final rtp electronic press kit - prwebww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2012/06/11/9593965/final copy.pdf ·...

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© 2011-2012 Rock The Post Corporation

!

!!!!!!

!Fulfill Your Dream On The Leading Platform For Funding

Media Kit !!!!

Rock The Post 154 Grand Street

New York, NY 10013 Ph. (646) 535-4181

[email protected] www.rockthepost.com

http://www.rockthepost.com/

mailto:[email protected]

Rock The Post 154 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013 Ph. (646) 535-4181 www.rockthepost.com! !

Who We Are Rock The Post is a crowdfunding website designed to fund small businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and other project creators. It is the ideal tool for entrepreneurs to leverage networks, reach out to new contacts, and fill in the missing pieces of their projects. Rock the Post provides budding businesses with the means necessary to amass resources and flourish.

Our Mission The mission of Rock The Post is to help support the development of small businesses by providing entrepreneurs’ with easier ways to access funds in the early stages of their ventures. Rock The Post is the ideal tool and meeting ground for likeminded individuals to connect with each other in order to pursue their projects and business ideas. Our vision is to help better the economy through innovation and expansion of the workforce.

Rock The Post Growth The statistics below indicate the growth of Rock The Post since our website launched in November 2011.

• 70,000 users per month • Over 300 projects posted • Presence established in 200 countries




What Differentiates Us

Rock The Post is dedicated to aiding the budding community of innovators and entrepreneurs by providing them access to the tools they need to realistically fund their projects. We offer our members one-on-one consulting sessions, weekly email tips personalized to fit their campaign needs and the benefit of a vast library of educational articles. Our built-in online social media tools allow users to seamlessly promote their project, and with our elaborate network of funders, users can gain access to the funding they need. • Project creators receive all funds raised during their campaign, regardless

of whether they meet their campaign goal. We believe that campaign owners work hard and deserve what they earned.

• Rock The Post accepts projects for nonprofits and charities. We believe in projects that give back to the community. These organizations are charged a special fee.

• Rock The Post focuses on entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits. These projects are the core of our philanthropic vision to help improve society and the welfare of others.

• We offer excellent customer service. Our staff personally helps each project creator to curate their campaign and craft the perfect message.

• We monitor every project that is submitted to our site, making sure that each post is of quality and has a powerful message worth spreading.

• We conduct due diligence on campaign owners to verify their organizations in order to be certain that pledge money is going to a real cause.

• We offer our users a plethora of educational information (tips, guidelines, webinars, tutorials, etc.) to increase the likelihood of their campaign’s success.

• A minimal 4% fee is charged for projects that are successfully funded, which is lower than most competitors.

• Our site has a feedback rating system so users can learn about the background of individual project creators.

• Rock The Post uses an integrated payment system. Users make monetary transactions on our platform rather than being carried away to a third party website.



The Crowdfunding Industry Crowdfunding is a joint collaboration or community of people who network and pool their money to support a project or cause. The influence that crowdfunding has on helping entrepreneurs, freelancers, small businesses and artists raise money is increasing drastically. Though the crowdfunding industry is at its infancy, the market has boomed over the past couple of years.

• Globally, $1.47 billion was raised by crowdfunding platforms.1

• In 2011, crowdfunded businesses and projects raised $102 million

on rewards-based platforms.2

• Crowdfunding grew 266% in the total amount donated during 2011 and increased by 263% in the amount donated to projects that received their full funding.2

• More than 31,000 projects sought crowdfunding donations in 2011,

a significant increase from the almost 12,000 projects in 2010.2

• Crowdfunding supports the kinds of small businesses that have generated 65% of net new jobs over the past 17 years.3

1. "Crowdfunding Platforms Raised Almost $1.5B in '11, Up 72% Y-O-Y." Massolution-crowdfunding-volume-growth-2009-2012- may2012.jpg. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/crowdfunding-platforms-raised-almost-15b-in-11-up-72-y-o-y-22049/>. 2. Techonomy. "$123 Million Crowdfunding Market Nearly Quadrupled in a Year, Report Says." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2012/03/30/123-million-crowdfunding-market-nearly-quadrupled-in-a-year-report-says/>. 3. "Frequently Asked Questions." Frequently Asked Questions. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://web.sba.gov/faqs/faqIndexAll.cfm?areaid=24>.



