PledgeMe.Investment

Technology,



NZ $628,390 pledged


267 people pledged


Closed


NZ $500,080 minimum target


Min

NZ$500,080

Max

NZ$899,980

100 100% Complete

This campaign was successful and closed on 06/09/2018 at 6:00 PM.

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About

PledgeMe Limited

In order to continue to grow in Aotearoa, launch in Australia and focus on making equity crowdfunding equitable, we're equity crowdfunding equity crowdfunding (again). Read more about what we've been up to and our plans below.

 

Who we are

 

PledgeMe started as New Zealand’s first project based crowdfunding platform in 2012. Since then, we’ve been constantly evolving, helping more and more Kiwis fund the things they care about with different product offerings. Now it’s time for the next iteration. To take all that we’ve learned in Aotearoa and double down on what we do, as well as give Australian companies the opportunity to fund their plans by activating the crowds that care about them. 

 

 

PledgeMe may have started in part as founder Anna Guenther’s Master’s thesis but it quickly turned into the platform that helped hundreds of musicians, artists and activists fund their creations through their crowds. In 2014 we became the joint- first equity crowdfunding platform in Aotearoa.

There are three sides to what we do in Aotearoa - Project, Equity and Lend. Each a little bit different, but all distinctively PledgeMe. Crowdfunding for us is about the people - he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. And we’re proud to have supported Kiwis — from companies to community groups — to go out to their crowds so they can fund the things they care about and let the people that matter to them share in their journey.

In the four years since we were licensed by the Financial Markets Authority, 31 campaigns have raised a collective $18 million through our equity crowdfunding and crowdlending platforms.

 

 

We believe raising money can be simpler. That it can be inclusive. That it can replace the single-gatekeeper model of our traditional financial systems. That it can be built from a transparent and trust-infused foundation - the existing relationships that campaigners have cultivated with their crowds. It can also go further than that, and activate a wider crowd of support that wants do good and do well at the same time.

In the last year, we’ve focused on large campaigns in New Zealand - from Ocho’s $2million raise in 32 hours to Waiapu’s $2million raise in 10 minutes of going to the public. We’ve also worked with Māori Women’s Development Inc to create an indigenous crowdfunding programme, Tā Koha.

Now, we’re heading across the Tasman. We want to help companies in Australia raise money through their crowds, to strengthen existing relationships as well as creating new ones.

Read our full offer document here. (note: you will be asked to log in to view this)

 

Our share offer

 

We are offering up to 5,471 voting shares at $164.50 each, which will equate to 11.1% of PledgeMe Limited’s 49,115 shares if the offer is fully subscribed and related shares issued.

The minimum individual investment is $164.50 for 1 share. We are raising a minimum of $500,080 and a maximum of $899,979.50 to close the deal.

Our pre-money valuation of NZD $7,100,971.50 is based on a 6.5x revenue multiplier of forecast current year revenue.

You can read more about our valuation in our offer document (note: you will be asked to log in to view this)

 

Notes:

* We have a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) in place with the Kiwibank Fintech Accelerator that will convert with this raise. The Lightning Lab Fintech 2018 LP will be issued $20,000 worth of shares for their investment, at the same valuation as the raise.

** We will issue annual shares to staff, subject to the campaign being successful (355 shares for the six staff that have been with PledgeMe the last full year).

 

Our strategy

 

PledgeMe has a two-year strategy which aims to deliver substantial growth to set the platform for our future. This includes:

» Upgrading our technology platform to enable scaling at speed in multiple markets.

» Launching and scaling in Australia.

» Deepening and widening reach in Aotearoa New Zealand.

» Developing support and adding capability within our team to deliver on our strategy.

» Investigating further international markets and potential models for reaching them.

Read more about our strategy in our offer document (note: you will be asked to log in to view this).

 

How we will spend the money

Establishing in Australia - Staffing ($250k)

We have set up a base team of sales, delivery, and compliance in Australia. This funding will be used to add two new roles (Delivery and Communication), and expand to four roles over the next two years (adding further Account Management and Finance roles).

 

Establishing in Australia - Marketing ($150k)

Supported by our marketing partner we will deliver on our strategy for Australia. We will focus on targeted marketing to potential campaigners. This will include creating digital content, traditional media, and brand development. We will run events in Australia, with our alumni and to grow the community.

 

New Zealand growth - Implement Marketing and Community Strategy ($100k)

This will include a role focussed purely on Community Engagement with a budget to produce some great events around the country.

 

Website 3.0 refresh ($200k)

We will focus on improving payment and identity check systems, front-end design and usability (with a focus on mobile first). We’ve recently done a brand refresh but will extend this further and create more educational content for campaigners and pledgers. This will also include new holistic ways of supporting campaigners, through the further development of our indigenous platform. This will provide a more scalable platform for international growth.

 

Delivering new products and researching new markets ($200k)

We’ll work on further developing our products, including Tā Koha and CrowdfundingU, as well as completing feasibility studies around further international expansion around our differentiated products.

 

Our financials

Equity campaigns: we charge a 6.5% success fee on pledges processed through the platform.

Project campaigns: we charge a 5.65% success fee on pledges processed through the platform (6.5% inc GST) .

Lending campaigns: we charge a 5.5% success fee, on pledges processed through the platform and a 1% fee on principal repaid.

For Tā Koha we will share the success fee with our collaboration partners.

In Australia, based on our market research we intend to charge a 5.45% success fee (6% inc GST).

We also charge for our educational programme, called CrowdfundingU, with a condensed option for smaller campaigns, and an in-depth version for larger campaigns.

In FY18 we received two grants. The actual figures have been audited in New Zealand and consolidated across New Zealand and Australia.

Our forecast figures are our best estimates based on our current knowledge and experience and have been reviewed and approved by our board. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they are based on assumptions and judgements and relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future.

Projections for FY19, FY20 and FY21 show a consolidated view of New Zealand and Australian activities.

Read our assumptions to our financials here (note: you will be asked to log in to view this)

 

Our returns

PledgeMe is a growing business. In the last three years we have had over 90% compounded annual growth of revenue. We hope in future to return financial value to our shareholders in the form of either dividends or capital gain through a profitable acquisition or listing of PledgeMe.

 

Our team

Our team has evolved with us. We’ve had some amazing people come along for parts of this journey, as well as some long-term team members who have put their hearts into our growth. We’re stoked both by the team we currently have, and the cheerleaders we have in the wings who have supported us to this point. In our next phase of growth, we plan to develop and grow our team to deliver our plans - which includes adding experience to the leadership team as well as increasing capacity. Additions to the leadership team over the next 18 months will be mainly funded out of cashflow (excluding our Australian, marketing and sales hires). We have also recently implemented a bonus scheme, to recognise the hard work of our entire team.

 

 

Anna Guenther
Chief Bubble Blower/CEO 
Anna, our CEO and founder, completed her Masters with a focus on crowdfunding through the University of Otago. She has worked for the New Zealand government, and has previous experience in grants administration. She’s a keen advocate of equality, and co-created an Unconference series for women. She has a large network in New Zealand, and has six years experience starting and scaling PledgeMe.

