The IHK Crowdfunding Night took place for the fourth time, and it wasn't a bit quiet. As a side event of the Bits&Pretzels founders' festival, this time the focus was on crowd-funded media projects and startups. Despite the Oktoberfest, the event attracted more than 150 "enthusiasts" to the event space of the WERK1, which together with the Media Lab supported the IHK event.
In a relaxed discussion with the audience, the crowd-experienced guests shared their experiences with the swarm.
For filmmaker Jörg Kundinger, whose Documentary “Capital C” In German cinemas since September 24th, crowdfunding is a true revolution. For his film, he spent months accompanying three crowdfunders in the US who, through the crowd, came a step closer to realizing their dream of self-determination and self-realization. He himself also financed Capital C through the crowd. Through this experience, he learned a lot about crowdfunding, but also about himself. He offered one piece of advice to future campaigners:
Away with the typical German doubts and fears.
Go out and present your idea to the crowd, you have nothing to lose!
Tino Kreßner, co-founder of the platform Startnext, encouraged the audience and gave tips using the example of successful media campaigns that showed how wide the range of projects financed through crowdfunding has already become. The core of every good campaign is the story and the people behind the project who are passionate about it. Crowdfunding thrives on enthusiasm and on getting people on board. Be it through the active involvement of supporters in the design of the project or product or through a story that people can identify with. The crucial thing, although not always easy, is to find those who share your vision and want to become a part of it. Crowdbuilding is the magic word here.
The third in the round were Susann Hoffmann and Nora-Vanessa Wohlert, founders of Edition F Insights into the life of a crowdfunded media startup. Your financing round via the crowdinvesting platform Companisto is now over a year ago. You've learned one thing above all else:
The crowd is demanding and good crowd management remains a challenging task even after the campaign.
Nevertheless, they have not regretted this step and have learned a lot through the campaign and further advanced their startup Edition F.
In the subsequent discussion with the audience, the crowdfunders agreed on many points:
- Don’t be afraid to fail!
- Share your idea with the world and show that you are the ones who have what it takes to make it happen!
- Be good to your crowd – your crowd will stand behind you if you stand up for your crowd.
At the subsequent “Bavarian Networking,” there was much laughter, discussion, and networking. More impressions of the evening can be found on the Facebook page the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In the end, all that remains to be said is: It was great – we'll see each other again soon!
We at Munich Startup were also there and can only confirm: It was a truly successful event with a wealth of expert input. We'd love to be there again next time – with our delicious Startup Beer, of course.
