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StartEngine Reviews Summary
StartEngine has a rating of 2.5 stars from 190 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with StartEngine most frequently mention customer service, phone number and email address. StartEngine ranks 3rd among Crowd Funding sites.
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Lost every cent. It was like I was just giving money to these companies - zero return and if there is a return, you cannot collect it without going through hoops. Again, lost every cent. Run don't walk unless you like just giving money away.
I invested in 3 companies thru StartEngine 4 years ago, I am now looking to get out my money or sell my shares and there is no way to do this. Transfer agent Colonial Stock Transfer apparently is no longer in business and I have tried calling the companies directly and cannot get a hold of anyone. I guess I will write this off as a loss. Recommending you do not invest.
On 4/17/25 I sent $6000 to StartEngine for 5240 shares in StartEngine. As of today 5/1/26, I am still receiving communications from them that my investment is incomplete even though they've acknowledged receiving the funds. I AM COMPLETELY LOSING MY MIND! I requested my money back and it was denied with the argument that a refund request must be made within 48hours and mine was not. I didn't know that my money wasn't invested on 4/17/25 when I sent it. They acknowledged receipt of the funds and told me that my status had been updated then informed me on 4/21/25 that my funds were in escrow. I have no use of my money and nothing to show for it.
I like exploring the different companies and investment opportunities. I don't like seeing the early bird opportunities but not being able to see the StartEngine start date for each company. Where are the start dates?
Thanks for the feedback! We're glad you enjoy exploring the offerings. Start dates aren’t always listed upfront, but you can often find them on the company's offering page under "Details" or "Updates." If not, feel free to reach out—our team’s happy to help!
I was told that SE needed to refund me $500 for a double purchase. This was all done via email, both sent to me personally, and through their website. It's been going on for several months now, starting November 2024. I've sent them all the info they need. But now they seem to have ghosted me. I just want my money back.
Hi Rose, I am so sorry for the inconvenience. Can you please reach out to contact@startengine.com directly so that we can track your refund? I cannot see the email associated with your account from this review. Thanks!
I like the variety of offerings, especially the relatively new one's involving more advanced companies via an intermediate LLC. But once things get funded, there are few follow-up reports regarding how the funded company is doing and what an exit might look like at some point. This applies also to the Start Engine offering itself. I have no idea what the business plan is and when there might be an orderly exit. The potential of selling into a secondary market at a deep discount is not a substitute for a periodic progress report about funded companies. For these reasons I have slowed down my investments considerably and have no idea how I will ever get out of most of the ones I am in.
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback. We’re glad to hear you appreciate the variety of offerings, including those involving more advanced companies. We understand your concerns about follow-up reports and exit opportunities. Transparency and communication are areas we continuously strive to improve, and feedback like yours helps us prioritize these efforts. We’ll take your input into consideration as we work on enhancing progress updates and providing clearer paths for investors. We truly appreciate your support and investment journey with us!
The site is very easy to understand and use. Good job!
Thank you for the kind words! We're thrilled to hear you found the site user-friendly. Your feedback means a lot to us!
I'm still waiting for a response to my question as to how to access the security after the ipo. They seem to be focused on sales.
Hi Michael, thank you for your feedback! It looks like our support team was able to assist you with answering IPO-related questions on 10/9/2024. If you still need additional clarity please contact us directly at contact@startengine.com. Thank you!
I tried to make an investment and my payment was cancelled for no good reason so I cancelled the whole transaction including the $275 fee. I am still having trouble getting the $275 fee credited to my credit card. It has been a horrible experience!
Hello! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It looks like on 9/16/24 we tried to cancel the subscription and process a refund at your request but then you disputed the charge with your bank. For additional clarity, when an investor files a dispute with their bank, the bank takes control of the funds which no longer gives us access to the money to issue the refund. A dispute can take up to 90 days for the investigation to be completed before a final decision is made by the banks.
After further investigation, your dispute has about 12 days until we get an update from your bank. Please allow some additional processing time for your bank.
Please note that if StartEngine wins the dispute, we will still honor the refund the moment the funds are returned to us. I can see you are already in contact with our support team so please feel free to reach out if you need anything else. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and we hope this clarification helps!
I got an invitation to contribute to a C series for Kyte. The funding offered is sitting in an account unused for weeks. I can't find Kyte on their website. I keep getting invitations to other start ups, but nothing on this one. Maybe this is just that I'm new to this - having a video to explain how all of this works might help.
Hi David, thank you for your feedback. I have reached out directly to your email to assist with any navigation issues and to provide any additional clarification needed. We are constantly looking for ways to improve so your feedback on the investment process is appreciated. Hope you hear from you soon!
Still waiting for my investment in StartEngine to reflect a stock split announced several months ago. This is normally a same day process.
Hi Richard, thank you so much for your feedback here. We apologize that the stock split reflected in your portfolio has been delayed further than we both anticipated, however, this is a complex task that several teams are responsible for and unfortunately, it is not a same-day process. Rest assured all teams involved are working diligently to make sure this is reflected soon. Thanks again for your patience, if you have any other questions or concerns please contact us directly at contact@startengine.com. Have a great day!
I bought into this thinking I knew something about it only to discover that it's not what I thought it was it has been difficult for me To find an explanation of where my money is, and what it's doing. I really don't know what to expect.
Hi Kathleen, thank you for providing this feedback. We apologize for any difficulties you have experienced. All investments made by you will be shown in your StartEngine account dashboard. You can access it by going here: https://investment.startengine.com/account/portfolio. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at contact@startengine.com if you need any assistance! We hope you are able to log in and see your investment soon! Have a great day :)
I had a simpleton question that experienced seasoned investors would have probably laughed at but the lady who responded was patient, kind and explained in detail, very thorough! It made all the difference in the world!
