‘Business is Boring’ is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt.
One of the coolest things to happen to business has been the new democratic ways people can get a product, idea or dream off the ground. Crowdfunding, and the new tools of equity crowdfunding and peer lending are changing the way people can test, prove and launch new things.
In New Zealand a pioneer on all these fronts is PledgeMe.co.nz, a very cool company founded and led by Anna Guenther. They’ve had huge impact, with Eat My Lunch funding 800K of lunch bonds, and more than 1000 successful projects. And all through something that didn’t exist a few short years ago.
The Spinoff has used PledgeMe to crowdfund and smash through the stretch targets for The War for Auckland campaign, a perfect example of how this platform is making things possible and mobilising and connecting people to achieve new things. But how did it all begin, and where is it all going?
Either download or have a listen below, subscribe through iTunes or read on for a transcribed excerpt.
You believed in the product so much you put yourself through the equity process a couple times, right? Tell me about that. I guess what I’m interested in is one of the barriers of people wanting to go down the equity route is telling everyone about all of your financials and stripping off in the public glare. And in a country like New Zealand, I wonder if people have been traditionally a bit shy about talking about the dollars and cents. How have you found that, how has the experience been for you, yourself?