 

Barry Grehan
Chief Lending Officer
Barry started at PledgeMe in 2015, with the goal of assessing the opportunity for us around peer-to-peer lending. He completed a report, and then never left. He helped launch our lending product, and now plays a key role in delivering large scale campaigns and forming our indigenous crowdfunding product, Tā Koha. Prior to starting at PledgeMe, he was working in banking in Ireland.

 

Tan Huynh
Chief Bacon Sizzler  
Tan started at PledgeMe in 2016, and brings home the bacon for amazing kiwi businesses (faking bacon for our vegan friends). His background is in tech, business development and raising capability. He has an MBA, however found out too late that it didn’t mean Master of Beer Appreciation. Tan loves travelling to far-flung parts of the world, bringing back a love of scotch whisky, craft beer and food. He is fluent in Vietnamese.

 

Jess Ducey
Chief People Wrangler  
Jess started at PledgeMe in 2016, and is our chief people wrangling, puppy-patting (or cheese eating), craft beer drinking, all-round awesome person. She helps project campaigners get up and running, and is a two time alumna herself.

 

Mike Avey
BDM Australia 
Mike has governance, finance and securities and investment experience. He has worked within the Venture Capital industry where he undertook investment banking, deal structuring, and investee management. Mike is also Independent Chairman of two companies and acts as chairman and adviser on several Advisory Boards. He regularly gives his time as a Mentor to Business Accelerators, the Women on Boards programme, and individual start-ups.

 

Cath Sharples Rushbrooke
Responsible Manager Australia 
Cath started with PledgeMe in 2018 as our Responsible Manager. She is a Certified Financial Planner who is passionate about working with people to reach their personal &/or business goals. Cath has worked in the financial services industry for almost 20 years including roles in compliance management, strategic financial planning, stockbroking and training. She has worked with companies like Macquarie Bank and Advice Services Australia, and contributed expert advice to publications like NewsCorp’s MoneySaver HQ and Huffington Post. Cath has lectured and provided assessment services for a number of institutions including La Trobe University, Deakin University, CPA Australia and the National Tax and Accountants Association.

 

Breccan McLeod Lundy
Director
Breccan is CEO and Founder of Rabid, a software development company based in Wellington. Rabid aims to help organisations improve their performance through thoughtfully applied technology. He fundamentally believes that technology will make the world a better place, and delivers tech that is about ethics, fairness, and sustainable business to achieve long term outcomes. Rabid was the 25th fastest growing company on the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2017 and the 191st fastest growing company in the Asia Pacific region. Breccan believes PledgeMe plays a key role in making access to funding easier.

 

 

Rachel Hopkins
Director 
Rachel has spent over 25 years in marketing, branding and customer experience, including working in both the Australian market and Māori / Pasifika engagement. From 1995-1999 Rachel started, grew, and sold a professional services business in Australia. Recently appointed as the Chief Executive of Diversity Works NZ, Rachel was part of the Senior Leadership Team of Competenz from early 2013. She has also held roles as Marketing Director for The Icehouse and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts and as Marketing Manager for The University of Auckland Business School. Rachel spent seven years as a director of Ocean (a branding agency) and, as part of the Future Directors programme, sat on the board of NZX-listed AWF Madison Group for 18 months. She currently sits on the Ministry for Youth Development’s Partnership Fund Board and on the Establishment Board of the Auckland Foundation’s Women’s Fund. She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and 2016, was named the Institute of Directors Emerging Director of the Year (Auckland Branch).

 

Melanie Templeton
Chair 
Melanie is from Wellington and is currently Commercial Director for an Agtech company Regen Ltd, operating in irrigation management. Mel was previously Group Executive for Rabobank Australia and New Zealand Group, and General Manager of RaboDirect New Zealand and Australia. During her executive career, Melanie built and led online retail banks in NZ, Australia and Europe and was on the global management team charged with growing those banks internationally. During that time she held several seats on management oversight and establishment committees as well as on global project governance boards. She held roles as responsible manager for the control environment, risk and compliance for online banking operations in NZ and Australia, and represented the region on the global risk management committee. She is currently a Director on the newly established Centre for Space Science Technology, and is Chair of PledgeMe. Mel is also experienced in Risk Management and is on the Risk and Assurance Committee for the IRD.

 

 

Our risks

Loss of key staff

We have documented all of our roles, and have implemented a “stewardship” system, where the whole team partners and supports / learn the other person’s role. This is to help make people feel supported in their growth, but also to give us all a better understanding of the other roles.

As part of Anna’s move to Australia, we have distributed some of her role as well, to allow her to focus more on strategy and delivery than operations.

We have two strategic hires over the next six months that will help increase the effectiveness of core staff as well, and additional hires over the next two years.

 

Ability to hit projections

Forecasting for a completely new market isn’t easy. We are setting targets we believe we can achieve, but that will also stretch us as a company. We know this point always creates a bit of discussion but we will do everything we can within our power to hit our goal, while acknowledging it’s not all within our power. 

 

Cashflow

We’re lumpy by nature. Our revenue is directly related to the preparation and needs of the companies we work with. We’ve implemented some new processes to help streamline things for our clients, but our revenue will probably never be smooth.

 

Crowded marketplace

It’s no lie - crowdfunding is crowded! We aim to differentiate ourselves from the other players in the market, to ensure that we are the brand of choice for campaigns that align with our values and the way we do things.

 

Our brand

We might be seen as too Kiwi, too hipster, or too hippy. We’re embracing the ways in which we believe our brand is different and working to make that a benefit.

 

Lack of support for a Kiwi brand in Australia

We’ve purposefully placed Anna in Australia for the launch to build awareness and trust. We’re hiring locally to show we’re an Australian company as well as having Kiwi roots, and to build our understanding of the Australian market. We’re also working with a marketing agency to ensure we position ourselves well.

 

Economic downturn

A downfall to the economy could remove the ability for investors to take chances on earlier stage companies.

 

Changes to regulations

Regulatory changes could affect our ability to operate. We also think there is an opportunity in this, if the Australian regime opens up to proprietary companies. 

 

 

Note from our independent manager

An independent contractor (Kat Jenkins) has completed Veda checks on the company and their directors, as well as a google check and insolvency check. There were no adverse findings. You can view the current interests register of the PledgeMe board and team here: https://pledgeme.co.nz/interests.  

 

 

Updates 4

You need to pledge to see this update.

The final countdown!

03/09/2018 at 5:25 PM

Kia ora Pledgers,

Here’s an update from Anna and the PledgeMe team:

 

Thanks so much for being a part of our journey! We’ve got three more days to go, and we’re almost $100,000 overfunded. If you could share this campaign with your crowd, and help us break the $600k mark, that would be ace!

A few updates from us:

Tā Koha launch

We launched Tā Koha last Thursday, with a showcase of our twelve pioneering Māori entrepreneurs at Ngahere Communities in Manukau. It was a fantastic gathering of entrepreneurs, Ministers, media and supporters.

(Photo cred: Patu Aotearoa)

Check out the three campaigns that are now live here.

Australia launch

We launched our first campaign in Australia for the Food Connect Shed! The team there are now actively pushing the campaign out to their crowd, hosting tours of their Shed, and running events. They will be doing a Facebook Live tonight 9pm NZ if you would like to join them. 

