FitForLaunch.com Launches Rewards-Based Crowdfunding Campaigns for Enomad, Knops, M3 and Snapmaker

To date, the new crowdfunding platform has successfully raised $8.2 million for product development and guarantees delivery for crowdfunded pre-orders

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Fulton, Maryland – FitForLaunch announced the launch of its new platform for crowdfunding pre-orders. FitForLaunch is unique in that it offers consumers peace of mind with a delivery guarantee, so that they can pre-order the coolest tech without any risks. Should a business fail to deliver within 12 months, FitForLaunch will either refund their purchase or secure an equal or better replacement.

FitForLaunch.com Launches Rewards Crowdfunding Campaigns for Enomad, Knops, M3 and Snapmaker

Every company that joins FitForLaunch undergoes a thorough vetting in 5 key areas: Market feasibility, technical feasibility, production feasibility, financial feasibility and creator feasibility. Each key area is evaluated by a team of subject matter experts; only companies that are viable in all key areas are permitted to join the platform and considered fit for launch.

FitForLaunch debuted in June 2017 with four companies (M3D, Snapmaker, Knops, and Enomad) that have already had successful crowdfunding campaigns representing a total of $8.2 million raised for product development. FitForLaunch expects to add a dozen additional vetted companies every month and aims to help them increase pre-order revenues by addressing new markets.

FitForLaunch companies also benefit by having access to strategic advice in areas of marketing, manufacturing, employment, and even taxes.  Helping companies learn how to keep their costs down and have sound strategies maximizes their chance of success.  FitForLaunch’s experience allows us to help companies avoid pitfalls and save hundreds of thousands, if not millions.  A short conversation with an expert can have a huge impact and is an additional value for companies joining the platform.

FitForLaunch encourages companies with new products to take pre-orders using a crowdfunding-type mechanism as opposed to setting up their own ecommerce site until they are in stock.  Leveraging a platform like FitForLaunch also helps protect them from fraud, chargebacks and merchant processor holdback reserves.  Many creators do not realize that credit card processors have the potential to devastate a startup by denying them access to the funds they’ve raised.  New companies also may lack the resources for setting up their own ecommerce site and maintaining it along with screening purchases against fraud and dealing with chargebacks.

FitForLaunch was born out of witnessing failures that were predictable due to our fundamental understanding of the crowdfunding space and experience with manufacturing operations.  We saw trust in the crowdfunding space falling and wanted to do something about it.  We developed a proprietary system for predicting success – our own underwriting process for gaging risk.  We then surveyed buyers and found an underserved market of purchasers that would pre-order projects only if given a guarantee, even with a significant additional fee.  FitForLaunch was then setup as a way to effectively communicate and support our own vetting and guarantee process.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following and is dedicated to supporting a wide variety of donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

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SpaceoutVR Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign on Netcapital.com to Raise Money for a New High Tech Mobile Virtual Reality Company

The team has had an exciting quarter leading up to this campaign, with several big milestones including a seed funding round with $365k invested

By Robert Hoskins

Troy, NY – SpaceoutVR, Inc. announced the launch of an equity crowdfunding campaign on Netcapital.coml to raise money for a Mobile Virtual Reality software company. Their product, Spaceout.VR is a free to play Social VR MMO for iOS & Android that monetizes with upgrades and features for entertainment, gaming and communications.

SpaceoutVR Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign on Netcapital.com to Raise Money for a New High Tech Mobile Virtual Reality Company

“We are pleased to offer our friends and fans an opportunity to grow with our company,” said SpaceoutVR’s CEO, V. Owen Bush. “Equity crowdfunding is how the future is funded and SpaceoutVR is the future of immersive entertainment.”

The VR MMO engages players with fun VR experiences. Players aim to win by building the biggest Space Station in VR. Using machine learning and social media analysis, the MMO populates personal spaces with the digital content that players love. A social feed allows players to meet, share, and leave messages for each other. A gamified user economy will drive the revenue of SpaceoutVR, Inc.

With two years of operations, over 250,000 app downloads and over $1.2M invested, the startup is on the launchpad to success. The team has had an exciting quarter leading up to this campaign, with several big milestones including a seed funding round with $365k invested.

SpaceoutVR has been selected as a top featured VR app for the Google Play Store and smashed new records in engagement with an average session of 18.33 mins in May. The team launched Spaceout.VR v 1.3.1 with a Social VR Feed and in-app 360 Photo Sharing.  Spaceout.VR is now a top featured app on the Google Cardboard VR Library.

