Do you get your money back from crowdfunding, and when?

It depends on the type of crowdfunding:
- Donation and reward crowdfunding are not investments: backers do not expect a financial return, so the money does not come back (rewards are perks such as early access to a product).
- Loan-based crowdfunding: you lend money and receive interest and repayments on a schedule, with the capital back at the end of the term.
- Debt securities (bonds or notes): you receive interest, and the capital back at the end.
- Equity: there is no repayment date. You earn through dividends, or a gain if the company is sold or listed, which can take years.
- Real estate: either a loan to a developer (interest and repayment) or a share in a property (rent or a share of the sale).
In every investment type the money is usually locked in until the end of the term, early sales are often impossible or at a discount, and borrowers or companies can fail. Capital is at risk: crowdfunding investments are not covered by deposit guarantee schemes, can lose part or all of their value, and may be hard to sell before the end of their term.