CREATING A CROWDFUNDING ENTERPRISE The process From the beginning I knew I wanted this project to be financebased, as it is one of my main interests. In addition, before earning this minor, my idea of sustainability was based on tangible activities rather than services. Given the opportunity to create a social enterprise, I decided its main activity would not be tangible, selling a product, but rather intangible, offering a service. After making this decision, I had to choose exactly what area in the world of finance I was most interested in. My first option was capital investments. This is the reason why I first decided to create a sustainable investment bank. I did not really know how could I make an investment bank's business model with multiple value creation. Luckily, I had the chance to talk to Godelieve Spaas, and she guided me through the many possibilities I had. However, a sustainable investment bank was too complex to be created in such a short period of time (17 weeks). There are many rules and legislations to be taken into account. It was at that moment that I realized that I needed to think in terms of alternative finance. Alternative finance includes all types of investments and ways of being financed that are different from the traditional ways. Crowdfunding is part of alternative finance. Marleen Janssen Groesbeek, an expert on sustainable finance in Avans, recommended talking to Ronald Kleverlaan, the director of the European Commission of Alternative Finance. Kleverlaan has helped me though the rest of the process and creation of Funds x Value... 74
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