On June 29, 2017, SpaceoutVR won the CEG Technology Award “Judges’ Choice for Technology”. They were also awarded a free booth at both TechCrunch Disrupt in May and at the Northside Festival, June 7-9 in New York.

The company was co-founded by four senior executives in Gaming, Entertainment and Digital Marketing. SpaceoutVR, Inc. hopes to become a defining brand in mass-market consumer VR, and they have the experience behind them to make it happen.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following and is dedicated to supporting a wide variety of donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

 

Top 10 Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding Offerings Ranked on the Amount of Crowdfunding Raised

Searching for the Hottest New Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding Investment Opportunities?

For fun, we thought we would keep track of the first wave to Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding Offerings to see who has raised the most money to date. The current crowdfunding campaigns are ranked in order by the amount of money they have raised as of May 24, 2016 at 4:00 pm.

After the first week, it looks like crowdfunding campaigns with lower investment amounts far outpaced larger investment requirements.  The same is true of lower crowdfunding investment goals. For example, GameTree has a minimum investment of $100 and a fundraising goal of $100,000 and barely two weeks into their campaign they are 90% funded.

If you’d like shop around and make your first non-accredited investment in a Title III, Regulation CF offering, please review from the offers listed below.

You might also check out their company websites, their social media credentials on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and then Google their founders names and companies to see what they have done to promote their company in the news media.

It will be easy to see what management teams have done the proper prep work, planned effective marketing campaigns and the others that haven’t even been able to put together a simple company website.

If they can’t build a simple website, how in the world can they run a successful business?

Here is also a quick snapshot of what Title III Crowdfunding Platforms have raised the most money:

1.   WeFunder.com            $243,871
2.   StartEngine                  $142,602
3.   SeedInvest                     $74,800
4.   NextSeed                        $26,900

Total: $461,273

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1. The Legion M Entertainment (media company)

Crowdfunding Platform: WeFunder

Amount Raised: $120,611

2. Taxa Biotechnologies (genetic plant engineers)

Crowdfunding Platform: WeFunder

Amount Raised:  $111,860

3. MF Fire (an app-drive, low emissions wood stove)

Crowdfunding Platform: SeedInvest

Amount Raised: $40,900

4. Native Hostel Austin (Luxury hostel in Austin

Crowdfunding Platform: NextSeed

Amount Raised: $26,900

5. Bloomery SweetShine (distillery)

Crowdfunding Platform: StartEngine

Amount Raised: $35,700

 

6. GameTree (Social network for gamers)

Crowdfunding Platform: StartEngine

Amount Raised:  $90,360

7. Treasure State Internet (fiber optic installation)

Crowdfunding Platform: WeFunder

Amount Raised:  $8,800

8. StartMart Cleveland (Coworking space)

Crowdfunding Platform: SeedInvest

Amount Raised: $7,000

9. Gigmor (Connecting bands with venues and gigs)

Crowdfunding Platform: StartEngine

Amount Raised: $14,905

10. Urban Juncture (developing commercial real estate)

Platform: WeFunder

Amount Raised: $2,600

11. Graphic Armor (personalized condoms)

Crowdfunding Platform: StartEngine

Amount Raised: $1,636

12. NextRX Inc (Medical marijuana network pass)

Crowdfunding Platform: StartEngine

Amount Raised:  $0

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Interactive Gaming Company Launches $300,000 EquityNet Crowdfunding Campaign to Develop and Market Software that Plays on SmartPhones, Personal Computers and Game Consoles

Halitron, Inc., formerly  Teknik Digital Arts, Inc., is engaged in the development and marketing of interactive gaming software to play on cell phones, personal computers, and game consoles

By Robert Hoskins

Newtown, Connecticut –Halitron, Inc., an equity investment holding company, (OTCPK: HAON.PK) announces the launch of a $300,000 equity raise through the EquityNet.com crowdfunding platform and is offering 21,428,571 common shares at $.014 per unit.

Halitron Equity Investment Holding Company

Halitron, Inc., formerly  Teknik Digital Arts, Inc., is engaged in the development and marketing of interactive gaming software to play on cell phones, personal computers, and game consoles. Over the coming weeks the Halitron will announce a new mission statement and outline its strategic plan which involves acquiring related sales & marketing as well as manufacturing businesses and rolling them into one very efficient and low cost operating infrastructure.

