Start up profile - iPledg.com by Bryan Vadas and Andy Tompkins

• Start-up Name:  iPledg
• Website: www.ipledg.com
• Owner: Bryan Vadas & Andy Tompkins
• Location: Gold Coast, Australia
• Startup Age: One week(launched 18th Jan 2012)
  

Questions

Digital Ministry (DM)-  What’s the elevator pitch on what you are doing and why does the world need this?

Bryan Vadas (BV) - iPledg is the world’s broadest base crowd funding platform, assisting those with commercial / business initiatives, creative / artistic projects, and charitable / community endeavours to raise funding quickly and effectively from their networks. 

DM- Was there a defining Eureka moment that led you to start this?

BV - Andy and I both work in the commercial arena, helping businesses and entrepreneurs effect change, transformation, and commercialisation of their ideas. We constantly saw great ideas fail to turn into reality due to lack of funding. We recognised a huge gap at the bottom rungs of the funding ladder, and decided to do something about it

DM- What are your biggest challenges to making it work?

BV - Spreading the word to a market that is largely unaware of the concept of Crowd Funding, and how it can be successfully used in the areas of the commercial, creative, charitable, and community

DM- What drives you as an entrepreneur?

BV - The sense of making a difference, to see people succeeding in an environment that has been (in some way) provided by the work we do, simplifying complex situations and finding workable ways forward, sharing in the elation of our clients and customers

DM- What is the number one lesson you have learned?

BV - Never ever give up. 

DM- What’s your Stress-taming tactic?

BV -Not to take myself too seriously. Also, with the work we do in the charitable space, we are constantly reminded of just how good we have it (and that really puts our stresses into perspective!).

7. How do you handle rejection?

BV - With a smile on the outside, while on the inside I grizzle and grumble, But the feelings of rejection are always short lived as there are plenty of other positives to move on to

DM- What’s next?

BV - Grow iPledg to be the world leader in its field, Then build other models for community engagement

DM- Any advice to young Treps?

Conceive it, believe it, achieve it. Listen to everyone, gather knowledge, then follow your heart, and never give up.

DM- Is there anything the Digital Ministry community can do for you?

BV - Spread the word about iPledg to drive traffic to our site with a view to increase the amount of projects we have listed there

If YOU are a budding entrepreneur we are keen to profile you and hopefully connect you with those in the Digital Ministry network that can help grow your business. Drop me a line john@digitalministry.com and we will get in touch.