POWER FROM THE PEOPLE

Power from the People. Special report on Crowd Funding in the renewables and clean tech space.

If you don´t have flash, please click here for a plain text version of the magazine. Don´t forget to have a quick look in that case on a flash-enabled computer as well though. It will look so much better.

 

POWER FROM THE PEOPLE

WakaWaka raises €75.000 with crowdfunding

Sustainable business developers raise 75.000 Euro on Symbid and serve a 1.5 billion people market

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – February 2, 2012 - Off-Grid Solutions, a solar energy developer from the Netherlands, raised 75.000 Euro for their WakaWaka Solar Light using equity-based crowdfunding platform Symbid. The WakaWaka Light was able to attract 320 investors from all over the world. Off-Grid Solutions will use the 75.000 Euro to invest in solar LED-light development in developing countries. This success shows the promise of using crowdfunding as way of raising capital for small companies.

WakaWaka focuses on the 'base of the pyramid': the 1.5 billion people living without electricity. According to Off-Grid Solutions, their WakaWaka light will help people get out of poverty, breathe clean indoor air, get better school results and much more. The quality of the light is better, compared to the current kerosene-lights there are no toxic fumes, it prevents severe burn incidents, the LED light has no operating costs and climate change is suppressed. Not only is it environmental friendly, the WakaWaka solar LED-light provides 8 hours of bright light, 16 hours of reading light or 80 hours safety light and its battery is up to three years operational. It's no wonder that such a magnificent initiative has been fully funded in as little as 10 weeks.

Not only their product is well thought out, so is their crowdfunding strategy. Maurits Groen, one of the three founders, says: “After we used up most of our own savings, we needed additional funds for further development and pre financing initial order runs. We realized we could not and did not want to wait for the perfect moment to start talking to investors. I am fortunate enough to know a few media people who have given a significant boost to our campaign. But other than that it has been a lot of hard work. My fellow co-founders Camille van Gestel and Kim van der Leeuw have both put in a lot of effort making our campaign personal. Spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter and personal networks. Though the real work starts now, we made a good start through Symbid”

This crowdfunding transaction is special because all investors become actual shareholders in Off-Grid Solutions. Symbid, the platform used for this campaign, offers the first international equity based crowdfunding service in the world. Investors become actual owners of the company, and receive a return on investment in the form of dividends and have the ability to sell their shares. This way, everyone benefits.

About WakaWaka
WakaWaka is a highly efficient solar LED-light thanks to Dutch Intivation technology. Currently the WakaWaka team is working hard to service prospects from over 40 countries. Coming June the first WakaWaka’s will be received by off-grid families in Africa, India, Indonesia and elsewhere. For more information http://www.wakawakalight.com

About Symbid
Symbid is the first investment platform where investors can directly invest from as little as € 20,- in the equity of start-ups or existing businesses. Any entrepreneur is able to achieve growth or to raise capital via Symbid. Symbid recently reached the finals of the Shell Live Wire Award and is among the most innovative companies in the Netherlands. For more information http://www.symbid.com

WakaWaka raises €75.000 with crowdfunding

Enviu breaks Dutch crowdfunding record

Sustainable business developer raises 100.000 Euro on Symbid

Enviu, a sustainable business developer from the Netherlands raised 100.000 Euro using equity-based crowdfunding platform Symbid. Enviu was able to attract 372 investors from all over the world andbreaks the national record. Enviu will use the 100.000 Euro to invest directly in new start-ups developed. This success shows the promise of using crowdfunding as way of raising capital for small companies.

Utrecht/Rotterdam, 07-01-2012 – Enviu calls it practical idealism: inspiring the crowd to combine innovation, sustainability and co-creation to develop solutions for environmental and social issues. These solutions are brought to the market. The first example was the Sustainable Dance Club. Its flagship product is a floor which generatesenergy by dancing on it. Three Wheels United, is another Enviu start-up, which improves the lives of auto-rickshaw drivers in India while reducing CO2 emissions.

Stef van Dongen, founder of Enviu, started this initiative in Rotterdam. Having a background in entrepreneurship (he started his first company at the age of 17), a Master in Global Business Society Management and with his belief in the crowd, he chose to gather capital through crowdfunding. “I believe radical change is needed to solve major issues such as waste, energy and healthy living. The power of the crowd is required to create sustainable solutions. Crowdfunding is a perfect example of using this power”, says the Enviu founder.