Alejandro Cremades is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rock The Post, a crowdfunding site oriented to fund small businesses, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and artists. Rock The Post is committed to bring funding to Main Street. Prior to Rock The Post, Alejandro worked as an attorney at King & Spalding (New York). During his time there, Alejandro was involved in one of the biggest arbitration cases in history, Chevron v. Ecuador, where the dispute in place was $113 billion dollars. Alejandro also provided advice on complex international arbitration cases before the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and under the UNCITRAL rules, as well as international commercial arbitrations under the ICC, AAA and SCC rules. Alejandro graduated from Universidad San Pablo-CEU in Spain, where he obtained his law degree. After his graduation at the age of 23, Alejandro landed in New York in order to complete his Master’s Degree in International Business & Trade Law at Fordham Law School. Alejandro is one of the youngest people to ever graduate with a Master’s Degree from Fordham Law.

ALEJANDRO CREMADES Founder and Chief Executive

Officer of Rock The Post



Tanya Prive is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Rock The Post. Prior to her involvement at Rock The Post, she served as an Account Executive at FOX News where she was responsible for generating advertising revenue. Prior to joining FOX, she worked at Forbes Media for three years in the advertising division. Her last year and a half there was spent in an acquired property that Forbes added to its portfolio, called Investopedia. She was responsible for bringing in roughly one third of the property’s advertising revenue. In this role, she was accountable for designing online media campaigns for advertising clients, finding new prospective business sources and revenue, building and maintaining client relationships, and optimizing campaigns in conjunction with clients. Prior to being promoted into the Regional Sales Manager role at Investopedia, she worked as an Audience Development Coordinator. While serving in this capacity, Ms. Prive partnered with sales and editing teams to leverage editorial assets, managed all house advertising inventory and campaign fulfillment, optimized site content promotions, and identified and managed relationships with a growing number of online publishers and video distribution outlets. Ms. Prive gained additional experience working as the Assistant to the Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Circulation of Forbes Magazine. While in college, Ms. Prive served as a Special Events Planning Intern at Gucci Group, and as a Public Relations Intern at Bottega Veneta. While concluding her last year of studies, she co-founded the Sustainable Design Committee, which is an annual student contest that fosters and promotes green innovation. Ms. Prive earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Design and Management, with a Minor in Marketing and Communications, from Parsons, the New School for Design. Her thesis was entitled, Lighting as a Means of Better Management.

TANYA PRIVE Founder and Chief Operating

Officer of Rock The Post



General FAQ What is being announced? On June 11, 2012 Rock The Post will launch its new site after running for 5 months in public beta. What is Rock The Post? Rock The Post is a crowdfunding platform used by entrepreneurs, project creators, professionals and talented individuals to get connected with likeminded individuals in pursuit of creating or furthering a business, project, idea or cause. Who funds projects on Rock The Post? The community itself; this includes your friends, neighbors, and citizens of the world. Why do people fund projects? People pledge for three reasons:

1. There is an enticing reward that they would like to get in return for their pledge.

2. They connect with your message and purpose. 3. They are entertained and enjoy the uniqueness in which you present your

pitch. Where are the funds kept until the project reaches the target or deadline? When pledging money, credit cards will be captured and shown as a pending charge until the end of the project. Pledgers may increase, decrease, or cancel their pledge at any time during the fundraising campaign. However, they may not cancel or reduce their contribution if the post is within the last 24 hours of the campaign, as the cancellation or reduction would affect the success of the campaign.



