Ever heard of Indiegogo, Kickstarter or Crowdfunder? What about the term crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding only surfaced a few years ago but it is fast becoming a go-to method for raising funds. How it works: You pitch your idea on a crowdfunding platform like one of the mentioned sites, and if people like your idea, they can contribute to your project. You can pitch almost anything – products, applications, song albums and even babies! Yes, you heard that right – babies. But that’s another story (See here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-the-haleys-have-a-baby).
While it is now well integrated in the US, the same cannot be said for Asia. However, thanks to Crowdfunding Asia, spearheaded by HongSin Kwek, the Founder of startup PhoenixICT, Asia will have its second Crowdfunding summit in November this year.
We speak to her to get to know more about the second summit, and also the debut LIVE Crowdfunding Asia Festival – BOLD 2015, an extension of the event inspired an co-organised with youths aged 18 to 24 years young from various Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) in Singapore.
Q1: What is Crowdfunding Asia about?
KHS: It is a platform to network and collaborate with others as well as to showcase your ideas and products. At the summit, attendees will have opportunities to mingle, discuss and pitch projects that may help them gain insights to current concepts and find investors who are interested in backing their models. It is also an avenue for us to provide alternatives to fill in the gaps that the traditional approach leaves. An example of such a gap is how the funding available to technopreneurs is common but not to mumpreneurs, hawkerpreneurs, hydropreneurs, and more.
Find out more at: http://www.cfasia.org/en/aboutus/
Q2: What is the difference between the Crowdfunding Asia – Singapore Summit 2015 and the Crowdfunding Asia Festival – BOLD 2015?
KHS: The Crowdfunding Asia Summit is a full day conference focused on interaction with international experts and practitioners in the crowdfunding scene. Regulators, government, investors, bankers, media, startups, entrepreneurs of all walks of industry will be there. The extension of the summit is the Crowdfunding Asia festival BOLD 2015, which spans 3.5-days and will provide the platform to challenge all startups, entrepreneurs who are brave enough to show their business in the open field and to call for LIVE CROWDFUNDING. Whether it is media, tech, water, investors, bankers, research, health, welfare or socio-enterprises – as long as they are out to demonstrate their potential. We are expecting few thousands of visitors flocking in with comfortable attires (since it is outdoors) to exchange ideas, hear pitches and learn from each other to better their business models and more. It is a marketplace to be and YOU WANT TO BE IN IT TO MAKE HISTORY!
Q3: How is it beneficial?
KHS:
It is beneficial when you start giving yourself a chance to be a part of it.
It is beneficial when you participate.
It is beneficial when you help some and someone in turn support you in many other ways.
IT IS A CROWD CONVERSATION…
Q4: Who should attend? (the Crowdfunding Asia Summit 2015 and/or the Crowdfunding Asia Festival BOLD 2015?)
KHS: EVERYONE who is in pursuit of turning their dream into reality. EVERYONE who believes they can contribute… EVERYONE who wants Singapore to hear them…. EVERYONE who sees crowdfunding as a strong alternative to their vision, or to help someone live their dreams in business and more.
Q5: What can attendees expect there?
KHS: Lots of exchange and learning!
Catch Crowdfunding Asia – Singapore Summit and the Crowdfunding Asia Festival – Bold 2015 on 9 November 2015 and 10 -13 November 2015 respectively!
Sign up here:
Crowdfunding Asia – Singapore Summit and Crowdfunding Asia Festival – BOLD 2015
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