Check out their campaign here

Thoughts from our alumni

We’ve asked a few of our alumni to share their experiences with our crowd. Here’s our first video, from Adam who ran Jack Feels Big and Sophie Feels Like Me:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WGCER5bIecM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Our AGM

We’re going to be sending out our official notice to all existing and new shareholders on Monday 10 September (once this campaign closes) but lock the date in your diaries now: Wednesday, 26 September at 5:30pm at Parrotdog Brewery out in Lyall Bay.

Our AGM will include a beer tasting, some performances, and a chance for you to give your feedback on our plans. 

Thanks for your support in our campaign, we’re already pushing on the next stage of growth :)

Cheers,

Anna

 

[Sent by Kat, who is managing the campaign independently for PledgeMe as part of their conflict of interest policy]

 

Update #2 - One week funded :)

17/08/2018 at 4:28 PM

Kia ora Pledgers,

Here’s a message from Anna and the PledgeMe team:

Wow. Thank you, all 225 of you wonderful humans (and companies - there are a few companies in there too!).  That was a quick run to the half a million mark last week, and now we’re over 10% overfunded. Thank you so much for your investment.

Campaign progress as at 4pm on 17 August

We’re still pushing onwards to the maximum goal of $899,980 so if you want to share our campaign with your wider network that would be ace. 

As mentioned last week, we’re hitting go now on some of our plans:

  • We’re launching our first Australian campaign on 21 August. The campaign is for a local food hub, Food Connect, who have the opportunity to buy their warehouse from their landlord. They’ve set up a new company to buy the warehouse, with their crowd. They are looking to raise a minimum of $2 million and a maximum of $4 million. Here’s a picture of us at their Pitch Kitchen last week, preparing them for pitching to the public. 

Food Connect Pledge Kitchen

  • I’m finalising the job ads for our new roles (Community & Marketing Manager and Campaign Delivery), and will be pushing those out into the world soon. I’ll share them in our next update, in case you have anyone you know that might be interested. 
  • We’ve had meetings with our Marketing and PR support in Australia to push for coverage around our first launch here. In fact, one of the meetings was just after our goal was met so there were celebratory drinks.

Finally, if you have any questions for me - I’m planning another Facebook Live next Monday night (20 August) at 7pm for investors and interested investors. I hope to have a special guest with me as well. Pop along from 7pm, and follow our Facebook page to be notified when we go live. 

Take care, and thanks again!

Anna

 

[Sent by Kat, who is managing the campaign independently for PledgeMe as part of their conflict of interest policy]

97% funded thanks to you!

10/08/2018 at 7:30 AM

Kia ora Pledgers,

 

Here’s a message from Anna and the PledgeMe team:

 

A huge big thank you to all of you. You’ve amazed us with your support, and we can’t even fully describe what that means to us. Here’s a thank you from me.

 

We still have a wee way to go to hit our minimum goal, but 3% feels pretty achievable with 28 more days to go!

 

Your support sharing the campaign would help us hit that goal, and keep pushing onwards to the maximum.

 

If you do share our campaign, please make sure you don’t give financial advice. You can say why you like us though! Or what inspires you about crowdfunding.

 

Once we hit our minimum goal, we’re going to get started on a few of our plans: posting job descriptions for our new staff, pushing go on more marketing, and preparing the final pieces for our Australian and Ta Koha launches.

 

Thank you again for your support, and for all the support of our pledgers past, present (and hopefully future!).

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Anna

 

[Sent by Kat, who is managing the campaign independently for PledgeMe as part of their conflict of interest policy]

 

    Details

    Offer Details

    Current Valuation 7,100,972
    Raise Minimum 500,080
    Raise Maximum 899,980
    Share Price 164.50
    Minimum Pledge 164.50
    Maximum Shares Offered 5,471
    Explanation of valuation:

    Our pre-money valuation of NZD $7,100,971.50 is based on a 6.5x revenue multiplier of forecast current year revenue.
    We have set our revenue multiplier in line with a market comparison (table in our offer document).


    Financial Summary

    Prev Year Current Year Est. FY 2025 Est. FY 2026
    Revenue NZ $767,983 NZ $1,094,900 NZ $1,641,400 NZ $2,837,050
    Operating Expenses NZ $496,391 NZ $1,209,552 NZ $1,607,855 NZ $1,899,496
    EBITDA NZ $271,592 -NZ $114,652 NZ $33,544 NZ $937,554
    Net Profit NZ $252,971 -NZ $135,652 NZ $12,544 NZ $659,843

    Company Details

    Company Name: PledgeMe Limited

    Company Number: 3361892

    Company Documents

    Documents no longer available to download, as this campaign has closed

    Director Details

    Name Role Profile URL Invested?
    Anna Guenther Managing Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaguenther/
    Melanie Templeton Chair https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanietempleton/
    Breccan McLeod Lundy Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/breccan/
    Rachel Hopkins Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelhopkins1/

    Questions 7


    What return on say $1000 investment do you forecast during what time and how does that work?

    Posted on 10-08-2018 by AG Grandt

    Kia ora AG,

    Here's the response from Anna:

    "If you pledge $1,000 in this campaign you will pledge to buy $1,000 worth of shares in PledgeMe Limited. If you own shares, and PledgeMe pays out dividends or sells you will receive a part of those funds. PledgeMe hopes in future to return financial value to their shareholders in the form of either dividends or capital gain through a profitable acquisition or listing of PledgeMe, but as it's an early stage company investing is risky.

    In the last three years PledgeMe has grown, with over 90% compounded annual growth of revenue. Their share price under this offer represents a more than eight times increase from their initial equity crowdfunding campaign in 2014. They currently try to match willing buyers and willing sellers, but are unable to promise liquidity to investors. They’re aiming to implement a regular auction process to try and increase the likelihood of matching a willing buyer and seller."

    Ngā mihi,
    Kat

    Answered on 10-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


    Hi, congratulations on the good initial response to your own campaign! I understand you have obtained a peer to peer lending licence, but haven't yet acted upon this to my knowledge. I can't see any reference to any income being generated from this side of the business in your forecast financials. Do you have any plans in this area? Do you see it as a big opportunity not yet explored?

    Posted on 08-08-2018 by James Cameron

    Kia ora James,

    Thanks for your question. Here's a response from Anna: "We have our peer-to-peer licence, and have run three PledgeMe.Lend campaigns that met their goals so far, including the Lunch Bonds with Eat My Lunch who borrowed over $800,000 from 258 lenders. It's been slower than anticipated scaling up this offering, and we plan to focus more marketing spend on this area after our raise is completed. In 2014 a paper was released by IOSCO stating that "Crowdlending constitutes two-thirds of the collective global crowdfunding market" - that doesn't take into effect the consequent legalisation of equity crowdfunding in markets like America, Australia and I believe even NZ - but it's still an exciting area for us to explore and hopefully grow."

    Ngā mihi,
    Kat, on behalf of Team PledgeMe

    Answered on 09-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


    I was pleased to read that you have recently implemented a bonus scheme for staff. Are all staff paid the living wage as a minimum.

    Posted on 08-08-2018 by Shane Caley

    Kia Ora Shane,

    Anna's response is: "Great question! We can confirm our entire team are paid above the living wage, as well as a bonus scheme and share scheme for those that are here for a full year. For those of you reading this, and unsure what that means, the living wage "is the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life." In Aotearoa it is currently set at $20.55."