“After a thorough review of a number of crowdfunding platforms, we selected www.EquityNet.com’s portal as their service provides access to over 20,000 accredited investors.  We are excited to raise the initial capital which be utilized to further enhance operations and allow us to prepare for upcoming acquisitions,” states Bernard Findley, Halitron’s CEO.

Mr. Findley is experienced in growth opportunities as well as distressed acquisitions and work-outs.  He communicates with the investment community and operational teams in order to execute on strategic plans that are intended to benefit shareholders.

Since 2008, he has acquired and consulted for over 16 brands that were bankrupt, distressed, and/or insolvent.  Through these acquisitions, Mr. Findley gained invaluable experience with disappointed equity holders, senior lenders, unsecured vendors, and customers. While the turnaround world often comes with delivering “negative” messages, Mr. Findley has salvaged value on assets when many thought there was none.

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Equity Crowdfunding Platform, MicroVentures, Touts Track Record of Raising More than $50 Million for New Pre-IPO Startup Companies

MicroVentures portfolio includes some of the world’s leading equity investments including Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Republic Project, LaunchRock and Loom

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas –  Online venture capital platform, MicroVentures, announced that the company has raised more than $50 million directly for its portfolio companies, while generating positive returns for its investors through successful exits, such as the recent acquisition of Space Monkey, a cloud data storage company, by Vivint, on of the the largest home automation services provider in North America.

MicroVentures portfolio includes some of the world’s leading investments including Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Republic Project, LaunchRock and Loom

Accelerated growth of MicroVentures will be fueled by new investment opportunities that cater to investors’ rising interests, such as late stage pre-IPO companies and real estate. The company’s focus includes investments in internet technology, media and entertainment, software, green technology, mobile, social and gaming.

“We set out five years ago to create the user-friendly platform that connects investors and startups at the seed stage,” said Bill Clark, founder of MicroVentures. “Today MicroVentures not only connects, but leads investment rounds for our portfolio companies – the first equity crowdfunding platform to play this role. This milestone showcases the viability of the equity crowdfunding business and we look forward to continuing to grow alongside our investors and entrepreneurs.”

The more than $50 million raised to date includes investments in successful companies such as Twitter (IPO), Facebook (IPO), Yelp (IPO), Republic Project (acquired), LaunchRock (acquired), and Loom (acquired by Dropbox). Other notable start-ups that are currently part of the MicroVentures’ portfolio include Structured Polymers, Soldsie, Biomeme and Oru Kayak, who was featured in the last season of Shark Tank and is actively raising capital via the MicroVentures platform today.

“MicroVentures gave us the opportunity to pitch in front of over 20,000 global investors,” said Nathan Derrick, CEO of Supplyhog. “This allowed us to spend less time raising capital and more time growing our business.”

Since establishing itself in 2010 as one of the first equity crowdfunding platforms that is a FINRA registered broker-dealer, MicroVentures has grown its investor community from 200 individuals to more than 22,000 individuals. The company has done so through building expertise, security, selectivity, due diligence, personalized customer service and accessibility for both accredited and non-accredited investors. The MicroVentures team is committed to providing confidence for both startups and investors through its dedication to rigorous due diligence and to personal relationships with investors.

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Kickstarter Campaign Rolls Out Custom-fit, Moldable Earbuds for People on the Go

Using a safe, thermoplastic molding, Decibullz allows users to mold the earbuds to their individual ears in a matter of minutes

By Robert Hoskins

The Decibullz earbud headphone system allows users to mold and remold the earbuds for a custom fit, which can be had for making a donation of less than $50 via the company’s Kickstarter crowdfunding profile. It is virtually impossible that every set of earbuds fits every user perfectly because each person’s ears are as unique as their fingerprints. According to the company other custom earbuds can be made, but come with a high price tag and lengthy process. By using a safe, thermoplastic mold, Decibullz allows the user to mold the earbuds to their individual ears in a matter of minutes, without the exorbitant price tag. The result is an extremely comfortable, great sounding set of earbuds that won’t fall out.

Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs

“For the past two years, I have been working to create an easy, affordable custom-molded earbud, and revealed the first version of Decibullz at CES 2013,” notes Kyle Kirkpatrick, creator of Decibullz. “We’ve received some great feedback, and created an amazing following. I’ve combined that feedback with everything I have learned in the past two years to create an even better custom-molded earbud system.”