Press Coverage Below are some articles that were published featuring Rock The Post. This list and other articles can be viewed on our Press page. • Fast Company: Beyond Kickstarter: Rock The Post's Alejandro Cremades

On The Future Of Crowdfunding

• Entrepreneurs: What the JOBS Act means for you right now

• MarketWatch: How to join the crowd funding craze

• Forbes: The 10 Best Digital Tools for Entrepreneurs in 2012

• Business Insider: The Hottest 10 Startups To Watch In NYC This Year

• Porfolio.com: Entrepreneur's Adventure

• Investopedia: 5 Tips For Starting A Business

• Yahoo: 5 Tips For Starting A Business

• Mashable: Turn Your Great Ideas Into Extraordinary Projects With Rock the Post

• Killerstartup: Make Your Projects Come True

• TNW: Rock The Post Brings Entrepreneurs, Talent and Investors Together

• SF Gate: The NYC Based Startup Raised 700,000 Dollars From American, Canadian, and Spanish Angel Investors

• Cincodias: Un español lanza en EE UU una red social para emprendedores

• El Confidencial: Cómo conseguir 700.000 dólares para tu proyecto en apenas dos meses de vida! !


http://www.rockthepost.com/press


!!Beyond'Kickstarter:'Rock'The'Post's'Alejandro'Cremades'On'The'Future'Of'Crowdfunding'!

By'David'Holmes'''May$30,$2012,$8:30$AM$

Crowdfunding!isn’t!just!about!funding!your!

friend’s!artisanal!wrapping!paper.!For!Rock!The!

Post!it’s!about!saving!the!U.S.!economy.!

!

By!now,!everyone!knows!

the!Kickstarter!modelEEcome!up!with!a!brilliant!

idea,!pitch!your!heart!out,!and!then!hand!out!

nifty!prizes!to!your!donors.!Funding!your!

friend’s!artisanal!wrapping!paper!project!is!a!

wonderful!thing,!but!are!the!million!dollars!

pledged!each!day!on!crowdfunding!sites!going!toward!businesses!that!are!built!to!last?!

!

Alejandro!Cremades!and!Rock!the!Post!think!it!can!be.!On!the!surface,!Rock!the!Post!follows!

the!same!rewardEbased!formula!as!Kickstarter:!entrepreneurs!post!ideas,!fans!offer!support,!

and!if!the!pitch!is!successful,!prizes!are!handed!

out!(and!the!platform!takes!a!cut).!But!Rock!the!

Post's!emphasis!is!on!helping!small!businesses!

facilitate!connections!not!only!to!funding,!but!

also!programmers,!designers,!and!anyone!else!

who!can!help!get!their!idea!off!the!ground.!“At!

the!early!stage!of!a!business,!the!most!

important!thing!is!not!the!product,"!says!

Cremades.!"It’s!the!people!behind!it,!and!how!

they’re!going!to!face!challenges.”!

!

In!addition!to!providing!a!platform,!Cremades!

also!works!to!ensure!businesses!know!how!to!

communicate!their!idea.!“If!I!have!to!jump!on!the!phone!myself!for!30!minutes!in!order!to!

help!out!a!little!more!in!crafting!a!pitch,!I’m!willing!to!do!that.”…!!

!



'3'Ways'To'Crowdfund'Your'Way'To'Your'First'Hire''By'Heather'R.'Huhman,'Contributor'May$21,$2012,$9:00AM$|3,201$views$!

Crowdfunding!is!the!newest!phenomenon!helping!business!startups!and!small!projects!

raise!money!through!collective!cooperation!by!people!coming!together!to!support!the!

efforts!of!others.!Crowdfunding!raised!$1.2!billion!globally!last!year!and!the!number!is!

expected!to!double!in!2012.!With!millions!of!new!projects!being!funded,!we!can!also!expect!

growth!in!another!important!area:!hiring…!

!

Crowdfunding Raised $1.5bn in 2011, Set To Double In 2012 YellowFlag!has!43!more!days!to!reach!their!capital!goal.!

Here!are!three!helpful!tips!for!successful!crowdfunding!to!ensure!future!success!and!hiring!

according!to!Rock!the!Post!coEfounders!Alejandro!Cremades!and!Tanya!Prive:!

!