    Ngā mihi,
    Kat on behalf of the PledgeMe team

    Answered on 08-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


    it may pay for the pledgeme company to work hand-in-hand with accountants who'll deal with potential members who wish to use equity crowd funding. Keeping it in-house so to speak. I've had lots of businesses but that doesn't make a business man and least of all to the level required for such a prospectus, yet for my past and failed campaign when I explained my material I got comments like "what if we raise too much money?" (we were already discussing mega millions and very feasible at that. One accountant even hugged me but when it comes down to dreaming and matching up the numbers, most people freak out, incl. some professionals). In 1987 I raised 'millions for tourism on the west coast and with the help of key people who believe in it and not charge $300 an hour, we just might get somewhere and PledgeMe stands to profit. Thus my question: Can you look into this to have an in-house magic wand waving legal team. It's utterly frustrating when the FMA turns around and has 'doubts' yet can't deny my strategy but puts the bomb under my project. (I tried to offer ongoing paid royalties if crowd funders nominate, with success, investors. How can anybody see anything wrong with that strategy?) cheers, Marcel

    Posted on 07-08-2018 by Marcel

    Kia ora Marcel,

    Thanks for your question! Anna has sent through this response: "We hear your frustration. Any offer of security needs to comply with FMCA in New Zealand. There are some good lawyers out there, we've enjoyed working with the crew at Buddle Findlay and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. If you run a campaign that offers shares it might be easier for you to structure as an equity, or a lending campaign (though you'll need to show your ability to repay). We always recommend a campaigner goes to their crowd first though, to see if they'd be interested in pledging."

    Ngā mihi,

    Kat on behalf of the PledgeMe team

    Answered on 08-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


    When I buy shares, how will I eventually make money from owning them?

    Posted on 07-08-2018 by Alasdair Martin

    Kia ora Alasdair,
    PledgeMe is a growing business. In the last three years we have had over 90% compounded annual growth of revenue. We hope in future to return financial value to our shareholders in the form of either dividends or capital gain through a profitable acquisition or listing of PledgeMe.
    Our share price under this offer represents a more than eight times increase from our initial equity crowdfunding campaign in 2014. We currently try to match willing buyers and willing sellers, but we’re unable to promise liquidity to investors. We’re aiming to implement a regular auction process to try and increase the likelihood of matching a willing buyer and seller.
    Ngā mihi.
    Kat (on behalf of Team PledgeMe)

    Answered on 07-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


    Congratulations on your Australia licence. Great to see a kiwi business expand to Australia in a relatively small timeframe. Quick question on financials. In the 2014 campaign you said that in 2016 the loss would be $6,375, when according to these numbers, the actual loss was $399,000. You also said in 2017 you would profit $127,394, reality was a loss of $11,000. What was the drivers behind this differentiation, and have you taken them into consideration when preparing these numbers? Best of luck with the campaign, looks like you are almost done!

    Posted on 06-08-2018 by Dylan Buckley

    Kia ora Dylan,

    Here's a response from Anna:

    "Thanks for your congratulations, Dylan. We're very excited about the opportunities we have both in Australia and New Zealand. Projections are hard, especially when you're launching a new way of doing things. What we've learned in the last few years is that educating a market takes time. In 2016, our revenue was lower and costs higher than forecast. In the end, our actual results were one year behind our 2014 low forecast. We've noted the risk around projections in our offer document a few times to highlight actual results may vary."

    Ngā mihi.
    Kat (on behalf of Team PledgeMe)

    Answered on 07-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


    How do I pledge more than one share eg 5 shares?

    Posted on 06-08-2018 by Alison Brizzell

    Kia ora Alison,

    Thanks for your question! I see you've already made multiple pledges, but here are some instructions for future :)
    If you're interested in investing, you first need to log in and register to invest. Here are instructions on how to do that: http://guide.pledgeme.co.nz/how-to-invest

    To buy 5 shares, click the green pledge button (with the words "Pledge Me Limited, NZ$164.50, Part ownership of PledgeMe Limited"). This will take you to the Pledge and Payment Details Page.

    There, you'll need to set your pledge in multiples of $164.50, e.g. 5 shares are $822.50. Then choose how you'd like to make payment once the campaign has ended (bank deposit or credit/debit card). You'll need to enter your credit/debit card details to secure the payment.

    Then accept the Investor Terms, click "make your pledge" and you're done!

    Ngā mihi.
    Kat (on behalf of Team PledgeMe)

    Answered on 07-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)

    Pledgers 267

    Rob Borgers
    09/08/2018 at 1:02pm
    Kat Jenkins
    09/08/2018 at 12:52pm
    Katrina Wilson
    09/08/2018 at 12:27pm

    "Good luck team!"

    Shane Caley
    09/08/2018 at 10:59am
    Jenine
    09/08/2018 at 10:54am
    Keegan
    09/08/2018 at 8:51am
    Kate Aguirre Go
    09/08/2018 at 3:52am
    Kim Dowling
    09/08/2018 at 12:38am
    Malcolm Gordon
    09/08/2018 at 12:18am

    "You guys helped me make my album happen last year. Pleased to be able to help a whole lot more stuff happen. Here's to the future!"

    SM Ang
    08/08/2018 at 9:39pm
    Andrew
    08/08/2018 at 8:26pm
    Rebecca Pittman
    08/08/2018 at 8:10pm
    Moushumi Das
    08/08/2018 at 6:41pm
    Dennis Gleeson
    08/08/2018 at 6:21pm
    Steve Tsai
    08/08/2018 at 5:34pm
    M J Taylor
    08/08/2018 at 5:16pm
    Frida Sumardjo
    08/08/2018 at 5:01pm
    Catheryn Wu
    08/08/2018 at 4:40pm
    Chris
    08/08/2018 at 4:39pm
    James Cameron
    08/08/2018 at 4:38pm
    Philip Lee
    08/08/2018 at 4:33pm

    "Fingers-crossed! All the best!"

    Andrew Morton
    08/08/2018 at 4:32pm
    Claire Govier
    08/08/2018 at 4:31pm
    Andrew Mayfield
    08/08/2018 at 4:31pm

    "What fun!"

    Melissa
    08/08/2018 at 3:59pm

    "Well done Anna and team xx"

    greg ford
    08/08/2018 at 3:31pm
    David Zwartz
    08/08/2018 at 3:11pm
    Jill Brunson
    08/08/2018 at 10:16am
    Chris Johnston
    08/08/2018 at 10:14am
    Campbell Masters
    08/08/2018 at 9:46am

    PledgeMe Limited

    In order to continue to grow in Aotearoa, launch in Australia and focus on making equity crowdfunding equitable, we're equity crowdfunding equity crowdfunding (again). Read more about what we've been up to and our plans below.

     

    Who we are

     

    PledgeMe started as New Zealand’s first project based crowdfunding platform in 2012. Since then, we’ve been constantly evolving, helping more and more Kiwis fund the things they care about with different product offerings. Now it’s time for the next iteration. To take all that we’ve learned in Aotearoa and double down on what we do, as well as give Australian companies the opportunity to fund their plans by activating the crowds that care about them. 