The molding process is similar to that of molding a mouthguard, and only takes a few minutes. First, the user heats up the thermoplastic molds in a bowl of water via microwave for two minutes, and allows them to cool until they’re slightly above room temperature. The molding material remains pliable for about four minutes, giving the user enough time to mold them to their ears to achieve a perfect fit. The earbuds’ design has been praised, earning Decibullz a CES Innovations Award.

Kirkpatrick launched his Kickstarter campaign with a funding goal set to $40,000, the cost to manufacture Decibullz 2.0, which is vastly improved compared to the first-generation Decibullz. The new version of Decibullz incorporates improvements such as superior sound quality, greater noise isolation, and better sweat resistance, which were all enhanced based on feedback from existing customers. Additional features that have been added to the first version include a tangle-free cord, low profile design, and silicone ear tips. Decibullz also comes with a built-in microphone and remote with music controls, making Decibullz the ideal earbuds for an active lifestyle.

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Crowdfunding Industry Rolls Out the Red Carpet to Hollywood and Indies with First Crowdfunding Film Festival in California

Crowdfunding Film Festival Set to Roll Out the Red Carpet to Hollywood and Independent Filmmakers to Promote Revolutionary New Public Equity Crowdfunding Finance Tool

By Robert Hoskins

The First Annual International CrowdFunding Film Festival will be held October 2-6, 2013 in San Francisco. The film fest will bring together artists, filmmakers, entertainment and video game creators to showcase their craft, network and  raise money through the new crowdfunding finance tool. The film festival has plans to collaborate with film schools in New York, London and Paris.

Crowdfunding Film Festival Set to Roll Out the Red Carpet to Hollywood and Independent Filmmakers to Promote Revolutionary New Public Equity Crowdfunding Finance Tool

Film students from universities all around the country are increasingly looking to crowdfunding to find backing for their projects. With over countless films successfully funded through crowdfunding portals such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, Hollywood is now paying close attention to all this movement.

Director/Writer Rob Thomas has raised over $5.7 million for his movie “Veronica Mars” while Zach Braff’s feature “Wish I Was Here” has raised $2.6 million in donations. San Francisco State Student Sterling Cook keen on exploring crowdfunding of finance for production projects.

“I see in these directors, writers, and cinematographers, the same core passion for innovation. They are not only artists but more importantly, entrepreneurs – they are seeking to touch the world and make a difference through their films. We know of their struggle to find financial backing and I believe crowdfunding will be the answer,” stated the ICFFF’s organizer Sydney Armani.

A film production involves collaboration between dozens of creative groups and getting all the individual pieces to fit together is similar to managing a business. Crowdfunding is changing the production landscape and the movie industry is currently experiencing a real game changer

Ted Hope, advocate of America’s Independent Cinema Movement and Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society, provides deeper insight into the current state of the film industry in his blog post “Why I Left New York for the San Francisco Film Festival.”

He said, “Our entertainment economy and the art it supports, was built upon the concepts of scarcity and control, but today’s reality is one of super-abundance and access – the exact opposite. To survive and flourish, today’s artists/entrepreneurs–and those who support them–must all embrace practices that extend beyond the core skills of development, production, and post-production of their art and reach beyond the attention and practice of marketing and distribution.” The meaning behind Hope’s words echoes the exact spirit and foundation that is the core of Silicon Valley’s passion for entrepreneurship and reflects the same spirit represented by the film festival.

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KPCB, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners Follow Successful OUYA Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign with Venture Capital Investments Bringing the Total of $15 Million in New Funding Raised

By Robert Hoskins

In a sign of thing to come for the infant Crowdfunding industry, video game startup OUYA announced $15 million in new venture capital funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), with participation from the Mayfield Fund, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners. The company intends to use the additional funding to support OUYA’s growing game development community, and meet increased demand for the upcoming retail launch. KPCB General Partner Bing Gordon will join the company’s board of directors, which also includes Julie Uhrman , OUYA founder and CEO, and Roy Bahat , chairman of the Board.

KPCB, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners Follow Successful #OUYA #Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign with Venture Capital Investments Bringing the New Total of $15 Million in New Funding Raised

OUYA’s vision for a new kind of game console, open to all game developers, was brought to life through the support of early backers who crowdfunded the initial product development on Kickstarter. The crowdfunding effort set Kickstarter records, and delivered $8.6 million – almost nine times the target raise – signaling strong consumer demand for the console.  Venture funding validates the business strategy.