This crowdfunding transaction is special because all investors become actual shareholders in Enviu. Symbid, the platform used for this campaign, offers the first international equity based crowdfunding service in the world. Investors become actual owners of the company, and receive a return on investment in the form of dividends and have the ability to sell their shares. Korstiaan Zandvliet, CEO of Symbid, is excited about breaking the Dutch national record. “Enviu was a special project for us, because the founders made a conscious choice for crowdfunding. With this record we’ve shown that equity based crowdfunding can be an excellent addition to the current ways of how companies raise capital.”

The campaign led by marketing expert Kirsten Toeset, used social media to its fullest extent to make people familiar with the crowdfunding proposition. “We are so proud that so many people believe in Enviu and have invested in our world-changing start-ups, ” said Toeset. She adds: “Due to this overwhelming success we know that collaborative investing is the way to go, therefore we plan to offer the opportunity to directly invest in our projects with our very own crowdfunding platform in the near future”.

/////////////

About Enviu
Enviu develops innovative solutions to environmental and social issues and introduces these to the market. We collaborate with a large group of young entrepreneurial people, senior executives, corporate partners and universities to co-create these innovative businesses. For more information http://www.enviu.org

About Symbid
Symbid is the first investment platform where investors can directly invest from as little as € 20,- in the equity of start-ups or existing businesses. Any entrepreneur is able to achieve growth or to raise capital via Symbid. Symbid recently reached the finals of the Shell Live Wire Award and is among the most innovative companies in the Netherlands. For more information http://www.symbid.com

Enviu breaks Dutch crowdfunding record

Norwegian twins revolutionizing 3D eyewear

One night a couple of years ago, Einy and I  went to see a 3D movie. We were mesmerized by the new phase of the 3D technology, but really disliked the 3D glasses we were given. We were confident we could design more stylish and comfortable glasses, so we took the challenge on a straight arm. We had always wanted to start our own business, but hadn’t had the right idea for a product. Finally we had one – designer 3D glasses!

We decided to start with a soft-launch with only one model, “Popcorn”, and were lucky to get attention from press worldwide. Since my sister and I were full-time students at University of Southern California at the time, we started the company as a side project. However, Ingri:Dahl, quickly became a full-time workload. At that point we knew we were ready to expand the number of styles we could offer.

A few months later we launched the collection as a part of Vogue’s Fashion Night Out. Not long after we were lucky to become involved with the 3D Film Festival, which was hosted by the HBO-star, Thomas Jane. Through both events we were able to create a lot of buzz around the brand. Our business is on a rise and we know there is an increasing demand. The technology that we use is becoming more common in 3D TVs, and you can use these same glasses at the movie theater. But unfortunately we have run out of capital. We have emptied our pockets, and have no way to fund our spring collection. We are in need of external funding to complete this collection, and therefore took our project to Kickstarter. We are seeking 10,000 dollars to fund the collection, as well as a photo shoot. In this writing moment, 114 backers have supported our project and a total amount of 2500 dollars has been pledged.

for more information: http://www.ingridahl.com/pages/pics
http://kck.st/vWxSxh

Norwegian twins revolutionizing 3D eyewear

Best-selling author completes first global equity-based Crowdfunding campaign via Symbid

Utrecht, 12/19/2011 – Martijn Arets, author of the book "Brand Expedition, a 5-­‐month journey visiting Europe's most inspiring brands", has collected € 20,000 in investments from the general public, via investment platform Symbid. The investments will be used to translate the successful Dutch version of the book in English and bring it on the international market. Arets used Symbid's investment platform to reach the general public. Special about this transaction is that all investor actually become shareholders in the company of Arets.

Arets needed 2 months to reach his capital goal. In total, 171 investors, domestic and foreign, responded to the call. The English translation of the book is expected in February 2012 and will be available on the website (as EBook or hardcopy) of the author and via regular channels. The translation will gain familiarity with a unique promotional action, in which 1000 fans from 15 countries read a chapter from the book in front of the webcam making it the first read out loud book in the world on YouTube. Arets is very pleased with the result: "The past two months I have not only gained the necessary investment, but also an additional chapter to the story, overwhelming media attention and 171 Brand Expedition ambassadors.“


The investment platform Symbid demonstrates with this transaction that its approach to finance entrepreneurs and businesses works, says CEO, Korstiaan Zandvliet. "With this first successful financing, we proved that the platform works! We would therefore like to congratulate Martijn and all investors with this fantastic result."


