NEW LEAF DIGITAL PLATFORM
THE PROBLEM WE ARE TRYING TO SOLVE
The post-COVID 19 crisis threatens to bring a high unemployment rate, a shift of needs, preferences and values across Europe with some services / goods having a drop in demand, while others having high peaks in demand. Numerous jobless people in Europe who want to requalify might not have access to mechanisms for doing so and are tied to limited and ineffective investment support (own, usually non-existent savings, loans from family members, small state or local government incentives) and a mainstream banking sector with non-flexible loan policies or loans with high interest rates. Along with all that, the potential of in-kind investments is not optimized enough in many business.
THE SOLUTION WE ARE PROPOSING
New Leaf is a certified streamlined digital EU platform that offers alternative investment solutions to micro and small enterprises in a post-COVID-19 world affected by economic crisis. It unites investors of different capacity (money, goods, real-estate, marketing space, know-how) with enterprises that need reinvention and the unemployed about to become entrepreneurs. We call this type of crowdfunding meets in-kind investments - crowdhatching. The platform supports a people driven economy and tech start up principles to entrepreneurship. It helps to speed up the system and offer support for entrepreneurs and for those who wish to become the ones to close the gaps through small or medium investments (goods, know-how or direct joint financing) needed for their further sustainability and growth.
Our aim is to create a sustainable economic flow where it will be clear what is the benefit of crowd investing with regards to specific needs of a particular project, what is the benefit of the angles and mentors engaged and what entrepreneurs could give them in return.
The entrepreneurial ideas and business plans will be assessed directly by potential investors.
The investors will get a share in the business according to a fair system of percentages with rights to dividends, or tokens, but no managerial rights. All the decision-making is left to the project originator. New Leaf will create certain rules that every user needs to accept before his or her registration.
Blockchain technology might become an essential part of the platform at some point. New Leaf will use Ethereum based technology in order to implement smart contracts between all parties involved in a particular project on New Leaf. Blockchain would be quite helpful in providing fair value estimations of in-kind investments. Each enterprise will have their project tokenised and tokens shall be split among investors according to their share in a project.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE THIS WEEKEND
During this weekend we clarified the target clients of the platform, outlined a business plan and started working on branding. We also started the network of possible collaborators in research, tech and design.
IMPACT WE ARE AIMING FOR
New Leaf will give an opportunity to micro and small enterprises and to the unemployed with good and sustainable ideas and concepts, to seek for a streamlined investment beyond classical means of supports given by government or banks.
It will be an opportunity for already established entrepreneurs as well, as they will be able to seek investments and support beyond classical means for project development growth in trying times we expect to occur in the post-COVID-19 world.
Some jobs could be saved, while new ones will be created. Throughout the mentorship/development angels support both entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs would be encouraged to come out through this process with stronger solutions to fit the market. Entrepreneurs wouldn’t feel alone or abandoned in the midst of crisis or discouraged with its effects. Exchange of ideas and connecting will push entrepreneurs to further their growth by giving them opportunity to incorporate new concepts that will benefit their development and sustainability.
WHAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE PROJECT
We need to do further marketing research in order to understand the particular behaviours of investors. Furthermore, we need to work out the fair renumeration system, partly based on that research. We need to work on the outline of the platform and the experience it will offer to clients.
VALUE OF NEW LEAF AFTER THE CRISIS
While a lot of the emerging unemployment and business reinvention will in future months be linked to the COVID-19 lockdown, these issues exist with or without the virus and micro and small businesses are particularly vulnerable to unfavourable investment trends. A digital platform that enables them to collect diversified resources (goods, cash, know-how) to ensure their initial stability can therefore be well-utilized regardless of the current crisis.
Built With
- to-be-determined
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