Welcome to SoKap. Welcome to Crowdfunding 2.0.

Most great startup companies start with the same question: "Why doesn't the world have _____?"

The most important piece to this question, however, is that blank space.

Why doesn't the world have an online music purchasing device?  Apple answered that question.

Why doesn't the world have a way to connect with friends and family through the Internet? Facebook answered that question.

Why doesn't the world have a platform that connects marketers and funders with projects?  SoKap is answering that question.

Welcome to SoKap. Welcome to crowdfunding 2.0.

David Geertz, Founder and CEO of SoKap.

SoKap is a crowdfunding and project distribution platform that allows marketers and funders to connect with project owners.  SoKap allows project owners to raise funds, build markets and distribute goods and services across the world.

But like all great startup ideas, SoKap didn't intend to go in that direction.  SoKap was originally built by founder and CEO David Geertz to aid in the distribution of films.  Geertz noticed that many contracts in the film industry were just too big.  So, he decided to allow people anywhere to buy distribution levels at a much smaller price.  In other words, with SoKap, everyone could have a slice of the movie pie.

While testing the platform, Geertz and his SoKap team realized that the main beta testers were entrepreneurs.  That's when the company decided to expand beyond the film industry.  Now, SoKap is open to any project-based entrepreneur (no matter what industry they're in) looking for crowdfunding opportunities.  According to the Financial Post (Canada), "Crowdfunding, which started out mainly as a way for writers, film makers, artists and musicians to raise money, is shaping up to be the next big financing model for entrepreneurs — and the model is rapidly evolving."  SoKap has taken advice from its entrepreneurial beta testers and has implemented much of their feedback into the company's founding principles.

"Our biggest focus is to lower the barriers to entry," says Geertz of the SoKap venture.  "We want to have the mark to dictate whether a product should be made or not.  Not everyone will succeed, but we need to let the market speak to that."

Although SoKap has only been in the works for about 30 months now, the company already has a few success stories under its belt to boast about.  In fact, the company was recently featured on the front cover of the Financial Post in Canada and was recognized as a game-changer in the film industry at film finance conferences.

So why is SoKap standing out so much?  For one, the company is beginning to revolutionize an industry.  But the platform is also revolutionizing the way that crowdfunding works as well.  SoKap is one of the only crowdfunding platforms that does not require a sale of equity.

"We need to prepare for a fight moving forward," says Geertz of this business decision. "We provide a solution that doesn't require equity.  Sure, we are fans of the JOBS Act, but we also know that it's not for every business.  We don't require a sale of equity and that's rare in this type of business.  But, we are staying true to our project.  We believe in it and will stay the course.  That's true, gritty entrepreneurship."

How does David Geertz Think Big? “I come from a problem-solving world.  I come at things from solving solutions and take a 10,000 feet view and remove all clutter and intermediaries.  I ask how we can balance and value our work.  If we can do that, we eliminate the two main rules of failure: fear and greed.  I always ask how I can eliminate that.”

Follow SoKap! @SoKap1

Apple iPads, Nikon Digital Cameras, and Diamond Earrings-- But One Gift Stands Out More Than the Rest on Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things 2010

Imagine winning an Apple iPad, a Royal Caribbean cruise, five years of Netflix, diamond earrings,  a Nikon digital camera, and a brand new 2012 Volkswagon Beetle all in one sitting.  If it sounds too good to be true, it’s actually not.  These were just a few of the items on Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things 2010 which truly became the “Ultimate” holiday giveaway as the audience left the studio with thousands of dollars worth of free merchandise, perks, and incredible gifts. 

Oprah knows what the season for giving is all about.  And with Thanksgiving around the corner, and Christmas not too far after, it is important to keep in mind the important things in life—and most of these things are not 2011 Volkswagon Beetles and a cruise for the whole family.  Oprah knows that giving back this holiday season does not necessarily mean giving away a bunch of free gifts—but giving away a gift that can change lives.

Among the shrieks of every stay-at-home mom, the tears of joy of every person in the audience, and the jumping up-and-down of every prize winner, there was a gift from Oprah that mattered most of all.  This year, one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2010 was Kiva, a company that “gives loans to change lives.”

Check out Groupon.com/Kiva to give back to the
entrepreneurial community this season!