“We want OUYA to be here for a long time to come,” said Uhrman.  “The message is clear: people want OUYA.  We first heard this from Kickstarter backers who provided more than $8 million to help us build OUYA, then from over 12,000 developers who have registered to make an OUYA game, next from retailers who are carrying OUYA online and soon on store shelves, and now from top pioneering investors.”

Before joining KPCB where Gordon is focused on digital investments, he was a long-time executive at Electronic Arts, beginning with EA’s founding in 1982 which had initial funding from KPCB. As an OUYA board member, Gordon will advise the company as it scales its development community and executes its retail strategy and product development plans. Gordon also serves on the board of directors of Amazon, Klout, Lockerz, MEVIO, Zazzle and Zynga.

“OUYA’s open source platform creates a new world of opportunity for established and emerging independent game creators and gamers alike,” said Gordon.  “There are some types of games that can only be experienced on a TV, and OUYA is squarely focused on bringing back the living room gaming experience. OUYA will allow game developers to unleash their most creative ideas and satisfy gamers craving a new kind of experience.”

OUYA’s appeal lies in its unique philosophy within the console market. On OUYA, every game is free to try, and any developer can publish a game. OUYA is powerful enough to run 3D games in beautiful 1080p HD with its NVIDIA Tegra-3 processor, and open enough to invite game developers to bring their most creative inventions back to the television. More than 12,000 game creators worldwide have registered to make an OUYA game, from AAA studios to new entrants, including Square Enix, Inc., Double Fine Productions, Tripwire Interactive, Vlambeer, Kim Swift ‘s Airtight Games, Mighty Rabbit Studios, nWay, Polytron Corporation, and many others.

OUYA is now shipping exclusively to early backers as part of a preview program.  On June 25th, OUYA will be available for purchase in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. through retailers Amazon, Best Buy, GAME, GameStop, and Target, and on OUYA.tv for $99.99. Additional controllers will retail for $49.99.  Through these retailers, consumers can pre-order OUYA today.

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Crowdfunding Expected to be a Hot Consumer Electronics Topic at CE Week in New York

By Robert Hoskins

CE Week announced plans to host an innovative new lineup of keynotes and Crowdfunding conference sessions from the most well known names in the technology industry. The 2013 CE Week Line Shows and Exhibits are scheduled for June 26-27 at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building in New York City. This event is the official show headquarters of a week-long series of CE technology events taking place in the city over the course of CE Week, June 24-28.

CE Week LIne Shows & Exhibits is the Official Headquarters of CE Week, featuring the show’s largest exhibit floor of new products and start-ups, the largest concentration of conferences and attendees.

To kick off CE Week, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is producing a Research Summit on Monday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This event at the High Line Hotel will provide timely intelligence on the unique and important market trends and transformations emerging in the consumer electronics industry.

Aereo Founder and CEO Chet Kanojia will join Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, for an in-depth conversation about how technology innovation drives Aereo’s business strategy, at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 26.

Living in Digital Times will display the best and brightest in mobile app technology at the Mobile App Showdown. During this live event at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, ten finalists will put their apps to the test and the audience will cast the deciding vote on the best app.

Top company executives from Pioneer, Monster, Kenwood, Toshiba, IK Multimedia, Samsung and BlueBOLT will introduce new products and discuss what’s ahead for their companies during press conferences.

The CE Week SuperSessions will address popular topics including 3D printing, crowdfunding, and the next generation of gaming. Sessions include:

Polygon SuperSession: Video Gaming’s Other Next-Gen [June 26 at 1:35 p.m.] – With so much attention focused on new video game consoles from Microsoft and Sony, both of whom are poised to usher in another “next generation” of gaming later this year, it’s easy to miss that an entirely separate alternative generation of video game consoles is taking shape. Join us as we explore this nascent “other” generation, typified by a focus on mobile hardware, open operating systems, digital delivery and an indie-friendly publishing model.
Moderator: Christopher Grant, editor-in-chief, Polygon

CNET SuperSession: Bringing 3D Printing to Consumers [June 26 at 3:15 p.m.] – We hear about new 3D printing breakthroughs almost every week now, ranging from houses to prosthetic skull implants to 3D printing on Mars. For consumers, 3D printing is either science fiction, or it suffers from the perception that it’s an expensive, time-consuming hobby with little practical utility. How can consumer-facing 3D printing companies improve their image and attract more mainstream users? Should that even be the goal? This panel will explore the issues and solutions around taking 3D printing to the mass market.
Moderator: Rich Brown, senior editor, CNET

