In the world of startup investment, finding a party with similar goals and interests is the golden key to securing funding, but ask any startup owner and they’ll tell you that getting there is easier said than done.
A new website is looking at playing matchmaker and making it easier for investors to find the ideal startup to fund.
Created by Capetonians 23-year-old Grant Vanderwagen and 22-year-old Elizabeth Crockett, both young entrepreneurs with a passion for their sector, The Social Vibe is a platform that showcases innovation in business. It allows entrepreneurs, VCs and angel investors to go online and find an innovative brand or service that captures their attention and approach them for potential investment.
The site has been designed in such a way that throughout the homepage is a banner-advertising feature that in time will be bursting with innovative concepts. When a viewer finds something that interests them they can view the company page of the brand or product within The Social Vibe and get the full scoop of what they are looking at, follow them on social media, click through to their website or even contact them directly.
“At first this seemed like an ordinary thing but once some research had been done we realised that what we had created and the way we had created it hadn’t been done, this made all those sleepless nights working at it so much more worth it,” Vanderwagen explains about The Social Vibe’s creative process.
“We created TSV because we have a passion for business. We want to help others succeed and we know that one of the first steps to success starts with people helping people and that’s what we plan on achieving. We know that passion alone won’t make it happen but at the intersection of passion and opportunity, that’s where the magic happens, that’s where your goals will be achieved. Young entrepreneurs turning idea’s into actions, that’s what sparked The Social Vibe,” Crockett adds.
Vanderwagen and Crockett are bootstrapping the entire project but the two say they will turn to external funding for the site’s next phase, but for now it’s just a matter of growth and growing brand awareness.
To get their profile up on The Social Vibe, startups will be charged according to the package of their choice. Packages will be finalised within the next two weeks, while Vanderwagen and Crockett work on the showcasing segment in the meantime.
And what happens after an investor has found a startup they are interested in?
“They can view the company page of that specific brand or service, this page will include an overview of the brand, all social media links of this brand, link to their website and all necessary contact details. This allows the investor or entrepreneur to either contact them directly or visit one of their other online profiles,” Vanderwagen explains.
Thereafter, it’s all up to the two parties to take things further, although The Social Vibe is very open to collaborating and assisting clients in any way possible.
“South Africa is where we at, this is our home and we want to show the world the innovation that comes out of the tip of Africa, Our first step is to find that innovation within South Africa and showcase it for the world to see,” says Vanderwagen.
Looking for an angel to put money into your firm or some enterprising young bucks to invest in? Head to The Social Vibe’s website over here.
