"The conversations I have with early-stage founders have to do with how deeply they understand the pain points of their customers." (Sumaiya Balbale, CMO, Sequoia Capital)

INNOVATION LOVES OPENNESS
Entrepreneurial ecosystems characterised by openness to diverse actors generate more firms, study reveals
"I mean, you think about even traditional, people still go to the movies, they still sit down, they watch a two hour movie, and that hasn't changed in decades. So I think the way we connect and how we tell stories kind of is the same, just the medium's a little different." (Marvin Chow, VP, Global Marketing, Google about how building a brand has changed over the last decade).
State of European Tech 2022 Highlights
With Tom Wehmeier and Sarah Guemouri from Atomico
"Our growth at all costs mindset is no longer viable." (Tom Wehmeier, Partner, Atomico)

Blockchain-as-a-Service: GLOBAL Market Estimated at US$36.9 Billion by 2027
From US$1.6 Billion in 2020.

SMEs: EUROPEAN Equity Crowdfunding market is consolidating
But some countries are lagging behind.

FEMALE INVESTORS FUEL JOB CREATION IN THE UK
New study reveals investments worth £2 billion made by female angels helping to create 10,000 UK jobs.
"Gen Z is expected to account for more than a quarter of the world’s workforce by 2025 and this trend is likely to accelerate. The changing tide is particularly acute in emerging markets such as Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America, where youth account for more than one billion of the entire population." (APCO Worldwide)

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, DIVERSITY AND THE GLOBAL SOUTH GO TO A CONFERENCE
A Call for Paper aims to collect fresh findings at the intersection of entrepreneurship, gender and the global south to nurture budding activism.
“Our world is in big trouble. Divides are growing deeper; inequalities are growing wider; challenges are spreading father... we need hope... we need action across the board.” (UN's Secretary-General, António Guterres)
What makes social movements succeed?
Social movements are behind the most powerful changes in the world – from voting rights to political upheavals to the fight for racial equality. But how do you build a movement that unites millions of people and captures the attention of those in power?

REPUBLIC LANDS IN EUROPE IN AN EFFORT TO BUILD A GLOBAL RETAIL INVESTING GIANT
As the company has closed its deal, the leading equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs has opened a new office in Dublin.
"I have been saying this for years: if you treat young generations as weak, they will be weak. We have to believe in them. We must encourage them to be strong, also mentally. Then we must tell them the truth: only the best will win. We have to help them get ready." (Julio Velasco)

The venture capital world is in the grip of a silent crash
Only companies with an urgent need for capital have been forced into a full reckoning with reality, the FT reports.

Young Innovator? Got an Idea? Look here 👇
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £1.4 million in young innovators with this competition.

Arguers rather than Storytellers
Crowdfunding: Pitching a project it is not just a matter of storytelling.
This year looks poised to be monumental for equity crowdfunding, which entails raising capital through specific filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, from a mix of investors that don’t have to be accredited. Over the past few years, equity crowdfunding has shed much of the stigma. But with the current fundraising climate, it is getting ready for a field day. (TechCrunch)

Globalization: where to?
It is not about global profits, it is about local benefits.

How to: get the crowd to follow
Money and people. According to business scholars, these are among the main hurdles social entrepreneurs have to overcome to succeed with their projects. The web promises to provide us with a solution.

European Entrepreneur? YOU CAN NOW RAISE CAPITAL ACROSS BORDERS
Crowdcube received a licence to operate throughout the European Union by the Spanish regulator, the Comisión Nacional del Mercados de Valores.
More equal societies are more resilient, they are more likely to invest for the many not the few, and to have robust political institutions and consistent policies. And few would disagree that a society that provides opportunity for all of its citizens is more likely to thrive than one which favours an elite, however defined. (Mark Carney, Value(s). Building a better world for all).

Crowdfunding Set to Grow
At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% from 2021 to 2028.

The unequal pandemic
Inequality is growing. But it cannot be all about taxation.
Global Economic Outlook 2022
From the impact of a new COVID variant to continued inflation, governments will continue to face economic challenges in 2022. What immediate and long-term actions will be required to stabilize the global economy and ensure a sustainable and equitable recovery?
"Empirical research shows that start-ups that are more innovative tend to attract greater interest from crowd investors (Le Pendeven and Schwienbacher, 2018). This finding contrasts with reward-based crowdfunding, where Chan and Parhankangas (2017) document that the crowd has a preference to support less innovative projects, perhaps because they face a greater risk if they are not able to deliver the promised reward." (Schwienbacher, 2019)

Do Backer Affiliations Help or Hurt Crowdfunding Success?
Trying to add more backers helps, but when such backers have prior affiliations, it hurts.
"Businesses are looking to put their money where it matters – their offering to customers and their people." Jeremy Over, a partner of Moore Barlow, commented on a recent survey according to which SMEs are more likely to choose non-traditional ways of accessing capital, like crowdfunding.

A more open, collaborative, and decentralized future for crowdfunding as Kickstarter goes blockchain
For many, Kickstarter is synonym for crowdfunding and such a move shows the way for the future.

US Platforms Are Heading To Europe
Will the global leadership of the private investment industry pass from the old continent?

EU: Helping the Crowdfunding Industry grow
A set of new rules was released earlier this week by the European Union as the European Market and Securities Authorities provided a set of new technical standards.

How Indiegogo Is Helping the Crowdfunding Industry To Change
The leading platform announce a new programme to protect the community and partner with GoFundMe.

CHANGING THE WORLD ONE KIND GESTURE AT A TIME
We are not only what we do but the intention underpinning it.

Research? A team effort. Crowdfunding research? Well, you need a crowd
Contrary to popular belief, research is a collective effort. My notes about the 5th European Centre for Alternative Finance Research Conference.

Down to earth: How entrepreneurs can collaborate to rejuvenate capitalism
Why we need to start innovating solutions that correspond to the challenges in the world where we live, using a holistic and coordinated approach.

Why founders are not just building businesses, but building our collective future
The Sustainable Development Goals represent a transformational opportunity for entrepreneurs.

The secret of entrepreneurship? Connecting the dots
A group of students is organizing an event to connect with other student entrepreneurs and make things happen.

Oliver*: What’s next?
Some notes about the future of this blog.

ECN Becomes Eurocrowd to Foster the Future of the Crowdfunding Industry in Europe
The European crowdfunding trade body changes visual identity to signal a new phase of the industry.

Seedrs Make the Case for Sustainability To Celebrate the Earth Day
“The future is in our hands as investors look with increasing interest at companies with a positive impact.”

The lesson of crowdfunding at times of crisis
There is despair, but also a desire to react and come together to look ahead.

EU: New rules to improve crowdinvestors protection
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) will have an enhanced role to facilitate coordination and cooperation.

Future Activists
A study reveals that crowdfunding could encourage future activism in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship and thus help drive global change towards sustainability.

Entrepreneurship: Where Media, VCs, and Academia Fail
A new study shows what the age effect in entrepreneurship is and tries to explain why media, VCs and academia are getting the wrong side of the stick.

The Story of Yves Klein
How the story of Yves Klein can inspire startuppers in establishing their brands. A guest post by Invaluable.

This Professor Uses Crowdfunding to Teach Entrepreneurship
Craighton Berman, a professor at University University of Illinois at Chicago, uses the creation of Kickstarter campaigns to teach his students the full process of launching a product or brand.
You must be logged in to post a comment.