Ehta Raha

What Ehta Raha does

Osuuskunta Ehta Raha is a Helsinki-based cooperative founded in 2015 that operates a community crowdfunding and social-enterprise support platform. Its primary offering, EHTA raha, intermediates financing for ecological, social, and cultural projects through community bonds (yhteisöbondit), loan circles (lainapiirit), and guarantee circles (takuupiirit), connecting project owners with community-based investors who accept modest returns in exchange for social and environmental impact. The cooperative serves social enterprises, associations, organic farming initiatives, local food businesses, and NGOs that typically lack access to traditional bank financing.

The product portfolio comprises four modular offerings: EHTA raha (the crowdfunding platform), Kasvupakka (a gamified, card-based planning tool that guides communities through business environment mapping, stakeholder analysis, and sales planning), EHTA neuvonta (financial advisory including budgets, cash flow analysis, and funding solutions), and EHTA kirjanpito (outsourced bookkeeping and payroll using Visman Netvisor and ePasseli). Technology is not the core differentiator; the platform's distinctive asset is its facilitation methodology and the cooperative governance model that gives member-owners voting rights and discounted services.

Ehta Raha generates revenue through four streams: (1) transaction and facilitation fees on crowdfunding campaigns and community bonds, (2) professional services fees from bookkeeping at hourly rates (60 EUR/hour non-members, 45 EUR/hour members, with 3.5% optionally redirected to local-economy support), (3) financial advisory consulting, and (4) a one-time 50 EUR cooperative share (osuusmaksu) from each of its 123 members. The cooperative reported turnover of 100,787 EUR in 2022 (up from 90,494 EUR in 2021) and a surplus of just 200.93 EUR, reflecting a social-enterprise mandate rather than profit maximization. Operations are constrained by a 2-employee delivery team and serve primarily the Helsinki metropolitan area and Uusimaa region.

Name

Ehta Raha

Legal name

Osuuskunta Ehta Raha

Website

https://ehtaraha.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ehta Raha is a Helsinki-based cooperative that runs a community crowdfunding platform and offers bookkeeping, financial advisory, and a card-based planning tool (Kasvupakka) for social enterprises, ecological projects, and associations in Finland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community-based Crowdfunding and Financial Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business Service Centers (56143)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Finance Services (6199), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Sustainable Products (Reuse, Repair, Upcycling) (BPAGALAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community crowdfunding
• Cooperative finance
• Bookkeeping services
• Financial advisory
• Social enterprise lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Crowdfunding facilitation and community bonds: Ehta Raha facilitates community crowdfunding campaigns, including community bonds (yhteisöbondit), loan circles (lainapiirit), and guarantee circles (takuupiirit). They connect project owners seeking financing with investors from communities. Fees are generated from campaign facilitation and financial advisory services.
2. Bookkeeping and financial administration services: EHTA kirjanpito provides comprehensive accounting services including payroll, financial record-keeping, invoicing, budgeting, tax returns, and reporting. A portion (3.5%) of hourly fees can be directed to support local economy.
3. Financial advisory and consulting: EHTA neuvonta provides financial advisory services for small businesses and associations. Services include budget creation, cash flow calculations, financial situation assessments, and funding solution consultations.
4. Cooperative membership fees: Members pay a 50 euro share (osuusmaksu) to join the cooperative. Members receive discounted advisory services (45 EUR/hour vs 60 EUR/hour). The cooperative had 123 members as of 2023.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Osuuskunta Ehta Raha operates a cooperative platform that facilitates community-based crowdfunding for ecological, social, and cultural projects, offering financing instruments such as community bonds (yhteisöbondit), loan circles (lainapiirit), and guarantee circles (takuupiirit). In parallel, the cooperative provides bookkeeping services (EHTA kirjanpito), financial advisory (EHTA neuvonta), and a card-based business planning tool (Kasvupakka) for social enterprises, associations, and small businesses.

