Ahead of an anticipated full launch in Spring 2014, Best of All Worlds, the innovative, private online community from the social media pioneers of ASMALLWORLD, has today announced its crowdfunding launch on leading equity crowdfunding website, Crowdcube.
Crowdcube (www.crowdcube.com) is part of the next generation of business investment, offering start-ups and entrepreneurs a new way to connect with investors to raise venture capital. Best of All Worlds (www.boaw.com) aims to raise up to £500,000 through Crowdcube and other private fundraising efforts, and money raised will be used to support additional web and mobile development.
After a successful private beta phase, which has seen Best of All Worlds (BOAW) grow to a community of over 30,000 active users in over 100 countries worldwide, the site maintains its invite-only status, allowing users to access and navigate relevant information and intelligence from a ‘trusted’ few, rather than the overwhelming levels of information available in the wider online community. By matching similar passions, niche interests and backgrounds, BOAW provides an intimate and private online environment that targets top influencers, creatives, and entrepreneurs from around the world. BOAW enables its members to evolve their passions, grow their trusted networks and discover new opportunities.
Erik Wachtmeister, founder of Best of All Worlds, comments: “Best of All Worlds offers its users a forward-facing and innovative approach to global social discovery both for social and professional use. We are always embracing new ideas and technology and crowdfunding is a great way to offer our members and other investors to participate in our journey.”
Best of all Worlds aims to be the ultimate discovery and matching platform for people, products and services. Rather than focusing on past events, as many social networks such as Facebook do, BOAW connects members with new opportunities and people, around interests and passions – creating a trusted global network of individuals. BOAW has developed its own proprietary state-of-the-art location-based search engine and matching algorithm, offering users tools to discover and interact with trusted members that share the same passion. BOAW also offers global city guides and interest-based groups and forums, with user-generated recommendations and feedback systems.
The Best of All Worlds iPhone app allows members to access the platform whilst on the go, to discover people, places and things close to them, or to browse other locations and seek inspiration. The app aggregates feedback from members and obtains real-time relevant information on members’ interests, location and mode (private, family, professional, social or party).
The founding team of BOAW consists of two highly experienced entrepreneurs in global social media, Erik and Louise Wachtmeister, founders of ASMALLWORLD, as well as Rob Meadows, CTO at BOAW, who founded Originate, a Global Software Venture Fund.
Erik Wachtmeister – Founder and CEO, Stockholm, Sweden
A pioneer in social media, Erik launched ASMALLWORLD in early 2004, to connect and reconnect friends in real life. Erik realised as early as 1998 that there was a need for a private online platform without commercial bias and information overload. Erik’s career in finance spanned 16 years of investment banking including Lehman Brothers and Rothschild in London, New York and Los Angeles. He created his own business in 1993, doing private placements for public companies. In 2000, he started Viking Internet, an investment company that he later took public on the LSE. Erik holds a BSFS from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Washington D.C., and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.
Louise Wachtmeister – Founder and Active Board Member, Stockholm, Sweden
As co-founder and marketing director of ASMALLWORLD, Louise defined its advertising strategy in the critical first three years that brought in the start-up’s first major advertising partners. At the same time, Louise oversaw ASMALLWORLD’s press relations, with over 100 features in major publications around the globe. Previously she worked at Scandinavia’s leading public relations firm JKL Group. A gold and silver medalist (400m and 800m relays) in the Swedish National Track Championships, she was elected as a local representative to the Stockholm City Council sports and education committee from the age of 19. Louise went to Stockholm School of Economics, writing her master’s thesis on branding.
Rob Meadows – CTO and Board member, San Francisco, CA
Rob has over 20 years’ experience in Software Development and Architecture. He is a founding partner at Originate, a Global Software Venture Fund. Prior to Originate he was the founder of Lumitrend Mobile and former software engineer at IBM, Qualcomm, and Slam Dunk Networks.
As the world’s first equity crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube enables everyday investors to fund businesses in return for a share in the company. Since February 2011, more than 57,000 savvy investors have registered with Crowdcube, helping to raise more than £17m for over 90 UK businesses. The ground-breaking model lets entrepreneurs showcase their investment opportunity online and bypass the traditional business angel, venture capital or bank route, giving them more control and access to more investors.
- Best of All Worlds is invitation-only and free to members;
- The Best of All Worlds site is accessible on: IE 8+, Firefox 3.5+, Chrome (all), Safari (all);
- The Best of All Worlds app is available free on iOS, iPhone and iPad: http://bit.ly/boaw-app
BOAW on Crowdcube: http://www.crowdcube.com/investment/best-of-all-worlds-ab-14964