Hello Nathan! Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear our team provided patient and thorough assistance. Your feedback means a lot to us, and we're glad we could make a difference for you!
StartEngine (SE) suggested transferring funds, retained from the sale of GATSBY with NDTC, to my SE Account. It was set in motion, but no communication about the transaction, since that time. Neither are the funds in my account. So the experience is unsatisfactory, because it requires me to consistently check and recheck.
Hi Alma, We sincerely apologize for the wait and the lack of communication on this matter. Since we have confirmed with you, there has been an influx of requests and our team is working on these transfers as quickly as possible. We really appreciate your patience and understanding. Once the funds are in your account, you will be notified! Again, we apologize and appreciate your understanding.
The lady that helped me was very good. I did not know that I could get out and close my accounts.
Hi Glenn! Thanks for leaving your feedback! We welcome and appreciate all feedback. Based on your review, it looks like our team was able to assist you and resolve your issue, yet you gave us 2 out of 5 stars. If there is anything we can do to make this experience 5-star worthy for you, please let us know. We are committed to providing the best service to all of our investors. Feel free to reach out directly to us at contact@startengine.com! Have a great day!
My experience was good all my questions were answered
Hey Randy! We're glad to hear you had a positive experience! Thank you for leaving this feedback! If you have any more questions in the future, feel free to reach out. Thank you for choosing us!
Had some issues with my account and the representative was thorough in following up and making sure it was resolved.? Only issue I had was the amount of time it took. However at the end of the day it was resolved.
Hey Tim! Thanks for sharing your experience! We're glad our representative was thorough and able to resolve the issues with your account, even though it took longer than expected. If you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out. We appreciate your patience and understanding!
I had accounts created with different email addresses. Investor Experience support was promptly able to help me. Thank you, Stella Lane.
Hi David! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with Stella! We're pleased to hear that our Investor Experience support team was able to promptly assist you with your accounts. If you ever need further assistance or have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. We appreciate your support!
Alice M assisted me with my issue and was very helpful and professional. Although I have to wait and see how long it will take to be reimbursed for my money, Alice M solved my problem.
Hello Darrell! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with Alice M! We're glad to hear she was able to assist you effectively. Rest assured, we're committed to resolving your reimbursement as quickly as possible. If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to reach out. We appreciate your patience and support!
Good points:
- Customer service timing is quite good. They go straight to the point and solve your issues. They are very kind, respectful, and responsive. Very good customer service.
- Company referral program rewards are awesome.
- Investing in companies is easy and straightforward.
- The verification process is easy and straightforward.
- Transparency with fees and costs.
- Issuance of the subscription agreement is a fast and reliable process.
- Most momentum companies and listings' details are useful.
Not so good:
- I'm an international trader/investor. It was easy to purchase StartEngine shares, but trading is disallowed on the marketplace for international traders. Please support international investors because it's not easy to sell outside the marketplace.
- Company referral acceptance is complicated. Not every company is a good fit to raise money on StartEngine, which makes the prospecting process difficult.
- It could be great to show the current share value on the dashboard.
Hi Carlos!
Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback about your experience with our platform. We greatly appreciate your insights and are thrilled to hear that you've found many aspects of our service to be excellent.
We're delighted that you've found our customer service to be prompt, efficient, and courteous. Providing exceptional support to our users is a top priority, and we're glad to hear that our team has been able to assist you effectively.
Regarding your suggestions for improvement, we hear you loud and clear. These are all very valuable suggestions, and we'll definitely take them into consideration as we continue to enhance our platform for all users.
Once again, thank you for your valuable feedback. We're committed to continuously improving our platform to better serve your needs and provide you with the best possible investment experience. If you have any further suggestions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly at contact@startengine.com.
Have a great day!
I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for the exceptional support I have received from StartEngine, particularly from Nicole on your support team.
As a user of StartEngine's platform, I have been consistently impressed with its ease of use and intuitive interface. However, what truly sets StartEngine apart is the quality of its support team. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that my needs are met.
In my most recent support interaction, I had the pleasure of working with Nicole. She demonstrated an unparalleled level of thoroughness and attentiveness in addressing my inquiries. Not only did she provide comprehensive answers to my initial questions, but she also took the time to address several follow-up concerns I had. Her dedication to ensuring that I received all the necessary information was truly commendable.
What impressed me the most was Nicole's proactive approach. After providing the initial answers, she circled back to confirm that I had received everything I needed and that there were no outstanding issues. This level of care and attention to detail is rare and greatly appreciated.
I want to commend Nicole for her outstanding service and extend my gratitude to the entire StartEngine support team. Your commitment to customer satisfaction is evident, and it is one of the key reasons why I continue to use and recommend your platform.
Please convey my heartfelt thanks to Nicole and the team for their hard work and dedication. It is employees like her who make the StartEngine experience truly exceptional.
Hi Brian!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you've had such a positive interaction with our support team, especially with Nicole. Providing exceptional customer support is a top priority for us, and it's fantastic to know that Nicole's dedication and thoroughness left such a lasting impression. Your kind words mean the world to us, and we'll be sure to pass along your gratitude to Nicole and the rest of our team. We're grateful for your support and look forward to continuing to exceed your expectations in the future. If you ever need anything else, please don't hesitate to reach out. Happy investing!
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- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Hi Grace! I would just like to acknowledge this review by stating we have discussed this privately, and we are working on your refund. Please let us know if anything else is needed through our direct message. Thanks.