1.'Leverage'your'networks!Though!the!outcome!of!a!campaign!is!unpredictable,!a!solid!foundation!of!support!from!the!

start!has!proven!to!jumpEstart!the!action.!Rock!the!Post!has!observed!a!defining!tipping!

point!when!the!project!reaches!25%E40%!of!their!capital!and!the!community!gives!its!stamp!

of!approval.!If!you!can!reach!this!tipping!point!by!networking!and!enrolling!evangelists!with!

similar!passions!to!support!the!project!from!the!very!beginning,!other!advocates!are!then!

sure!to!jump!on!board.!

'2.'Prepare'the'perfect'campaign!The!perfect!campaign!needs!to!be!well!rounded!and!have!a!successful!reach.!Targeting!other!

likeminded!individuals!with!a!campaign!including!no!holes!or!gaps!is!the!best!way!to!

guarantee!advocacy!and!growth.!The!perfect!campaign!must!include!an!intriguing!storyline!

and!interesting!business!direction,!something!unique!and!unheardEof.!For!Rock!the!Post,!an!

engaging!video!pitch!is!necessary!to!verbalize!your!venture.!Lastly,!a!responsive!team!

behind!the!project!serves!as!the!backbone!of!the!campaign!and!can!make!or!break!the!

future!of!the!project.!Just!like!any!great!idea!or!business,!the!campaign!needs!the!right!

marketing!exposure!to!the!right!target!demographics!in!order!to!take!off…!

'! !



!!Entrepreneurs:'What'the'JOBS'Act'means'for'you'right'now''By'Tanya'Prive!!April$24,$2012,$9:00$AM$$

!!!!

By!now,!you’ve!probably!heard!that!the!JOBS!Act!passed.!The!“Jumpstart!Our!Business!

Startups,”!or!JOBS!Act,!will!allow!entrepreneurs!to!crowdfund!online!to!fund!small!

businesses!and!startups.!Plus,!entrepreneurs!can!raise!funds!from!nonEaccredited!investors.!

The!catch:!The!regulations!aren’t!in!place!until!the!SEC!review!period!is!up!in!January!2013.!

!

While!the!bill!itself!is!effective!immediately,!

still!pending!are!how!the!sections!that!fall!

under!the!SEC!scope!will!be!regulated.!The!

SEC!has!270!days!to!focus!on!how!to!

regulate!the!offerings!targeting!nonE

accredited!investors.!In!the!meantime,!

entrepreneurs!will!be!able!to!crowdfund!

only!to!accredited!investors!beginning!July!

4,!2012.!

!

So!what!does!the!JOBS!Act!mean!for!entrepreneurs!right$now!–!and!how!can!entrepreneurs!make!the!most!of!this!time?!

'1.'Gather'the'necessary'documents!For!starters,!entrepreneurs!who!want!to!move!forward!with!crowdfunding!can!begin!to!

gather!all!the!important!documents!needed!to!launch!a!campaign.!These!include:!

!

I.!Financial!status!of!the!company!or!project,!including:!

! Information!explaining!if!there!is!debt!(including!the!amount)!and!the!reason!for!the!debt!

! Information!on!other!rounds!of!financing!or!capital!that!the!company!has!raised!already!explaining!the!method!used!(personal,!friends!&!family,!angel!investors,!VC,!

bank!loan,!etc.)…!

! !



'!

How'to'join'the'crowd'funding'craze'Commentary:'Personal,'local'investments'are'not'charity'cases''By'Chuck'Jaffe,'MarketWatch!April$19,$2012,$12:02$a.m.$EDT$!SAN!FRANCISCO!(MarketWatch)!—!A!teenage!friendEofEaEfriend!needs!money!to!help!with!

medical!treatment,!or!for!a!onceEinEaElifetime!educational!trip.!

'Your!favorite!bar!band!wants!to!make!a!new!CD;!contribute!to!the!project!and,!if!it!succeeds,!

you!get!a!copy.!Or!your!favorite!bartender!wants!to!buy!the!bar,!which!might!otherwise!go!

under;!kick!in!to!the!cause!and,!if!he!raises!the!cash!to!

succeed,!you!get!halfEpriced!beers!for!a!year.!

