueled product innovation and business growth.

On December 16, 2013, Crowdtilt completed a $23 million Series B financing round intended to augment its workforce and accelerate international expansion, thereby solidifying its market presence and financial standing.

The company rebranded as Tilt on July 31, 2014. The following month, it removed fees for group collections made via debit cards while maintaining a 3% processing fee on credit card transactions—refining its revenue model by reducing user costs.

In August 2014, Tilt formed a strategic partnership with ESPN Fantasy Football to offer a secure payment system for league dues collection, showcasing its leadership in establishing key industry alliances.

Airbnb acquisition

In 2017, Airbnb acquired Tilt for $12 million in cash through an acqui-hire arrangement. Although Tilt had not achieved profitability, the acquisition was driven by the value of its team. The Tilt platform was officially retired by Airbnb in June 2017.

Tilt.com

Tilt offered a group-funding platform designed to allow users to initiate and support collective campaigns. Each campaign featured a tilt point, representing the minimum funding threshold required for the campaign to succeed. Contributors were able to donate any amount, but funds were only disbursed if the tilt point was achieved.

Campaign organizers did not incur any fees for collecting funds; contributors using debit cards were also exempt from fees, whereas credit card transactions carried a standard 3% processing charge.

API

In December 2012, Tilt introduced an API that enabled third-party developers to integrate its group payment capabilities into their own applications. This API accommodated various payment processors and supported multiple currencies, broadening its international reach.

Campaigns

According to a 2012 report from VentureBeat, 86% of campaigns hosted on Tilt reached their funding goals, often raising nearly double the targeted amount. Campaigns that attained at least 34% of their goal had a 99% likelihood of full completion.

Significant campaigns include:

• In May 2013, Soylent successfully raised over $2.1 million through Tilt from upwards of 20,000 backers to finance production of its nutritional beverage.

• Relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy in May 2013 amassed close to $180,000, with service fees waived for contributors.

• An April 2013 campaign collected more than $50,000 initially intended to replace a boat damaged during the arrest of Dzhokar Tsarnaev, later redirected to assist victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

• Early in 2014, the Jamaica national bobsleigh team exceeded its $80,000 fundraising target on Tilt, ultimately raising nearly $130,000 to participate in the Sochi Winter Olympics.

• In January 2014, a campaign secured over $25,000 for "A Place Called Home," an organization supporting at-risk youth in Compton, California; this coincided with the anniversary of Ice Cube’s song and included a special event featuring Goodyear’s blimp.

• February 2014 saw a Tilt campaign raise upwards of $72,000 to host a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed party with Vanilla Ice performing, illustrating Tilt’s effectiveness for event-centric fundraising.

• In March 2014, Lammily, a fashion doll designed with realistic body proportions, raised more than $500,000 from over 13,000 supporters using Tilt’s platform.

These examples underscore Tilt’s business approach centered on group funding across varied sectors and demonstrate its influence on community initiatives and emerging enterprises.