Crowd Valley COO Paul Higgins presented at Innovami's event entitled 'Una nuova idea d'impresa e crowdfunding' ('A new business idea and crowdfunding') in Imola, Italy on Thursday June 13th.

1. Crowdfunding in connected
ecosystems!
Paul Higgins
Co-founder, Crowd Valley
June 13th, 2013
Innovami

2. Overview!
• Grow VC Group – innovating investing
• Crowdfunding in connected ecosystems
• Different models in the funding ecosystem
• Creating an effective framework
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

3. Background – Grow VC!
• Global marketplace for startup funding
• Founded 2009
• “Everyone Funding Startups”
– 2012 - $35M raised
– 5,000+ startups
– 190+ countries
– Several raised rounds, first exits
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

4. Grow VC Group!
• Launched spin-off Crowd Valley in 2012 to provide crowdfunding
infrastructure:
– Configurable platform
– Shared business networks
– Back Office financial services
• Spun out other companies providing various services to support new online
funding marketplaces
– Grow Advisors
– ChangeLab23
– Mutual Seed Fund
• Developed a portfolio through global incubation services
– 6 portfolio companies to date
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

5. Finance and
Services
Infrastructure Investment
Portfolio
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

6. Crowdfunding must be part of existing ecosystems!
• Crowdfunding does not happen in a vacuum
• “Invest in Lines, not Dots” – venture capitalist, Mark Suster:
Images from bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/11/15/invest-in-lines-not-dots
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

7. Finding your natural constituency!
Source: crowdsourcing.org
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

8. Equity crowdfunding goes beyond startups!
• Expanding a mezzanine fund for Oil & Gas investments in Rio de Janeiro
• Providing liquidity for existing shareholders in high-tech companies in
Auckland
• Doctors financing R&D for new medical device companies in Sydney
• Alumni supporting their university’s entrepreneurship in Boston
• Offering investment opportunities in real estate in London
• Connecting traders of precious stones with professional investors in New
York
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

9. Different models in the funding ecosystem!
• It is important to get different funding models to work together
– Transparent models, fair agreements and opportunities
– Market value and market dynamics
– Continuity for future funding rounds
• Different models are suitable for different endeavors
– Non-securities models
– Equity financing
– Debt models
• There can be several co-investment models; passive or active
• It is important to build co-operation with traditional investors VC, PE firms
and syndicated investor groups
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

10. Creating an effective framework!
• Increasing demand to access the right ventures
– Impact investments
– Focus on innovation and sustainable job creation
• Crowdfunding is inherently cross-border
– Transparency and distribution via effective, online models
– An efficient framework is needed to ensure efficient and suitable models
to interact in the EU as a single market
• The impact on growth and job creation could be transformative if a more
unified European market is successfully created
– Fragmentation and bureaucracy could be the main challenges
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley

11. Crowdfunding in connected
ecosystems!
Paul Higgins
@paulhigginz @crowdvalley
paul@crowdvalley.com