1. Who are you?

My name is David Holetzeck  and I am the founder and CEO of Table of Visions.

2. Which services do you sell and who are your competitors?

TABLE OF VISIONS provides crowdfunding software solutions for brands, busineses and organizations. As a full service provider, TABLE OF VISIONS GmbH develops customer-specific solutions in the areas of Crowdfunding, Crowdinnovation and Crowdengaging. We work for clients such as the Sparkassen-Finanzportal and Deka Bank as well as the Wikimedia Foundation Germany.

With regards our competitors, actually, none of our them are quite like us. On the one hand Software providers like Katipult, mybusinessbacker, Crowd Engine or Crowd Range offer general online funding processes while on the other hand, some companies sell their own Crowdfunding platform as a white label next to their own crowd funding platform. We however, rather than simply provide high quality software, offer flexibity, quality and business experience garnered through five years of expereince in the Crowdfunding world.

3. How did you get your startup idea and how did you finance your startup?

We started one of the first crowdfunding platforms for a creative project in Germany called pling.de. We sold the platform in 2010 but kept the technology, developed it further and sold it as a white label solution. Once we started working with bigger companies we realized the potential of the principles of Crowdfunding and created different products on that basis. Now the Crowd-Technology is only a starting point. We  provide Crowdinnovation, Crowdfunding, Crowdinvesting, Crowdengaging and PreSale.

The company itself we built and funded with our own capital and so in the last few years we have been able to grow organically.

4. What were the biggest challenges in starting?

Explaining to people what Crowdfuning actually is and the possibilities that Crowdfunding has to offer them. At this point, Crowdfunding is synonymous with all the new funding methods which exist as a result of this technology. I also think that we stand at the forefront of those methods. Crowdfunding won‘t only finance projects, it will also change corporate finance and business funding.

5. What areas within FinTech do you personally find most interesting and why?

Fashion. The exciting thing about it is that it is constatly developing. The quick progress of this current fashion; to produce with higher and higher quality, is a real challenge. I‘d find it fascinating to change this sector.

6. What opportunities do you see for FinTech startups in the DACH region, and how can we help to accelerate it?

We are a fiercly regulated market and anyone who can make it in the German market has very good chances. However, overregulation is sometimes too much for FinTech Startups to bare. I think that banks need to start seeing FinTech Startups as life boats; they‘re faster and nimbler and can get things moving. Banks are restrictricted by the heavy regulations and can only move extremely slowly. Therein lies the opportunity for the FinTech-Forum.

7. What tip would you like to give FinTech entrepreneurs?

Overcoming the regulations requires political influence. It is sensible to be active in important circles in order to determine the possibility of taking part in actively shaping the regulations.