!

Your!local!coffee!bar!serves!some!really!good!snacks.!The!

company!that!makes!them!needs!cash.!Invest!in!them,!

and!you!might!get!to!share!in!the!profits!as!they!go!from!

supplying!stores!in!your!area!to!signing!contracts!with!

big!national!grocery!chains.!

!

While!each!situation!sounds!different,!they!all!fall!into!the!realm!of!“crowd!funding,”!and!if!

you!haven’t!been!exposed!to!the!phenomenon!yet,!expect!it!to!be!coming!soon…!

!

Giving'vs.'investing'“People!are!drawn!to!crowd!funding!for!different!reasons,”!said!Tanya!Prive,!founder!of!

RockthePost.com,!a!social!networking!platform!for!entrepreneurs!to!fund!and!swap!

resources,!“but!they!will!need!to!separate!the!pledging!to!charity!from!the!investments.!The!

approach!might!feel!similar!in!terms!of!how!it!is!made!or!how!you!hear!about!an!

opportunity,!but!your!motives!and!your!expectations!are!very!different.!

“People!pledge!money!to!a!crowd!funding!effort!because!they!identify!with!the!message!or!

the!project,!they!connect!with!the!uniqueness!of!the!pitch…!!

! !



!ENTREPRENEURS

The'10'Best'Digital'Tools'for'Entrepreneurs'in'2012'!

Ilya'Pozin,'Contributor'March$3,$2012,$2:19PM$|53,173$views$!

As!the!global!economy!writhes!and!rattles,!entrepreneurship!has!ever!more!clearly!emerged!

as!the$solution!to!economic!recovery.!Young!startups!not!only!create!nearly!two!thirds!of!America’s!new!jobs,!they!also!bring!forth!innovation!that!often!revolutionizes!humanity!and!

provides!widespread!prosperity.!The!best!part!is,!ease!in!creating!businesses!has!increased!

dramatically!due!in!large!part!to!apps!and!sites!that!help!

entrepreneurs.!

!

Here!are!10!of!the!best!digital!tools!to!help!you!launch!

and!grow!your!startup:!

!

1)!Weebly!

Using!a!simplified!drag!and!drop!engine,!Weebly!makes!it!

possible!to!create!a!content!rich!website!in!minutes,!with!

loads!of!features.!The!best!part:!it’s!completely!free.!

Created!in!2006,!Weebly!has!become!a!goEto!for!startups.!

!

2)!Legal!Zoom!

Founded!by!a!team!of!legal!and!tech!experts,!Legal!Zoom!provides!users!with!legal!

documents!without!the!lawyers.!In!doing!so,!they’ve!made!it!cheap!and!quick!to!get!those!

legal!papers!you!need!for!your!business.!

!

3)!Rock!the!Post!

Rock!the!Post!is!a!social!networking!platform!for!entrepreneurs!to!fund!and!swap!

resources.!The!free!site!is!a!great!tool!for!entrepreneurs!to!leverage!their!networks!and!

reach!new!ones,!to!fill!the!missing!pieces!of!their!projects.!With!thousands!of!users!and!

many!success!cases,!Rock!the!Post!is!emerging!as!one!of!the!best!crowdfunding!sites!for!

entrepreneurs…!

! !



''''

The'Hottest'10'Startups'To'Watch'In'NYC'This'Year''Heather'R.'Huhman,'Come'Recommended''Feb.$21,$2012,$9:01$AM$!$New!York!City!has!become!home!to!some!of!the!most!innovative!and!exciting!startups!in!the!

world.!Here!is!a!list!of!the!10!most!exciting!Big!Apple!startups!to!watch!in!2012.!They!are!

transforming!industries,!connecting!the!world!and!creating!amazing!experiences:!

!

1.'Flow!Serial!tech!entrepreneur!Eric!Alterman!is!on!a!mission!to!usher!mankind!into!a!new!era!of!

data!connectivity,!founding!Flow.net!in!2010!to!do!just!that.!The!“big!data”!platform!enables!

realEtime,!onEdemand!stream!processing!and!data!sharing!across!the!entire!application!

landscape.!Think!of!hundreds!of!mobile!and!web!apps!simultaneously!sharing!realEtime!

data!on!a!permissioned!basis...!!!