     

     

    PledgeMe may have started in part as founder Anna Guenther’s Master’s thesis but it quickly turned into the platform that helped hundreds of musicians, artists and activists fund their creations through their crowds. In 2014 we became the joint- first equity crowdfunding platform in Aotearoa.

    There are three sides to what we do in Aotearoa - Project, Equity and Lend. Each a little bit different, but all distinctively PledgeMe. Crowdfunding for us is about the people - he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. And we’re proud to have supported Kiwis — from companies to community groups — to go out to their crowds so they can fund the things they care about and let the people that matter to them share in their journey.

    In the four years since we were licensed by the Financial Markets Authority, 31 campaigns have raised a collective $18 million through our equity crowdfunding and crowdlending platforms.

     

     

    We believe raising money can be simpler. That it can be inclusive. That it can replace the single-gatekeeper model of our traditional financial systems. That it can be built from a transparent and trust-infused foundation - the existing relationships that campaigners have cultivated with their crowds. It can also go further than that, and activate a wider crowd of support that wants do good and do well at the same time.

    In the last year, we’ve focused on large campaigns in New Zealand - from Ocho’s $2million raise in 32 hours to Waiapu’s $2million raise in 10 minutes of going to the public. We’ve also worked with Māori Women’s Development Inc to create an indigenous crowdfunding programme, Tā Koha.

    Now, we’re heading across the Tasman. We want to help companies in Australia raise money through their crowds, to strengthen existing relationships as well as creating new ones.

    Read our full offer document here. (note: you will be asked to log in to view this)

     

    Our share offer

     

    We are offering up to 5,471 voting shares at $164.50 each, which will equate to 11.1% of PledgeMe Limited’s 49,115 shares if the offer is fully subscribed and related shares issued.

    The minimum individual investment is $164.50 for 1 share. We are raising a minimum of $500,080 and a maximum of $899,979.50 to close the deal.

    Our pre-money valuation of NZD $7,100,971.50 is based on a 6.5x revenue multiplier of forecast current year revenue.

    You can read more about our valuation in our offer document (note: you will be asked to log in to view this)

     

    Notes:

    * We have a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) in place with the Kiwibank Fintech Accelerator that will convert with this raise. The Lightning Lab Fintech 2018 LP will be issued $20,000 worth of shares for their investment, at the same valuation as the raise.

    ** We will issue annual shares to staff, subject to the campaign being successful (355 shares for the six staff that have been with PledgeMe the last full year).

     

    Our strategy

     

    PledgeMe has a two-year strategy which aims to deliver substantial growth to set the platform for our future. This includes:

    » Upgrading our technology platform to enable scaling at speed in multiple markets.

    » Launching and scaling in Australia.

    » Deepening and widening reach in Aotearoa New Zealand.

    » Developing support and adding capability within our team to deliver on our strategy.

    » Investigating further international markets and potential models for reaching them.

    Read more about our strategy in our offer document (note: you will be asked to log in to view this).

     

    How we will spend the money

    Establishing in Australia - Staffing ($250k)

    We have set up a base team of sales, delivery, and compliance in Australia. This funding will be used to add two new roles (Delivery and Communication), and expand to four roles over the next two years (adding further Account Management and Finance roles).

     

    Establishing in Australia - Marketing ($150k)

    Supported by our marketing partner we will deliver on our strategy for Australia. We will focus on targeted marketing to potential campaigners. This will include creating digital content, traditional media, and brand development. We will run events in Australia, with our alumni and to grow the community.

     

    New Zealand growth - Implement Marketing and Community Strategy ($100k)

    This will include a role focussed purely on Community Engagement with a budget to produce some great events around the country.

     

    Website 3.0 refresh ($200k)

    We will focus on improving payment and identity check systems, front-end design and usability (with a focus on mobile first). We’ve recently done a brand refresh but will extend this further and create more educational content for campaigners and pledgers. This will also include new holistic ways of supporting campaigners, through the further development of our indigenous platform. This will provide a more scalable platform for international growth.

     

    Delivering new products and researching new markets ($200k)

    We’ll work on further developing our products, including Tā Koha and CrowdfundingU, as well as completing feasibility studies around further international expansion around our differentiated products.

     

    Our financials

    Equity campaigns: we charge a 6.5% success fee on pledges processed through the platform.

    Project campaigns: we charge a 5.65% success fee on pledges processed through the platform (6.5% inc GST) .

    Lending campaigns: we charge a 5.5% success fee, on pledges processed through the platform and a 1% fee on principal repaid.

    For Tā Koha we will share the success fee with our collaboration partners.

    In Australia, based on our market research we intend to charge a 5.45% success fee (6% inc GST).

    We also charge for our educational programme, called CrowdfundingU, with a condensed option for smaller campaigns, and an in-depth version for larger campaigns.

    In FY18 we received two grants. The actual figures have been audited in New Zealand and consolidated across New Zealand and Australia.

    Our forecast figures are our best estimates based on our current knowledge and experience and have been reviewed and approved by our board. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they are based on assumptions and judgements and relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future.

    Projections for FY19, FY20 and FY21 show a consolidated view of New Zealand and Australian activities.

    Read our assumptions to our financials here (note: you will be asked to log in to view this)

     

    Our returns

    PledgeMe is a growing business. In the last three years we have had over 90% compounded annual growth of revenue. We hope in future to return financial value to our shareholders in the form of either dividends or capital gain through a profitable acquisition or listing of PledgeMe.

     

    Our team

    Our team has evolved with us. We’ve had some amazing people come along for parts of this journey, as well as some long-term team members who have put their hearts into our growth. We’re stoked both by the team we currently have, and the cheerleaders we have in the wings who have supported us to this point. In our next phase of growth, we plan to develop and grow our team to deliver our plans - which includes adding experience to the leadership team as well as increasing capacity. Additions to the leadership team over the next 18 months will be mainly funded out of cashflow (excluding our Australian, marketing and sales hires). We have also recently implemented a bonus scheme, to recognise the hard work of our entire team.

     

     

    Anna Guenther
    Chief Bubble Blower/CEO 
    Anna, our CEO and founder, completed her Masters with a focus on crowdfunding through the University of Otago. She has worked for the New Zealand government, and has previous experience in grants administration. She’s a keen advocate of equality, and co-created an Unconference series for women. She has a large network in New Zealand, and has six years experience starting and scaling PledgeMe.

     

    Barry Grehan
    Chief Lending Officer
    Barry started at PledgeMe in 2015, with the goal of assessing the opportunity for us around peer-to-peer lending. He completed a report, and then never left. He helped launch our lending product, and now plays a key role in delivering large scale campaigns and forming our indigenous crowdfunding product, Tā Koha. Prior to starting at PledgeMe, he was working in banking in Ireland.

     

    Tan Huynh
    Chief Bacon Sizzler  
    Tan started at PledgeMe in 2016, and brings home the bacon for amazing kiwi businesses (faking bacon for our vegan friends). His background is in tech, business development and raising capability. He has an MBA, however found out too late that it didn’t mean Master of Beer Appreciation. Tan loves travelling to far-flung parts of the world, bringing back a love of scotch whisky, craft beer and food. He is fluent in Vietnamese.

