Feedback we received from you in 2010 showed us, that you enjoy “real” interaction with entrepreneurs and each other. Good news! You will have even more opportunities to meet in 2011! To maximize the possibilities to interact, we will now have on the one hand sessions that primarily focus on networking with entrepreneurs and investors. On the other hand we will host online webcasts highlighting investment opportunities available on the platform or discussing practical investment topics.

Webcasts

During the weekly webcasts, the entrepreneurs behind the funding proposals will share with participants the rationale of their proposals and why they feel it is a compelling investment.  You will also have the opportunity to learn about crowdfunding a la Cofundit, with short presentations on topics, such as non-quoted assets, investment risks and returns, financing instruments, contractual questions, crowd financing or the functioning of the Cofundit platform.

The webcasts will be recorded so that you can listen to them later – even if you were not able to make it to the live webcast.

Meet the Entrepreneur & Cofundit Social Events

These live events will take place in an informal setting, where Cofundit members and friends can meet  each other and the entrepreneurs fundraising on the Cofundit platform. This is a great opportunity for investors to get answers to questions not addressed in the webcast or to build a gut feeling about the entrepreneur and the project. Entrepreneurs can share with each other their experiences regarding daily challenges or ‘just’ about successful fundraising.

We intend to have these different events on regular fixed dates, but will confirm them in advance, regarding location, time and attending (fundraising) entrepreneur(s). For the live events, we will ask participants to cover their own consumption. (however, we aim at negotiating special deals for you at the venue)

To maximize the opportunity for your participation, we intend to have 3 events each month in Zurich AND theGeneva/Lausanne region.

1. Cofundit breakfast – 2nd Friday of each month 8-9am
2. Cofundit lunch – 1st Thursday of each month 12-1:30pm
3. Cofundit dinner/drinks – 4th Tuesday of each month 6:30-8:30pm

NEXT EVENTS: Jan 19 Webcast, Feb 3 Lunch, Feb 11 Breakfast, Feb 22 Dinner (for details see our website and newsletter)

Please help us spread the word about these events and email us topics you are interested in!

Looking forward to meeting you at one of our upcoming events!

The Cofundit Team

It was an active group of interested and engaged Cofundit members, investors and entrepreneurs which joined us for our Dec 2 Urdorf event. It was an exciting event, hosted in the showroom of the car dealership Foitek, in a setting of Alfa Romeos, Ferraris and Maseratis surrounding the audience.

Luis Gallardo (Managing Director, Global Brand & Marketing of Deloitte), as key note speaker dialed in via web conference, putting the topic of the day – brands & art – into context. He pointed out the long history and famous examples of touch points of brands and art – from Campbell Soups to Google's frequent art-themes for its start page.

Patrick Ashworth and Guido Benedini of Cultwork then presented an intriguing business model, which leverages exclusive contracts with iconic brands such as Ducati or Alinghi, to create exclusive fine prints. With a wide network of more than 2,000 artists, Cultwork, currently distributes it's on demand produced prints via a multi-brand online portal, as well as through branded webstores of the respective licensing partners. With just one year of operation, Cultwork has been able to generate serious revenues and acquire prestigious brands as partners. The company mid-term plans involve an extensive roll-out also into shop-in-shop and other retail concepts., but the initial focus is on increasing sales and marketing efforts to seize a pipeline it has already developed. The goal is to generate demand, beyond the levels already currently being reached without much marketing spending. Cultwork is proposing a funding request of CHF 200'000 as a one year loan to investors, with the possibility to add a convertible option.

The formal part of the evening was rounded off by a reflection by Alex Hoye, the co-founder of Faction Skis. Faction Skis was Cofundit's first successful fundraising transaction – which raised CHF 165'000 for the company. Alex explained to the participants that he was especially satisfied with the fast closure of the financing and the lean and smooth execution of the deal documentation.

With drinks and a fine selection of amuse-gueule, lively discussions continued afterwards between the team of Cultwork and participants.

Despite a relatively restricted group of participants, three potential investors have already indicated interest in investing in Cultwork. We see this as a good outcome for the event and accompanying efforts.

Funding for Cultwork is currently open and we continue to look for investors that want to support an interesting business concept at the intersection of art, luxury and internet. We invite you to learn more about this exciting funding opportunity:

http://www.cofundit.com/viewIdea.action?id=9

Thanks again to all participants, in Urdorf as well as on the webcast, and of course also to Daniele Sorgi from Foitek for hosting us.