Kuala Lumpur – Asian Crowdfunder, a pan-Asian, equity-based crowdfunding platform launches its operations in Malaysia. Asian Crowdfunder is founded by investors, for investors. It is accessible to vetted accredited investors only.
Asian Crowdfunder is a pan-Asian equity-based crowdfunding platform, bringing Asian businesses to global investors. It is founded by an international team of experienced and successful entrepreneurs and asset managers backed by decades of experience.
It’s prime goal is to provide accredited investors from across the world access to Asia’s tremendous growth opportunities at an early stage and provide Asian entrepreneurs with capital and knowledge to take their ideas and businesses to the next level.
The three co-founders of Asian Crowdfunder; Frank Holle of Quant Asset Management Pte. Ltd, Graham Paling of Mongoose Publishing and Dato’ Kenneth Kolb of Hot Can bring nearly a century of experience in investment management and successful business management.
Frank Holle, Partner & Co-Founder says, “I have been in the business of investment for over 25 years and I have seen many financial revolutions, but this by far is the biggest. Equity Crowdfunding is changing the way small businesses raise money. With the government realising its importance and setting regulations, Malaysian business now have an even better chance of tapping global investment markets. Exciting indeed!”
Asian Crowdfunder enables accredited and sophisticated investors to invest in companies raising funds on the Asian Crowdfunder platform and gain equity (ownership) of the company invested in. Whereas in reward based crowdfunding the investor will only receive a reward or a product when they invest.
Dato’ Kenneth Kolb, Partner, Co-Founder and inventor of Hot-Can the self-heating beverage can is very excited by the potential that the platform presents. He says,”ASEAN represents more than 9% of the world’s population and represents great business opportunities. We are one of the first trusted platofrms that will connect accredited global investors to business opportunities in the fast growing economies of ASEAN. We are starting from Malaysia and are already in the process of starting in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Here is the time for both accredited investors and businesses to be part of this growth revolution”.
Registering on the AsianCrowdfunder.com is really simple. All it entails is a simple form and an even simpler self-certification test to ascertain that the user is an accredited investor or a High Networth Individual or Entity. After activating the account, the user will be able to view all the investment opportunities and either proceed to invest or set up their own pitch. A thorough due diligence will be conducted on each business that wants to pitch and the investors who invest in the businesses
Accredited investors can browse pitches which contain information about the business, the founder and the growth plan along with videos, photographs and supporting documents. The investor can choose to invest in a particular business by either click on invest now or make an alternate offer. Once the investor has invested a certain amount, it will be held in an escrow trust account till the successful completion of the pitch (90 days or earlier). If the pitch is successful, then the business approves the investors and the money is moved from the escrow to the business in return for company shares. In case the pitch is not sucessful, the money will be returned to the investor.
Currently Asian Crowdfunder features three exciting Malaysian companies. They have Sid’s Pubs headed by the popular Geoff Siddle, looking to grow from 6 successful outlets to 40 successful outlets; FiRe FITNESS headed by fitness celebrity Dave Nuku and Mike Lamb who aim to transform the way fitness is approached in Malaysia and Impulse Studio, a German technology that uses EMS to help people achieve their fitness goals.
For more information on Asian Crowdfunder, please visit the website www.asiancrowdfunder.com or contact Nazeen at nazeen@asiancrowdfunder.com
About Asian Crowdfunder
Asian Crowdfunder is founded by investors, for investors. Asian Crowdfunder is an equity-based crowd funding platform, built exclusively for accredited investors to provide venture capital funding for emerging growth companies in the fast growing economies in South East Asia. Membership in the community is vetted and offered only to people who meet our accreditation criteria.
About The Partners
Frank Holle, Partner & Co-Founder
Frank has over 25 years experience in finance, he founded his first company at the age of 34 and later on founded a multiple award winning hedge fund based in Singapore. He is Dutch, graduated from the University of Utrecht with a Masters degree in Corporate Law.