     

    Jess Ducey
    Chief People Wrangler  
    Jess started at PledgeMe in 2016, and is our chief people wrangling, puppy-patting (or cheese eating), craft beer drinking, all-round awesome person. She helps project campaigners get up and running, and is a two time alumna herself.

     

    Mike Avey
    BDM Australia 
    Mike has governance, finance and securities and investment experience. He has worked within the Venture Capital industry where he undertook investment banking, deal structuring, and investee management. Mike is also Independent Chairman of two companies and acts as chairman and adviser on several Advisory Boards. He regularly gives his time as a Mentor to Business Accelerators, the Women on Boards programme, and individual start-ups.

     

    Cath Sharples Rushbrooke
    Responsible Manager Australia 
    Cath started with PledgeMe in 2018 as our Responsible Manager. She is a Certified Financial Planner who is passionate about working with people to reach their personal &/or business goals. Cath has worked in the financial services industry for almost 20 years including roles in compliance management, strategic financial planning, stockbroking and training. She has worked with companies like Macquarie Bank and Advice Services Australia, and contributed expert advice to publications like NewsCorp’s MoneySaver HQ and Huffington Post. Cath has lectured and provided assessment services for a number of institutions including La Trobe University, Deakin University, CPA Australia and the National Tax and Accountants Association.

     

    Breccan McLeod Lundy
    Director
    Breccan is CEO and Founder of Rabid, a software development company based in Wellington. Rabid aims to help organisations improve their performance through thoughtfully applied technology. He fundamentally believes that technology will make the world a better place, and delivers tech that is about ethics, fairness, and sustainable business to achieve long term outcomes. Rabid was the 25th fastest growing company on the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2017 and the 191st fastest growing company in the Asia Pacific region. Breccan believes PledgeMe plays a key role in making access to funding easier.

     

     

    Rachel Hopkins
    Director 
    Rachel has spent over 25 years in marketing, branding and customer experience, including working in both the Australian market and Māori / Pasifika engagement. From 1995-1999 Rachel started, grew, and sold a professional services business in Australia. Recently appointed as the Chief Executive of Diversity Works NZ, Rachel was part of the Senior Leadership Team of Competenz from early 2013. She has also held roles as Marketing Director for The Icehouse and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts and as Marketing Manager for The University of Auckland Business School. Rachel spent seven years as a director of Ocean (a branding agency) and, as part of the Future Directors programme, sat on the board of NZX-listed AWF Madison Group for 18 months. She currently sits on the Ministry for Youth Development’s Partnership Fund Board and on the Establishment Board of the Auckland Foundation’s Women’s Fund. She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and 2016, was named the Institute of Directors Emerging Director of the Year (Auckland Branch).

     

    Melanie Templeton
    Chair 
    Melanie is from Wellington and is currently Commercial Director for an Agtech company Regen Ltd, operating in irrigation management. Mel was previously Group Executive for Rabobank Australia and New Zealand Group, and General Manager of RaboDirect New Zealand and Australia. During her executive career, Melanie built and led online retail banks in NZ, Australia and Europe and was on the global management team charged with growing those banks internationally. During that time she held several seats on management oversight and establishment committees as well as on global project governance boards. She held roles as responsible manager for the control environment, risk and compliance for online banking operations in NZ and Australia, and represented the region on the global risk management committee. She is currently a Director on the newly established Centre for Space Science Technology, and is Chair of PledgeMe. Mel is also experienced in Risk Management and is on the Risk and Assurance Committee for the IRD.

     

     

    Our risks

    Loss of key staff

    We have documented all of our roles, and have implemented a “stewardship” system, where the whole team partners and supports / learn the other person’s role. This is to help make people feel supported in their growth, but also to give us all a better understanding of the other roles.

    As part of Anna’s move to Australia, we have distributed some of her role as well, to allow her to focus more on strategy and delivery than operations.

    We have two strategic hires over the next six months that will help increase the effectiveness of core staff as well, and additional hires over the next two years.

     

    Ability to hit projections

    Forecasting for a completely new market isn’t easy. We are setting targets we believe we can achieve, but that will also stretch us as a company. We know this point always creates a bit of discussion but we will do everything we can within our power to hit our goal, while acknowledging it’s not all within our power. 

     

    Cashflow

    We’re lumpy by nature. Our revenue is directly related to the preparation and needs of the companies we work with. We’ve implemented some new processes to help streamline things for our clients, but our revenue will probably never be smooth.

     

    Crowded marketplace

    It’s no lie - crowdfunding is crowded! We aim to differentiate ourselves from the other players in the market, to ensure that we are the brand of choice for campaigns that align with our values and the way we do things.

     

    Our brand

    We might be seen as too Kiwi, too hipster, or too hippy. We’re embracing the ways in which we believe our brand is different and working to make that a benefit.

     

    Lack of support for a Kiwi brand in Australia

    We’ve purposefully placed Anna in Australia for the launch to build awareness and trust. We’re hiring locally to show we’re an Australian company as well as having Kiwi roots, and to build our understanding of the Australian market. We’re also working with a marketing agency to ensure we position ourselves well.

     

    Economic downturn

    A downfall to the economy could remove the ability for investors to take chances on earlier stage companies.

     

    Changes to regulations

    Regulatory changes could affect our ability to operate. We also think there is an opportunity in this, if the Australian regime opens up to proprietary companies. 

     

     

    Note from our independent manager

    An independent contractor (Kat Jenkins) has completed Veda checks on the company and their directors, as well as a google check and insolvency check. There were no adverse findings. You can view the current interests register of the PledgeMe board and team here: https://pledgeme.co.nz/interests.  

     

     

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    The final countdown!

    03/09/2018 at 5:25 PM

    Kia ora Pledgers,

    Here’s an update from Anna and the PledgeMe team:

     

    Thanks so much for being a part of our journey! We’ve got three more days to go, and we’re almost $100,000 overfunded. If you could share this campaign with your crowd, and help us break the $600k mark, that would be ace!

    A few updates from us:

    Tā Koha launch

    We launched Tā Koha last Thursday, with a showcase of our twelve pioneering Māori entrepreneurs at Ngahere Communities in Manukau. It was a fantastic gathering of entrepreneurs, Ministers, media and supporters.

    (Photo cred: Patu Aotearoa)

    Check out the three campaigns that are now live here.

    Australia launch

    We launched our first campaign in Australia for the Food Connect Shed! The team there are now actively pushing the campaign out to their crowd, hosting tours of their Shed, and running events. They will be doing a Facebook Live tonight 9pm NZ if you would like to join them. 

    Check out their campaign here

    Thoughts from our alumni

    We’ve asked a few of our alumni to share their experiences with our crowd. Here’s our first video, from Adam who ran Jack Feels Big and Sophie Feels Like Me:

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WGCER5bIecM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    Our AGM

    We’re going to be sending out our official notice to all existing and new shareholders on Monday 10 September (once this campaign closes) but lock the date in your diaries now: Wednesday, 26 September at 5:30pm at Parrotdog Brewery out in Lyall Bay.

    Our AGM will include a beer tasting, some performances, and a chance for you to give your feedback on our plans. 

