If you are a tech startup working in the field of smart living or sustainable futures and looking to begin your journey towards a successful crowd-fund as part of innovation event Venturefest Bristol and Bath, you can now express your interest in the express your interest in the Venturefest Crowdfunding programme, in partnership with Ideasquares. Applications are due to open 1 February 2017.
“The programmes will support clients seeking to raise between £100k – £1.5m”
As IdeaSquares explains, “Selected companies will be taken through 12-15 weeks of training, towards an eventual launch on one of IdeaSquares partner platforms. The programmes will support clients seeking to raise between £100k – £1.5m.”
IdeaSquares supports startups in the quest to reach dizzy heights through crowdfunding – and with lots of success! We caught up with Frederick MacDonald to find out more about this accelerator programme: “In 2016, IdeaSquares supported companies in raising millions of pounds across two of Europe’s largest equity investment platforms.”
IdeaSquares is in partnership with leading crowdfunding platforms Seedrs and Crowdcube to bring the best support it can to the startups who want it.
Attracting a crowd
IdeaSquares is calling all startups that are ready and eager to raise investment. Frederick elaborates, “You should be looking to make significant changes to your business with the investment and you must have an idea of how investors may one day see a return on their investment.”
Frederick adds, “You should also meet the wider criteria for Venturefest, which in 2017 is geared towards companies who support or contribute to smart living and sustainable futures.”
“Our clients say ‘why would anyone crowdfund without you?'”
There is a multitude of advantages to embarking on a crowdfunding journey. If done successfully it can, “create a wealth of ancillary benefits, such as greater brand awareness, gaining new customers and supporters, and allowing you to invite your own network to become part of your future. If these benefits are also of interest to you, then you should apply to learn more.”
2016 – a good year for some
Some of the innovative tech and digital startups that benefitted from IdeaSquares’ help whilst crowdfunding on either Seedrs or Crowdcube are:
- Spearhead
- This Mum Runs
- Yellowdog (Read more: Startup YellowDog raises over 90% of its £150K crowd-funding campaign in less than a week)
- Coherent (Read more: Startup Profile: Coherent – changing the way coworking hubs are managed for the better)
- LUX Rewards (Read more: Startup profile: LUX Rewards app for fine dining)
- Meetzoo (Read more: Interview: Paul Lewis-Borman founder of Meetzoo; maximising your meetings’ productivity)
These companies will tell you that crowdfunding is no walk in the park, but IdeaSquares is well-equipped to relieve some of the pressure for you, “We know the processes of our partner platforms extremely well.
“Our programmes not only lay out that process for you, including the dates you should aim to move through tasks to meet a target launch date, but they also support you in looking as strong as possible upon your chosen platform when you launch. Overall, IdeaSquares clients have a much higher success rate than the industry average. Our clients say ‘why would anyone crowdfund without you?'”
Express your interest now on IdeaSquares Venturefest crowdfunding website. You can also check out IdeaSquares’ own site and follow them on Twitter here: @ideasquares, as well as being able to follow Venturefest here: @venturefestbb
