On a calm early Saturday morning, with her tiny feet and red hair-locks under her cap, Mašenjka walked swiftly across St. Sofia square. And then down with a funicular to Podil. And then straight along Riviera to Kyiv Hub 4.0. More then thirty curious entrepreneurs waited for her. Fifteen komandas couldn't wait to learn about a whole new world of crowdfunding.

Mašenjka was not alone. Little rasta-girl with blond dreadlocks from the Crowdfunding Academy was with her, and two nice and bright comrades from Spilnokosht platform and a cheerful piccola djevushka Italiana.

The komandas started pitching:

We want school-kids to grow trees and turn grey destroyed areas into green woods.

We want anti-cafe in Slavyansk to have a wonderful yard and gather more young creative people, there is not much more to do there.

We want to build a wooden low-energy house, to show everybody how it goes, to employ construction workers and to make many more houses for internally displaced people who need a new home. We already have a land plot for that.

We want to make a documentary about Donbas through the eyes of a child and send an optimistic positive message to the world.

We have a great game for children to learn science, play and travel at the same time.

We want kids with disabilities to play with other kids and we have a place for that.

We have great new app to explore the city and guide curious tourists around.

We have a special learning and mentoring platform.

And we have electric-powered vehicle for delivery services, better and cheaper then any scooter or electric bike currently on the market, and we can produce it here!

We want to build api-therapy cabins and develop green tourism.

We want to make fashion-patches for hipsters. We have the workshop and machines, and great designs.

We want to keep tradition and knowledge of old masters on producing traditional carpets with Ukrainian motives.

We want to start medical tourism and let people get health treatments while enjoying colourful Ukraine!

We want to make on-line service for patenting and protecting intellectual rights.

And we want to help young people to get jobs faster by using an app.

Mašenjka, can you help?

Mašenjka and her friends told them all they know about crowdfunding campaigns – how to plan it carefully, how to define target audience and send them right messages through the right channels. How to write a story and a pitch that clearly says who they are and what they want to do. How to get to the crowd and setup the team. It was great. The feeling is fabulous: the process started. There is a lot of more work to be done, but it is exciting! Thirteen komandas went back home with homework Mašenjka and her friends gave them to do and will be back in classroom in 3 weeks. The crowd is on stand-by to see their projects. Will they get the support? Just wait and you'll see! 


Author: Sandra Vlasic