Product overview

Osuuskunta Ehta Raha is a cooperative providing a suite of tools for community-based value economy. The portfolio consists of four integrated offerings: EHTA raha (crowdfunding platform), Kasvupakka (card-based business planning tool), EHTA neuvonta (financial advisory), and EHTA kirjanpito (bookkeeping service). These products serve social enterprises, associations, and impact-driven projects by combining financing solutions, strategic planning tools, and financial administration support in a modular, cooperative-owned platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EHTA raha Community-based crowdfunding platform that connects ecological, social, and cultural projects with investors and lenders, offering community bonds (yhteisöbondit), loan circles (lainapiirit), and guarantee circles (takuupiirit) as financing instruments. Targets project owners seeking financing and impact investors willing to accept moderate returns for community benefit.
• Kasvupakka (Growth Package)

Quantifiable outcome

• Rahoitusvoimala project raised 236,000 EUR for 4 social enterprises (2017-2018)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Demos HelsinkicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Demos Helsinki was a key partner in the Rahoitusvoimala project, which provided community support and funding readiness coaching to over 50 social enterprises in Helsinki, Tampere, and Orivesi during 2017-2018. Ehta Raha and Demos Helsinki collaborated to develop the social enterprise financing ecosystem in Finland.
• Asianajotoimisto Castrén & SnellmanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017Legal partner in the Rahoitusvoimala project, providing legal expertise for social enterprise financing arrangements and crowdfunding campaign structures.
• Palopuron agroekologinen symbioosicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Ehta Raha facilitated Samsara oy's crowdfunding campaign for new bakery facility integrated into Palopuro's circular economy ecosystem in Hyvinkää. Project involves Helsingin yliopisto's Department of Agricultural Sciences and Luke Natural Resources Institute Finland.
• Laajasalo Degerö SeuracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership to implement local economy mapping and development project in Laajasalo, Helsinki. Project was supported by City of Helsinki and involved workshops, surveys, and community engagement activities in 2019.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Abundance Investment: UK platform issuing community-style debentures and bonds for sustainable and community projects. Direct analogue in the use of community bonds as a financing instrument for ecological and social projects.
• Mesenaatti.me: Finnish reward-based crowdfunding platform for creative, civic, and community projects. Directly comparable as a domestic Finnish crowdfunding platform serving mission-driven projects with community-based funding.
• Lendahand: European crowdfunding platform enabling individuals to invest in sustainable businesses in developing countries. Closely comparable business model of crowd-funded loans/bonds to mission-driven enterprises, with similar investor segmentation (impact-oriented savers accepting moderate returns).
• Kiva: Global non-profit microfinance crowdfunding platform connecting lenders with borrowers in underserved communities. Comparable in mission (community-based financing with social impact focus) and in facilitating individual-to-project lending at small ticket sizes.

Broad incumbents

• Kickstarter: Global reward-based crowdfunding platform serving creative, tech, and design projects. Overlaps in crowdfunding category but does not serve the same social-enterprise/eco-project niche or community-bond model.
• GoFundMe: Global personal and charitable crowdfunding platform. Comparable in enabling community-based fundraising for social causes, though focused on donations rather than community bonds and not targeted at the social-enterprise segment.
• Triodos Bank: European sustainable bank financing social enterprises, organic farming, and community projects. Overlaps with Ehta Raha in the social/eco enterprise financing segment but operates at vastly larger scale as a regulated bank with deposit-taking license.
• Indiegogo: Global crowdfunding platform with broad category coverage including social causes and small business. Comparable in operating a crowdfunding platform for diverse project types, but at much larger scale and without the cooperative/community-bond model.
• Oikocredit: International cooperative providing financing to social enterprises, fair trade, and sustainable agriculture organizations. Comparable in cooperative structure, social mission, and financing instruments extended to mission-driven enterprises globally.

Regional players

• Holvi: Finnish-origin online banking and financial services provider (now under BBVA) that historically served SMEs, freelancers, and cooperatives. Comparable in Finnish-market heritage and in serving small organizations needing integrated financial tooling; was a payment processing partner to Ehta Raha.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ehtaraha
• Facebookfacebook.com/ehtaraha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/osuuskunta-ehta-raha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ehta Raha