    Thanks for your support in our campaign, we’re already pushing on the next stage of growth :)

    Cheers,

    Anna

     

    [Sent by Kat, who is managing the campaign independently for PledgeMe as part of their conflict of interest policy]

     

    Update #2 - One week funded :)

    17/08/2018 at 4:28 PM

    Kia ora Pledgers,

    Here’s a message from Anna and the PledgeMe team:

    Wow. Thank you, all 225 of you wonderful humans (and companies - there are a few companies in there too!).  That was a quick run to the half a million mark last week, and now we’re over 10% overfunded. Thank you so much for your investment.

    Campaign progress as at 4pm on 17 August

    We’re still pushing onwards to the maximum goal of $899,980 so if you want to share our campaign with your wider network that would be ace. 

    As mentioned last week, we’re hitting go now on some of our plans:

    • We’re launching our first Australian campaign on 21 August. The campaign is for a local food hub, Food Connect, who have the opportunity to buy their warehouse from their landlord. They’ve set up a new company to buy the warehouse, with their crowd. They are looking to raise a minimum of $2 million and a maximum of $4 million. Here’s a picture of us at their Pitch Kitchen last week, preparing them for pitching to the public. 

    Food Connect Pledge Kitchen

    • I’m finalising the job ads for our new roles (Community & Marketing Manager and Campaign Delivery), and will be pushing those out into the world soon. I’ll share them in our next update, in case you have anyone you know that might be interested. 
    • We’ve had meetings with our Marketing and PR support in Australia to push for coverage around our first launch here. In fact, one of the meetings was just after our goal was met so there were celebratory drinks.

    Finally, if you have any questions for me - I’m planning another Facebook Live next Monday night (20 August) at 7pm for investors and interested investors. I hope to have a special guest with me as well. Pop along from 7pm, and follow our Facebook page to be notified when we go live. 

    Take care, and thanks again!

    Anna

     

    [Sent by Kat, who is managing the campaign independently for PledgeMe as part of their conflict of interest policy]

    97% funded thanks to you!

    10/08/2018 at 7:30 AM

    Kia ora Pledgers,

     

    Here’s a message from Anna and the PledgeMe team:

     

    A huge big thank you to all of you. You’ve amazed us with your support, and we can’t even fully describe what that means to us. Here’s a thank you from me.

     

    We still have a wee way to go to hit our minimum goal, but 3% feels pretty achievable with 28 more days to go!

     

    Your support sharing the campaign would help us hit that goal, and keep pushing onwards to the maximum.

     

    If you do share our campaign, please make sure you don’t give financial advice. You can say why you like us though! Or what inspires you about crowdfunding.

     

    Once we hit our minimum goal, we’re going to get started on a few of our plans: posting job descriptions for our new staff, pushing go on more marketing, and preparing the final pieces for our Australian and Ta Koha launches.

     

    Thank you again for your support, and for all the support of our pledgers past, present (and hopefully future!).

     

    Ngā mihi,

     

    Anna

     

    [Sent by Kat, who is managing the campaign independently for PledgeMe as part of their conflict of interest policy]

     

      Offer Details

      Current Valuation 7,100,972
      Raise Minimum 500,080
      Raise Maximum 899,980
      Share Price 164.50
      Minimum Pledge 164.50
      Maximum Shares Offered 5,471
      Explanation of valuation:

      Our pre-money valuation of NZD $7,100,971.50 is based on a 6.5x revenue multiplier of forecast current year revenue.
      We have set our revenue multiplier in line with a market comparison (table in our offer document).


      Financial Summary

      Prev Year Current Year Est. FY 2025 Est. FY 2026
      Revenue NZ $767,983 NZ $1,094,900 NZ $1,641,400 NZ $2,837,050
      Operating Expenses NZ $496,391 NZ $1,209,552 NZ $1,607,855 NZ $1,899,496
      EBITDA NZ $271,592 -NZ $114,652 NZ $33,544 NZ $937,554
      Net Profit NZ $252,971 -NZ $135,652 NZ $12,544 NZ $659,843

      Company Details

      Company Name: PledgeMe Limited

      Company Number: 3361892

      Company Documents

      Documents no longer available to download, as this campaign has closed

      Director Details

      Name Role Profile URL Invested?
      Anna Guenther Managing Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaguenther/
      Melanie Templeton Chair https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanietempleton/
      Breccan McLeod Lundy Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/breccan/
      Rachel Hopkins Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelhopkins1/

      What return on say $1000 investment do you forecast during what time and how does that work?

      Posted on 10-08-2018 by AG Grandt

      Kia ora AG,

      Here's the response from Anna:

      "If you pledge $1,000 in this campaign you will pledge to buy $1,000 worth of shares in PledgeMe Limited. If you own shares, and PledgeMe pays out dividends or sells you will receive a part of those funds. PledgeMe hopes in future to return financial value to their shareholders in the form of either dividends or capital gain through a profitable acquisition or listing of PledgeMe, but as it's an early stage company investing is risky.

      In the last three years PledgeMe has grown, with over 90% compounded annual growth of revenue. Their share price under this offer represents a more than eight times increase from their initial equity crowdfunding campaign in 2014. They currently try to match willing buyers and willing sellers, but are unable to promise liquidity to investors. They’re aiming to implement a regular auction process to try and increase the likelihood of matching a willing buyer and seller."

      Ngā mihi,
      Kat

      Answered on 10-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


      Hi, congratulations on the good initial response to your own campaign! I understand you have obtained a peer to peer lending licence, but haven't yet acted upon this to my knowledge. I can't see any reference to any income being generated from this side of the business in your forecast financials. Do you have any plans in this area? Do you see it as a big opportunity not yet explored?

      Posted on 08-08-2018 by James Cameron

      Kia ora James,

      Thanks for your question. Here's a response from Anna: "We have our peer-to-peer licence, and have run three PledgeMe.Lend campaigns that met their goals so far, including the Lunch Bonds with Eat My Lunch who borrowed over $800,000 from 258 lenders. It's been slower than anticipated scaling up this offering, and we plan to focus more marketing spend on this area after our raise is completed. In 2014 a paper was released by IOSCO stating that "Crowdlending constitutes two-thirds of the collective global crowdfunding market" - that doesn't take into effect the consequent legalisation of equity crowdfunding in markets like America, Australia and I believe even NZ - but it's still an exciting area for us to explore and hopefully grow."

      Ngā mihi,
      Kat, on behalf of Team PledgeMe

      Answered on 09-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


      I was pleased to read that you have recently implemented a bonus scheme for staff. Are all staff paid the living wage as a minimum.

      Posted on 08-08-2018 by Shane Caley

      Kia Ora Shane,

      Anna's response is: "Great question! We can confirm our entire team are paid above the living wage, as well as a bonus scheme and share scheme for those that are here for a full year. For those of you reading this, and unsure what that means, the living wage "is the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life." In Aotearoa it is currently set at $20.55."