About Symbid
Symbid is the first investment platform where investors can directly invest from as little as € 20,-­‐ in the equity of start-­‐ups or existing businesses. Any entrepreneur is able to achieve growth or to raise capital via Symbid. Symbid recently reached the finals of the Shell Live Wire Award and is among the most innovative companies in the Netherlands.


About Martijn Arets and Brand Expedition
From Brand Expedition Martijn advises and inspires people and organisations in the areas of brand, strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, new business models and social media. He does this through presentations, brainstorming sessions and consultancy. His book Brand Expedition was recently nominated by Sprout for the title of ABN AMRO Business Book of the Year.
For more information
www.symbid.com www.brand-­‐expedition.eu 

Best-selling author completes first global equity-based Crowdfunding campaign via Symbid

PRESS RELEASE: IDEAME, THE FIRST REGIONAL CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM OF LATIN

After a successful debut in Argentina and Chile, IDEAME lands in Mexico
Mexico, November 23, 2011 – IDEAME (www.idea.me) launches its platform for the  Mexican market becoming the first crowdfunding platform operating across different countries in Latin America.

IDEAME is a Latin American crowdfunding company for creative and artistic talent in the region. The fundamental goal of IDEAME is to provide financial support for creative and artistic Latin American talent in all their expressions turning their ideas into reality on a global stage. “Our platform seeks to secure financing for creative projects in Latin America in a variety of areas, including music, cinema, visual arts, design, fashion, innovation and technology. Since our launch in August, we have seen several projects that successfully reached their funding goals in Argentina and Chile. It is a very positive sign for the rest of the region.” highlights Sebastian Uchitel, CEO of IDEAME.

“The landing of our platform into Mexico is part of our strategy to become the main regional player in Latin America. Mexico presents an amazing talent pool. Besides, social networking and electronic commerce have grown significantly over the last years within the country”.
How it Works?
The mechanism is simple: the "creator" of a project presents his initiative with the economic objective needed to raise and pursue it, within a specified period. The public works financially in exchange for various prizes, rewards or experiences depending on the amount of collaboration. If the project meets the economic objective within the stipulated period, the creator gets the funding for the project, develops, and delivers the promised rewards. Failure to achieve its economic goal, the money is returned to those who contributed.

Who trust us?

The company has secured the support of a group of investors of notable prestige with a solid track record in online and creative throughout the region. “Among the investors are Eduardo Costantini Jr. (who served as executive director of the MALBA Museum for five years, cofounder of MUBI and president of Costa Films), Boris Hirmas Said (vice chairman of Yellow Pepper and a member of the Latin American Committee of the Tate Museum in London) and Wenceslao Casares (founder of Patagon and Bling Nation), just to name a few of the most prominent investors,” added Mariano Suarez Battan, the renowned entrepreneur who sold his company Three Melons to Playdom/Disney in 2010 and one of the cofounders of IDEAME.“There is an extraordinary pool of creative and innovative talent in Latin America which faces obstacles to find funding. IDEAME will fill that void by providing the necessary resources for those artists to turn their dreams into reality, and we think it’s a great initiative,” said Boris Hirmas Said, Vice-Chairman of IDEAME.

About IDEAME

The fundamental goal of IDEAME is to provide financial support for creative and artistic Latin American talent in all their expressions turning their ideas into reality on a global stage. IDEAME allows creators and artists to share their ideas with an online community, providing those members with the opportunity to take an active role in the development and execution of various projects and initiatives all on one platform. For more information, visit www.idea.me or send an e-mail to prensa@idea.me

PRESS RELEASE: IDEAME, THE FIRST REGIONAL CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM OF LATIN

Edit Huddle: The Crowd as Editor

By Rachel Hyman, head of marketing at Edit Huddle

Blog Errors are a Problem


Think about your favorite blogs, whether they’re political, tech, or news blogs. If they publish frequently, chances are their posts have errors — something is misspelled, the grammar is wonky, or there’s a broken link. Even at blogs with attentive editors, mistakes slip through. Thing is, even if you’re not an out-and-out grammar Nazi, those irritating errors suck. They’re distracting. They make the blogger and the blog look bad, and they attract a flood of commenters who seem to thrive on pointing out errors, detracting from more substantial conversation.
Bloggers, rightfully, are more focused on generating and disseminating quality content than they are on catching every single trivial error. Blog readers want to read clear, error-free posts and the grand majority of them look to the comment section for something more meaningful than “You spelled ‘accidentally’ wrong. Again.” So what’s the solution?

