Yvonne McLaren chosen to represent New Zealand on Worldwide Council of Global Crowdfunding Leaders

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - July 29, 2014 - PRLog -- Yvonne McLaren, co-founder of The Catalyst Collective, has been selected as the New Zealand representative on the Worldwide Council of Global Crowdfunding Leaders.  The council will meet at the 3rd Annual Global Crowdfunding Convention & Bootcamp in Nevada, USA in October.  Based in Auckland, Yvonne is New Zealand's only independent venture catalyst, and joins a prestigious selection of crowdfunding experts from countries including the USA, UK, Italy, China, Canada and Australia.

"This is the world's largest global crowdfunding event and is regarded as a 'must attend' event for anyone who wants to be successfully involved with equity or peer-to-peer crowdfunding," explains Yvonne.  "I'm absolutely stoked to fly the flag for NZ, and I'm looking forward to pooling my knowledge with some of the world's foremost business growth specialists."

The council meeting launches the convention, and discussions will focus on how new crowdfunding models can be successfully integrated into collaborative sustained processes.  In other words, they will be considering ways in which to reach widely across the virtual, digital and social media world to ensure continual and successful crowdfunding outcomes.  The board will also look at the challenges and actions associated with crowdfunding as a part of conscious capitalism.

Speaking as to why Yvonne was chosen for the council, CEO of the Crowdfunding College, one of the pioneers of the JobsAct, and creator of the convention, Ruth E. Hedges said, "Crowdfunding is impacting all types of businesses, creative ventures and industries around the globe.  Understanding how crowdfunding really works and keeping up with such a fast paced industry can be challenging, and we welcome seasoned venture capitalists with real investor experience and a broad vision to help us lead the way and champion the cause.  Yvonne embodies these qualities, and I know she'll be an invaluable member of the group."

Crowdfunding certainly is the baby of the venture capital family for NZ; new rules concerning it only came into effect in on 1st April 2014 (as part of the Financial Markets Conduct Act).  These changes mean that there are now no caps on investors for equity crowdfunding, but companies are limited to raises of $2 million per year.

"The new law was just plain common sense," comments Yvonne McLaren.  "Previously, we had the ridiculous situation of exciting NZ businesses potentially having to look overseas for funding.  Let's keep great Kiwi ingenuity in the hands of Kiwis!"

The 3rd Annual Global Crowdfunding Convention & Bootcamp runs from October 23rd to 25th at The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort.  In order to gain maximum benefit for NZ, Yvonne McLaren will be accompanied by a small delegation of like-minded Kiwi business people, including investors, sponsors and legal professionals.