In a book, "Slicing Pie", Mike Moyers shows you different methods of securing talent prior to paying them a salary or securing investment capital. You can also use an ICO model similar to IPO except it is using a digital token to secure funding with a promise to buy back tokens. There are several models there. You can also try a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter or Gofundme. If you are truly passionate about it, find a way to make it happen and NEVER give up.

Yes absolutely. Depending on the needs of your service and database traffic, some chains are better than others to use. Steemit.com is a good example of blockchain, curation, filtering by users, with a built-in economy.