Mashable SuperSession: The Battle Over Smartphone Screen Size [June 27 at 10:15 a.m.] – Since 2010, the average size of cell phone screens has increased by almost a full inch. Plus-size phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note have expanded the displays of all models, to the point where it’s impossible to buy a top Android phone with a screen smaller than 4.7 inches. Does this trend have a ceiling, and what does it mean for people with normal-size hands?
Moderator: Lance Ulanoff, editor-in-chief, Mashable

PCWorld/TechHive SuperSession: Who’s Fastest? Wireless Speed Test Results [June 27 at 12:15 p.m.] – PCWorld/TechHive Editor Mark Sullivan and OpenSignal Co-Founder and CEO Brendan Gill present results from their annual study of 4G and 3G wireless speeds. This year, testers visited 20 cities and measured speeds at the street level to give wireless customers independent data on which carrier offers the best speeds and coverage in the U.S.

Engadget SuperSession: Crowdfunding the Hardware Revolution [June 27 at 1:45 p.m.] – Welcome to the dawn of the age of hardware startups. Sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter have changed the way we think about starting a business, from funding to user feedback. We’ll talk to success stories about the new business paradigm and discuss some tips for getting started in the world of crowdfunding.
Moderator: Brian Heater, director of media, Engadget

The CE Week Line Shows Conference Program is part of the full CE Week conference program, including 50-plus sessions and featuring more than 150 speakers. Conference tracks include the CEA Research Summit, Crowdfunding, Women in CE Forum, Connected Car Conference, Digital Health Summit, 2^nd Screen Summit, Ultra HD Conference and Techlicious Summit.

To register for CE Week visit https://secure.events-registration.com/ceweek2013/ Join in on the CE Week conversation by tweeting using the hashtag #ceweek.

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Early Growth Financial Services Adds Indiegogo Crowdfunding Platform and Niche Crowdfunding Companies to Growing Client Base

By Robert Hoskins

Early Growth Financial Services (EGFS) recently added to their growing client list such niche crowdfunding companies as Indiegogo and successfully crowdfunded companies such as OUYA.

EarlyGrowth Financial Services adds Indiegogo and OUYA as Crowdfunding Clients

“In addition to signing on these most recent crowdfunded clients, everyday I’m meeting with new potential clients who have received their first rounds of funding and now require financial expertise to help manage these new funds,” said David Ehrenberg, CEO of EGFS. “More and more of these companies are funded by crowdsourcing. One great example of the power of crowdfunding is our new client OUYA, an Android-powered gaming console, which achieved massive levels of success with their Kickstarter campaign, raising $8.5 million. This isn’t something you would have seen back in 2008 when I first started EGFS. Now the capital is flowing directly to companies that need and deserve funding.”

According to Scott Jordan, of S. Jordan & Associates (SJA), a life sciences investment banking and business development consultancy, “Crowdfunding works by democratizing the flow of capital to promising start-ups; meaning investors of means (accredited investors) have the opportunity to participate in an asset class that was previously limited, and have the opportunity to diversify their holdings in this asset class as part of their overall asset allocation to minimize risk.”

Where crowdfunding has really taken off is within niche markets, as EGFS can attest. Says Ehrenberg, “We’re definitely seeing more niche crowdfunding companies. EGFS is proud to announce our support of Indiegogo, the leading international crowdfunding platform, which has successfully helped entrepreneurs raise millions of dollars for thousands of campaigns worldwide. And I’m meeting with more niche crowdfunding companies every day who have been inspired to take crowdfunding to the next level within their sector.”

Health Tech Hatch is one such niche crowdfunding company that proves there is a real opportunity in targeted crowdfunding platforms. Pat Salber, Founder and CEO of Health Tech Hatch, believes that there is an important “role for specialized sites, like Health Tech Hatch, that focus on one sector” (in their case, early-stage innovations in health care) because they “know the industry, can better evaluate the prospects of an innovation, and have a large network of industry connections.”

As EGFS continues to sign-on clients who’ve benefited from crowdfunding, in Ehrenberg’s opinion, we’ve only just begun to see the power of crowdfunding. “I believe we will continue to see innovation within this movement,” says Ehrenberg. “Crowdfunding is putting the power in the hands of the people and helping to launch companies that may not have traditionally received funding. It’s an exciting time for entrepreneurs and an exciting time for EGFS. Professional services are the beneficiaries of the crowdfunding movement as much as the funded companies themselves.”

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