Yvonne McLaren chosen to represent New Zealand on Worldwide Council of Global Crowdfunding Leaders
Yvonne McLaren, co-founder of The Catalyst Collective, has been selected as the New Zealand representative on the
Worldwide Council of Global Crowdfunding Leaders. The council will meet at the 3rd Annual Global Crowdfunding Convention & Bootcamp in Nevada, USA in October. Based in Auckland, Yvonne is New Zealand's only independent venture catalyst, and
joins a prestigious selection of crowdfunding experts from countries including the USA, UK, Italy, China, Canada and
Australia.
"This is the world's largest global crowdfunding event and is regarded as a 'must attend' event for anyone who wants to
be successfully involved with equity or peer-to-peer crowdfunding," explains Yvonne. "I'm absolutely stoked to fly the
flag for NZ, and I'm looking forward to pooling my knowledge with some of the world's foremost business growth
specialists."
The council meeting launches the convention, and discussions will focus on how new crowdfunding models can be
successfully integrated into collaborative sustained processes. In other words, they will be considering ways in which
to reach widely across the virtual, digital and social media world to ensure continual and successful crowdfunding
outcomes. The board will also look at the challenges and actions associated with crowdfunding as a part of conscious
capitalism.
Speaking as to why Yvonne was chosen for the council, CEO of the Crowdfunding College, one of the pioneers of the
JobsAct, and creator of the convention, Ruth E. Hedges said, "Crowdfunding is impacting all types of businesses,
creative ventures and industries around the globe. Understanding how crowdfunding really works and keeping up with such
a fast paced industry can be challenging, and we welcome seasoned venture capitalists with real investor experience and
a broad vision to help us lead the way and champion the cause. Yvonne embodies these qualities, and I know she'll be an
invaluable member of the group."
Crowdfunding certainly is the baby of the venture capital family for NZ; new rules concerning it only came into effect
in on 1st April 2014 (as part of the Financial Markets Conduct Act). These changes mean that there are now no caps on
investors for equity crowdfunding, but companies are limited to raises of $2 million per year.
"The new law was just plain common sense," comments Yvonne McLaren. "Previously, we had the ridiculous situation of
exciting NZ businesses potentially having to look overseas for funding. Let's keep great Kiwi ingenuity in the hands of
Kiwis!"
The 3rd Annual Global Crowdfunding Convention & Bootcamp runs from October 23rd to 25th at The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort. More information can be found In order to
gain maximum benefit for NZ, Yvonne McLaren will be accompanied by a small delegation of like-minded Kiwi business
people, including investors, sponsors and legal professionals.
- press information ends -
30th July 2014
Editor's notes:
Photographs (hi-res JPG) are available upon request.
More information about the 3rd Annual Global Crowdfunding Convention & Bootcamp can be found athttp://crowdfundingroadmap.com/bootcamp.
Yvonne McLaren and Grant Raynor are the co-founders of The Catalyst Collective, an outstanding team of business acceleration specialists, dedicated to offering clients the three key areas for
superior commercial growth: expertise, strategy and collaboration. Yvonne is also the founder and CEO of Valentine Addis
Ltd. Since 2000, VA has helped elevate good companies in NZ to become great companies in the global marketplace.
Integrity is at the heart of Yvonne's work. She focuses on cohesive business models where sustainability, environmental
and social awareness are the norm, not the exception, and believes that organisations should be created in a sustainable
manner from day one.