That’s where Edit Huddle comes in. Edit Huddle is a tool that lets blog readers flag particular errors, sending that information to bloggers via a clean dashboard. The tool seamlessly integrates with blogs, allowing authors to fix their posts directly from the dashboard. The tool itself is simple and unobtrusive for blog readers to use: they simply highlight the section of text that contains the error, select the type of mistake it is, and the information is sent directly to the blogger.
Why use Edit Huddle?

Everyone on the Edit Huddle team is a huge blog reader, and we all get frustrated over errors, especially when the comment section gets inundated with people more concerned with pointing out mistakes than with having a productive discussion. Our founder, Imran Ahmad, noticed that many commenters on his favorite blogs were highlighting the same errors, but that there was no easy way to directly contact the blogger. Unsatisfied with the idea of sticking his correction in the comment section and calling it a day, Imran realized that he could harness the power of the crowd to make corrections, improving the blog experience for readers and writers alike.

We believe that there’s a large market of blog readers who would avail themselves of the Edit Huddle tool — much larger than self-proclaimed grammar Nazis who take to the comment section upon spotting errors. See, for instance, this comment from a recent Thought Catalog article:

Thought Catalog posts about 65 times a week. That’s a lot. They also don’t have a stringent editing process, and typos crop up all the time. See the reply by ‘Guest’ up there? 18 people agreed with that commenter. Those are all people who have picked up on the fact that Thought Catalog has recurrent errors, and they’re all potentially people who would use the Edit Huddle tool, even if they wouldn’t comment like Max did.

The crowd is so essential to Edit Huddle because they, the blog readers, are the ones spotting the errors and flagging them to be sent to the blogger. Edit Huddle is literally unimaginable without the scores of readers — the silent majority — who want to read high-quality, professional content and are engaged enough with the blogs they visit to conceivably submit corrections. 

As we move the startup along, we consider not only the bloggers who would put the tool on their site, but also the blog readers whose corrections are paramount to the success of Edit Huddle. We always keep in mind that even if we pitch Edit Huddle to bloggers, the blog readers are our users as well. The feedback of these blog readers has already been incredibly useful. For instance, we’ve been playing around with where on a blog post to put the “Corrections” button that enables users to submit errors, according to the different comments we’ve gotten. Because the crowd is the one submitting the errors, we’re intent on making the process as simple and nonintrusive for them as possible.

History + Progress

Edit Huddle was conceived at the Chicago SocialDevCamp Hackathon. We were one of the winners at that competition, which only pushed us to work harder. We soon competed in Chicago Startup Weekend and gained some incredible traction in an intense 54 hours. We contacted over 1,200 bloggers and got a 17% response rate. We found that 85% of survey respondents would use the Edit Huddle Tool, and 40% would pay $1.99 for it. We also got nince influential bloggers to agree to beta testing, which means the Edit Huddle tool will first be rolled out in front of a total 80,000 readers. “This is something we would definitely use on our website,” said Seth Kravitz, co-founder of the Chicago entrepreneurial site Technori. “I love the simplicity of your implementation." After buckling down for two and a half days, we were declared one of the winners at Chicago Startup Weekend.

Since Startup Weekend, we’ve been working around the clock to ensure the success of Edit Huddle. Right now, we’re focusing on a Wordpress plugin, and we plan to extend seamless integration to a multitude of other blog platforms. We’ve also been connecting to Chicago entrepreneurs, readying beta testing, and launching our new website. Beta testing will start shortly; expect to hear about a full launch soon.

Get in Touch

Please check out our new website and sign up for an invite. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We love hearing from people who are into startups, entrepreneurship, technology, crowdsourcing, and above all bloggers and blog readers! Email press@edithuddle.com to get in touch.

Edit Huddle: The Crowd as Editor