A new equity crowdfunding option with a particular focus on regional businesses has launched, with a Bay of Plenty ecotourism company as the first cab off the rank.
Liftoff is the latest platform to be licensed by the Financial Markets Authority since the Government legalised crowdfunding in April last year. Its first campaign, for Rainforest Experiences New Zealand, would be the first New Zealand ecotourism venture to be crowdfunded, said Liftoff managing director Adam Hunt.
"The angle Liftoff is taking is we want to focus on ordinary New Zealand businesses. We're not going to do anything too exotic or complicated," he said.
"We want to democratise access to funds for businesses. We have the sense that people assume crowdfunding is just for breweries or tech start-ups.
"We thought that might be a bit off-putting to people who had a really good straightforward business idea, especially if they are not in the main centres. An area we really want to focus on is regional New Zealand business."