      Ngā mihi,
      Kat on behalf of the PledgeMe team

      Answered on 08-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


      it may pay for the pledgeme company to work hand-in-hand with accountants who'll deal with potential members who wish to use equity crowd funding. Keeping it in-house so to speak. I've had lots of businesses but that doesn't make a business man and least of all to the level required for such a prospectus, yet for my past and failed campaign when I explained my material I got comments like "what if we raise too much money?" (we were already discussing mega millions and very feasible at that. One accountant even hugged me but when it comes down to dreaming and matching up the numbers, most people freak out, incl. some professionals). In 1987 I raised 'millions for tourism on the west coast and with the help of key people who believe in it and not charge $300 an hour, we just might get somewhere and PledgeMe stands to profit. Thus my question: Can you look into this to have an in-house magic wand waving legal team. It's utterly frustrating when the FMA turns around and has 'doubts' yet can't deny my strategy but puts the bomb under my project. (I tried to offer ongoing paid royalties if crowd funders nominate, with success, investors. How can anybody see anything wrong with that strategy?) cheers, Marcel

      Posted on 07-08-2018 by Marcel

      Kia ora Marcel,

      Thanks for your question! Anna has sent through this response: "We hear your frustration. Any offer of security needs to comply with FMCA in New Zealand. There are some good lawyers out there, we've enjoyed working with the crew at Buddle Findlay and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. If you run a campaign that offers shares it might be easier for you to structure as an equity, or a lending campaign (though you'll need to show your ability to repay). We always recommend a campaigner goes to their crowd first though, to see if they'd be interested in pledging."

      Ngā mihi,

      Kat on behalf of the PledgeMe team

      Answered on 08-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


      When I buy shares, how will I eventually make money from owning them?

      Posted on 07-08-2018 by Alasdair Martin

      Kia ora Alasdair,
      PledgeMe is a growing business. In the last three years we have had over 90% compounded annual growth of revenue. We hope in future to return financial value to our shareholders in the form of either dividends or capital gain through a profitable acquisition or listing of PledgeMe.
      Our share price under this offer represents a more than eight times increase from our initial equity crowdfunding campaign in 2014. We currently try to match willing buyers and willing sellers, but we’re unable to promise liquidity to investors. We’re aiming to implement a regular auction process to try and increase the likelihood of matching a willing buyer and seller.
      Ngā mihi.
      Kat (on behalf of Team PledgeMe)

      Answered on 07-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


      Congratulations on your Australia licence. Great to see a kiwi business expand to Australia in a relatively small timeframe. Quick question on financials. In the 2014 campaign you said that in 2016 the loss would be $6,375, when according to these numbers, the actual loss was $399,000. You also said in 2017 you would profit $127,394, reality was a loss of $11,000. What was the drivers behind this differentiation, and have you taken them into consideration when preparing these numbers? Best of luck with the campaign, looks like you are almost done!

      Posted on 06-08-2018 by Dylan Buckley

      Kia ora Dylan,

      Here's a response from Anna:

      "Thanks for your congratulations, Dylan. We're very excited about the opportunities we have both in Australia and New Zealand. Projections are hard, especially when you're launching a new way of doing things. What we've learned in the last few years is that educating a market takes time. In 2016, our revenue was lower and costs higher than forecast. In the end, our actual results were one year behind our 2014 low forecast. We've noted the risk around projections in our offer document a few times to highlight actual results may vary."

      Ngā mihi.
      Kat (on behalf of Team PledgeMe)

      Answered on 07-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)


      How do I pledge more than one share eg 5 shares?

      Posted on 06-08-2018 by Alison Brizzell

      Kia ora Alison,

      Thanks for your question! I see you've already made multiple pledges, but here are some instructions for future :)
      If you're interested in investing, you first need to log in and register to invest. Here are instructions on how to do that: http://guide.pledgeme.co.nz/how-to-invest

      To buy 5 shares, click the green pledge button (with the words "Pledge Me Limited, NZ$164.50, Part ownership of PledgeMe Limited"). This will take you to the Pledge and Payment Details Page.

      There, you'll need to set your pledge in multiples of $164.50, e.g. 5 shares are $822.50. Then choose how you'd like to make payment once the campaign has ended (bank deposit or credit/debit card). You'll need to enter your credit/debit card details to secure the payment.

      Then accept the Investor Terms, click "make your pledge" and you're done!

      Ngā mihi.
      Kat (on behalf of Team PledgeMe)

      Answered on 07-08-2018 by Kat Jenkins (for the PledgeMe Team)

      Rob Borgers
      09/08/2018 at 1:02pm
      Kat Jenkins
      09/08/2018 at 12:52pm
      Katrina Wilson
      09/08/2018 at 12:27pm

      "Good luck team!"

      Shane Caley
      09/08/2018 at 10:59am
      Jenine
      09/08/2018 at 10:54am
      Keegan
      09/08/2018 at 8:51am
      Kate Aguirre Go
      09/08/2018 at 3:52am
      Kim Dowling
      09/08/2018 at 12:38am
      Malcolm Gordon
      09/08/2018 at 12:18am

      "You guys helped me make my album happen last year. Pleased to be able to help a whole lot more stuff happen. Here's to the future!"

      SM Ang
      08/08/2018 at 9:39pm
      Andrew
      08/08/2018 at 8:26pm
      Rebecca Pittman
      08/08/2018 at 8:10pm
      Moushumi Das
      08/08/2018 at 6:41pm
      Dennis Gleeson
      08/08/2018 at 6:21pm
      Steve Tsai
      08/08/2018 at 5:34pm
      M J Taylor
      08/08/2018 at 5:16pm
      Frida Sumardjo
      08/08/2018 at 5:01pm
      Catheryn Wu
      08/08/2018 at 4:40pm
      Chris
      08/08/2018 at 4:39pm
      James Cameron
      08/08/2018 at 4:38pm
      Philip Lee
      08/08/2018 at 4:33pm

      "Fingers-crossed! All the best!"

      Andrew Morton
      08/08/2018 at 4:32pm
      Claire Govier
      08/08/2018 at 4:31pm
      Andrew Mayfield
      08/08/2018 at 4:31pm

      "What fun!"

      Melissa
      08/08/2018 at 3:59pm

      "Well done Anna and team xx"

      greg ford
      08/08/2018 at 3:31pm
      David Zwartz
      08/08/2018 at 3:11pm
      Jill Brunson
      08/08/2018 at 10:16am
      Chris Johnston
      08/08/2018 at 10:14am
      Campbell Masters
      08/08/2018 at 9:46am
      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 06/09/2018 at 6:00 PM.

      This campaign has closed, but this company may choose to do more equity raises on PledgeMe in the future. If you're interested in investing in PledgeMe Limited, you can sign up to be notified when a new equity campaign from this company is published.

      Notify Me

      Disclosure Statement:

      An associated party of PledgeMe holds an interest in this company, the interest is as follows:

      The interests of our team and directors are listed on our interest register (www.pledgeme.co.nz/interests)

      Warning statement about equity crowdfunding

      Equity crowdfunding is risky.

      Issuers using this facility include new or rapidly growing ventures. Investment in these types of business is very speculative and carries high risks.

      You may lose your entire investment, and must be in a position to bear this risk without undue hardship.

      New Zealand law normally requires people who offer financial products to give information to investors before they invest. This requires those offering financial products to have disclosed information that is important for investors to make an informed decision.

      The usual rules do not apply to offers by issuers using this facility. As a result, you may not be given all the information usually required. You will also have fewer other legal protections for this investment.

      Ask questions, read all information given carefully, and seek independent financial advice before committing yourself.