Kiva is a company that empowers individuals to lend money to entrepreneurs across the globe.  By combining microfinance with online opportunities, Kiva has created a global community of people connected through online lending.  Kiva’s focus on partnership relationships, accountability through loans rather than donations, and transparency through the free flow of communication make Kiva an aspiring entrepreneur’s dream capital-raising resource.  

Oprah honored Kiva for their outstanding work in supporting those entrepreneurs who aspire to build their own communities by including the company on the list of Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things 2010.  In addition, Oprah helped Kiva to launch an exciting new deal.  This weekend, new Kiva users can visit Groupon.com/Kiva to buy $25 of Kiva credit for only $15.  This way, anybody can help lend money to those entrepreneurs who are striving for their dreams this holiday season. 

Check out Groupon.com/Kiva or Kiva.org to learn more about this deal and to lend your money to those aspiring entrepreneurs who continue to Think Big and strive to build a better tomorrow.

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and bizperc, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources.  To read more of Allison's work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner.

peerbackers: A New Small Business Helps Entrepreneurs Raise Capital and Achieve the American Dream

Andrew Rachmell's life has been an adventure.  And with an ambitious lifestyle that is all about trying something new, finding inspiration in life experiences, and of course, thinking big, it’s no wonder Rachmell wound up as a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of startup company, peerbackers.




peerbackers is an online funding platform that helps entrepreneurs
achieve that sought-after American Dream.



When Rachmell met Sally Outlaw, a partner from their previous production company in the mid 90's,the two found that their experience with producing television shows transformed into an obsession with entrepreneurship.  The two went on to create other businesses only to find themselves back together recently when they each realized a need to support the entrepreneurial community in light of the economic climate.   Only a year ago, Rachmell was involved in discussions with Florida Atlantic University’s Adam Center for Entrepreneurship for the production of a TV and web series profiling successful entrepreneurs.  At the same time, Outlaw had found that the process of raising capital from angel investors or venture capitalists tend to consume precious time that could be better spent on building a businesses.  After discussing the growth of startup companies and new small businesses, Rachmell and Outlaw put their heads together and created a business to help entrepreneurs raise money through a crowdfunding model by utilizing social networking.  peerbackers was born with the goal of saving entrepreneurs significant time and reducing the awkwardness associated in asking for money from family, friends, and even angel investors. 

  
peerbackers is an online funding platform that allows business owners and entrepreneurs to raise capital from their “peers” in small increments in exchange for tangible rewards for those who contribute.   peerbackers can save entrepreneurs significant time in raising growth or startup capital, not to mention the awkwardness that is, at times, associated in asking for money from family, friends and one’s professional circle of contacts.   For many entrepreneurs, the amount of money being sought after does not even meet the minimum level that angel investors or VCs require.  Most entrepreneurs start their business with $25,000 or less, making peerbackers a more viable solution for this type of startup company.

   

Within peerbacker’s first week of business, every entrepreneur featured on the site had obtained at least one “backer”, and most had anywhere from two to four.  With the smart utilization of social media marketing, peerbackers hopes to help thousands of entrepreneurs on a yearly basis reach their own dreams of owning a business by successfully reaching their fund raising goals.  In order to prove peerbacker’s future success, the company actually utilized its crowdfunding initiative utilizing a "mock up" information site in order to raise money for the launch of the peerbackers’ website.  The company raised several thousand dollars to build the current site and became one of twelve finalists in the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge.

 

As a serial entrepreneur with companies such as NetViews Inc. and peerbackers under his belt, Andrew Rachmell attributes much of his startup success to the passion he has for adventure and exploration.  His many life-changing experiences, such as biking across the country at the age of 20 and hiking up Mt. Whitney through a snow storm, have led him to think “if I can do that, I can do anything.”  This is exactly how the mind of an entrepreneur works.  According to Rachmell, an entrepreneur must maintain a vision for the business, continue to accomplish one small goal after another, and be passionate, persistent and patient.  All of these attributes are instilled into peerbackers as well as Rachmell’s own entrepreneurial life.  Congratulations to Andrew Rachmell and the launch of peerbackers – an entrepreneur and a company that are here to help others Think Big!

Allison Way is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and bizperc, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources.  To read more of Allison's work, please visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner.