NCFA Canada | Jan 8, 2017

With FFCON18:  VELOCITY.  Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Alternative Investing Conference fast approaching March 5-6 in Toronto at the Design Exchange, we thought it would be great to feature some of the volunteers this year.  Meet Janni Hjorth.  A new comer to Canada from Denmark (4 months in Toronto) who has been volunteering and working on her own business and funding campaign.

Why did you choose to volunteer for FFCON18 and the NCFA?

Volunteering is a great way for communities to grow, for individuals to acquire new skills and to support those around us. But for me it’s also a part of my strategy to establish and grow my network in a globalized world, and the upcoming Fintech & Funding 2018 Conference - FFCON18:  VELOCITY and 'all things' Crowd & Crypto is a perfect fit.  We're looking to raise capital for our business, meet investors, movers ad shakers and expand our network in the fintech arena.

See:  FFCON18:  VELOCITY - Join Canada's leading financial technology and funding conference March 5-6 Toronto

I have travelled my whole life both for personal and professional reasons. The first time I moved to another country as an 18 year old, I realized that in order to become established and to accomplish my goals I needed to form fundamental networks. Those that come more natural to you when you live in the country you were born. I started understanding the importance of tapping into local communities and connecting with local organizations by volunteering for them. Ever since then I have practiced this no matter where I go, and so far I have lived in 7 countries. At the moment I am doing the same here in Toronto, volunteering has been an important part of my strategy to establish a network, getting to know the local culture and getting involved. The NCFA was a great place for me to offer my assistance, as they play an important role in the Canadian Crowdfunding and Fintech industry which I have a personal interest in.

Why crowdfunding?

It’s an excellent way for communities to come together to support causes and businesses that they believe in. It’s an invaluable strategy for startups. I have recently experienced this first hand as I had my own crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Last year I co-founded a company in order to bring a travel footrest to market that required me to establish funding for the first production run. We utilized crowdfunding to enable this.

Where do you see the most value in crowdfunding events?

For a startup like mine crowdfunding has been about more than “just” establishing funding. It’s also been about creating awareness about my project and an avenue to connect with key individuals that have been willing to share their experiences and best practices with me. Especially as a newcomer, getting these connections is a key for success.

Tell us about your campaign:

My product is a travel footrest called HÄNGAR. We launched it on Kickstarter and reached our funding goal of $5000 within the two first weeks.  To date 9464 CAD has been raised from 118 backers (189% over target - we're so excited).

Where did the idea come from?

I initially came up with the concept of HÄNGAR on a flight where I was very uncomfortable. I had knee and leg pain and to relief the pain I tied my scarf around the seat in front of me and rested my legs in the hammock the scarf created. Based on this I created the first simple prototype, however it wasn’t until I reached out to my network and got involved with other entrepreneurs and startups through crowdfunding that I actually understood how to tackle this as a business venture. Without the knowledge exchange that comes along with crowdfunding, I would still be flying with a scarf. Events like the FFCON18:  VELOCITY is therefore an important forum where startups can grow in a face to face setting and of course seek the funding they need to move forward.

Will you be bringing your travel footrest to the FFCON18:  VELOCITY?

I am very excited to be participating as a volunteer and I will definitely be binging HÄNGAR along.

Volunteer Profile:
Janni Hjorth Kristensen

Origin Denmark
MSc in Events Management
Co-founder of HÄNGAR Travel

Crowdfunding experience: Kickstarter  campaign December 12^th 2017 – January 12^th 2018

Website: www.hangartravel.com

Check out the Campaign: http://kck.st/2jS1KvV

The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a national non-profit actively engaged with social and investment crowdfunding, alternative finance, fintech, peer-to-peer (P2P), initial coin offerings (ICO), and online investing stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, industry stewardship, networking opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, academia and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and online financing industry in Canada.  For more information, please visit: ncfacanada.org