Crowdfunding to pay for the Next Big Thing is a hot topic in small business. Just look at Kickstarter.

But, instead of helping to get off the ground someone’s idea for a “top secret burger sauce” or an online TV series about “Awesome Asian Bad Guys“–both noble causes–more and more opportunities are popping up to fund start-ups plus get a return on that investment.

Mosaic is a California start-up that takes the crowdfunding model for raising capital and applies it to something their target investors are passionate about: solar power. The Bay Area company cut the ribbon on its fourth solar installation in Oakland in December and just launched its new site to connect individual investors to solar projects.

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