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PledgeMe co-flounderer’s words of wisdom

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  You’ve got to give a bit of kudos tosomeone who calls themselves the chief bubble blower and co-flounderer (yes, spelling is correct) ofa company.

Whether you call New Zealand’s first crowd-funding platform PledgeMe a startup is debateable, as the 18month company is still alive, kicking and more importantly growing.

Said, co-flounderer AnnaGuenthe r gave a short presentation to Wellington’s Entrepreneur’s Club recently,highlighting the mostly ups, and a few of the learnings for PledgeMe that has so far raised $2.1million across 470 successful fund-raising projects.

PledgeMe’s business model is a 5% success fee commission (with an additional 2.8% to pay forcredit card fees). And while of course earning your way is important, you get the feelingGuenther’s absolutely enjoying enabling mostly community projects with an average size of $3500.Apparently 49% of all projects receive their funding target.

I suspect she’s excluded from this average size figure their most successful fund-raising – a$207,000 Christchurch sculpture initiative (matched by Westpac, and with an additional $180,000 sentin by cheques!).

The oldest successful fund-raiser was 82 year old Stu Buchanan, a jazz band leader who crowd-sourced (including from threegenerations of students he’s taught) enough money to put together his first ever album. He tickedit off his bucket-list!

Guenther gave the following wisdomettes for anyone starting up. Being an internet wizard, she’salso put these points up so you can check it out on Dropbox.

  • Choose the right partner

  • Have a hard conversation at the start around ashareholder agreement. The discussion can focus around the who’s idea it was, the writing of thebusiness plan, other expertise brought to the table. What are people going to be contributing nowand down the line?

  • Ask for help – a coffee or beer can be empowering in theknowledge and networks that result

  • Sometimes you have to jump (code is never ready!).Have a launch party, then you have to begin

  • Build networks without expectations. In12 months, you never know, those contacts could ignite

  • Surround yourself with smartpeople. You don’t want to be (or think you are) the smartest person in the room

  • Design. The best dollars spent are at the start – and that means making the brand look goodand people wanting to connect with it

  • You can’t compare your feelings inside, withothers’ outside website. In other words, what other startups show as their exterior view, in noway matches the undoubted angst and sometimes indecision that goes on inside. (Guenther acknowledgedRowan Simpson’s advice on this one)


Geunther also encouraged taking anyopportunity to speak at other peoples’ events, launches, meetings as a way of spreading theword/love.

When asked if she thought that the recent launch of an NZ-orientedKickstarter would affect PledgeMe, she felt no.

“We’re different, and we believe that local is important to us,” she says.

“But indeed, if anyone wants some advice about putting a project up on Kickstarter, or onPledgeMe, give me a yell.”

PledgeMe co-flounderer’s words of wisdom

PledgeMe co-flounderer’s words of wisdom
 
 
 
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