2.'Fab!Fab!is!“the!world's!fastest!growing!eEcommerce!company,”!according!to!coEfounders!Jason!

Goldberg!and!Bradford!Shellhammer.!With!1.5!million!members!and!140!employees!

worldwide,!the!startup!is!on!a!mission!to!transition!the!online!shopping!paradigm!from!

search!to!discovery.!In!addition!to!selling!design!goods,!the!site!offers!daily!design!

inspirations!and!engages!users!socially…!!

!

7.'Rock'the'Post!Rock!the!Post!is!a!free!business!social!network!that!helps!entrepreneurs!meet!professionals!

and!investors!who!can!help!turn!their!ideas!into!successful!projects!by!offering!funds,!time!

or!materials.!With!the!goal!of!eliminating!barriers!in!business,!Rock!the!Post!hopes!to!open!

a!new!era!in!connectivity!between!entrepreneurs!and!investors.!

The!site,!launched!in!November!2011,!already!has!projects!posted!by!entrepreneurs!in!over!

100!countries!and!many!successful!cases.!Rock!the!Post!has!raised!$700,000!in!a!recently!

closed!seed!round!and!employs!a!team!of!six.!The!startup!plans!to!launch!a!full!site!redesign!

by!spring!and!a!Series!A!round!later!in!the!year...!

! !



''

Turn'Your'Great'Ideas'Into'Extraordinary'Projects'With'Rock'The'Post'!By'Veena'Bissram'December$13,$2011$$$!Name:!Rock!the!Post!Quick'Pitch:!Rock!the!Post!is!a!free!business!social!networking!site.!

Genius'Idea:!Serves!as!a!platform!for!business!partnerships!to!form!in!order!to!turn!projects,!

dreams!and!passions!into!reality.!

!!

Are!you!working!on!a!special!project!or!venture!that’s!ready!to!take!off?!If!so,!Rock!the!

Post!will!provide!you!with!the!resources,!connections!and!support!necessary!for!your!

project!to!be!successful.!

!

Rock!the!Post!is!a!free!business!social!networking!site!that!serves!as!a!bridge!between!

entrepreneurs,!professionals!and!investors!to!help!take!projects!to!the!next!level.!The!site!

targets!entrepreneurs,!professionals!and!artists!with!a!range!of!expertise!as!well!as!

investors!who!are!looking!to!support!a!cause!or!invest!in!business!opportunities.!

!

Regardless!of!what!stage!a!project!is!in,!Rock!the!Post!brings!the!community!together!to!

pledge!money,!time!and/or!resources!to!help!turn!great!ideas!into!extraordinary!projects.!

!

For!example,!a!fashion!designer!may!not!have!the!funds!to!accomplish!her!lifelong!dream!of!

building!her!own!clothing!line.!By!logging!onto!Rock!the!Post,!she!can!create!a!post!

describing!her!situation!and!her!fundraising!goals.!If!users!on!Rock!the!Post!are!interested!

in!her!clothing!line,!they!can!pledge!money,!time!and!resources!to!help!her!raise!the!

necessary!funds!to!create!her!clothing!line…!!

! !



Contact Us FOUNDER & CEO Alejandro Cremades 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 917-442-9401 [email protected]

FOUNDER & COO Tanya Prive 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 415-847-7234 [email protected]

TECHNICAL LEAD Brooks Swinnerton 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 860-319-7610 [email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Felix Ye 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 917-515-1307 [email protected]

MARKETING ASSOCIATE Alba Nushi 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 347-430-1055 [email protected]

BLOG EDITOR Jada Yan 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 917-539-0115 [email protected]

STRATEGY ASSOCIATE Danielle Kisza 154 Grand Street | 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 646-535-4181 Cell: 201-310-4741 [email protected] !


final rtp electronic press kit - prwebww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2012/06/11/9593965/final copy.pdf ·...

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