He started out his career as an Academic Researcher at the Corporate Law department at the University of Utrecht. He joined Abn Amro in 1989 where he was trained and worked at the International Investment banking division. From 1992-1998 he worked at Merrill Lynch in London where he was a director of Institutional Equities.
In 1999 he set up Holle Guilonard, one of the first companies specialised in Electronic Equities trading. In 2002 he founded Capital FM Ltd, a BVI licensed investment manager. At the end of 2003 he co-founded Quant Asset Management Pte Ltd., Singapore, a successful hedge fund that has won the Asian Investor Awards and the Asia Hedge Awards.
He is a seasoned investor who has invested in many early stage companies throughout his career and has a keen interest in helping motivated, talented people forward while keeping a close eye on ensuring returns on investment.
Kenneth Warren Kolb, Partner & Co-Founder
Founder and inventor of the Hot-Can self-heating can packaging product technologies. Kenneth received his first US utility Patent at the age of 22 and has designed, developed and patented more than 15 products and holds more than 27 patents worldwide. He specialises in developing ideas into products and successfully commercialising them in the global marketplace.
Educated at Macalister College in Minnesota and the University of Tulane in New Orleans, he received a BGS Cum Laude in Biological Science in 1989. Concurrently, Kenneth studied and conducted scientific research under a Nobel Laureate in Medicine before working as Vice President of Product Development and Vice President of Overseas Operations for a US based furniture importer.
He thus has a solid background in product research & development, manufacturing, product development and business development. He has 22 years of experience in starting up and managing companies in this region. These companies have grown into highly profitable operating entities. He has worked and lived in Malaysia since 1990.
Graham Paling, Partner & Co-Founder
Graham was educated at Glasgow University and achieved a BSc degree. During his time there he enjoyed playing guitar in an alternative rock band, wrote music, played live, recorded and even wrote jingles for government youth training programs. However, he gravitated more towards the business side of music and for two years he was the elected Entertainments Convenor of the University responsible for the extensive live program of events, at the time the third largest venue in Glasgow. He headed an event support team of 35 people and was responsible for the negotiation of contracts with live acts, publicity and the finances. During his tenure he promoted bands such as Motorhead, Wet Wet Wet, The Smiths, Deacon Blue, Roger Taylor of Queen and around 100 more famous acts at the time. Although an unpaid role it was invaluable exposure to business practice at an early age.
He then moved to London and within a year had set up business with his now 25 year business partner Richard Beatty and only a £3,000 loan. Specialising in contract magazine sales Mongoose Media Ltd proved to be a sound base for diversifying, expanding and opportunities abroad. In 1995 together with two other partners and Richard, Graham launched River Publishing Ltd specialising in customer magazines. River was an instant success attracting clients such as BMW, Asda, Lloyds, IBM etc and within 5 years Graham had sold his stake to Barclays Venture Capital. Within this same 5 year period Mongoose companies were launched in Kuala Lumpur and USA.
In 2007 the mother UK company Mongoose Media Ltd was sold to Bob Geldof’s Ten Alps group. It allowed Graham’s time to be freed up somewhat and he moved to Malaysia with the intention of expanding and diversifying the business there. Since 2007 Mongoose in Malaysia have successfully launched Time Out Kuala Lumpur, Esquire Malaysia, ELLE Malaysia and have relaunched Men’s Health Malaysia and will launch Women’s Health in March 2015. Mongoose in this time have not only expanded but have diversified into digital design and development, customer publishing, event management, video and content syndication.
Graham has interests in other business ventures including manufacturing in Malaysia, publishing in Singapore, advertising in India, restaurants and publishing in the UK. He is a strong believer in the entrepreneurial spirit and encouraging young people to set up in business as a sound career move. He fails to understand why the perception of going into business is high risk as you are in charge of your own destiny. Working for a company you can be sacked tomorrow.
