As the world accelerates its shift towards sustainability, there are few industries – if any – left untouched.
As mammoth global industries like automotive, energy and transport undergo a swathe of environmentally-conscious changes, it won’t be long until every business is incentivised – or coerced – to follow suit.
In an ever-changing, unpredictable world, innovation is key to keeping your head above water. A myriad of oncoming changes are set to upend the status quo for countless enterprises, but times like these are when those ahead of the curve get their opportunity to shine.
One of those few is Planet Protector, the newest environmentally-friendly crowdfunding endeavour taken onboard by our team.
Founded in 2016, Planet Protector was created with a vision to popularise a sustainable, eco-friendly solution to harmful polystyrene packaging, while aiming to reshape logistics and supply chains worldwide.
Eco-friendly packaging might not sound as sexy as hot-topic concepts like electric cars or nuclear energy but like all best ideas, the beauty lies in its simplicity.
They call it WOOLPACK.
Taking discarded sheep wool and repurposing it as a form of sustainable thermal packaging, the team at Planet Protector have found the perfect sweet spot. By intercepting would-be waste and transforming it into a viable eco-friendly product, they find themselves poised to disrupt the otherwise stagnant global packaging industry.
Pairing environmentally-conscious innovation with sustainable motivations, Planet Protector’s WOOLPACK currently serves (at the time of writing) over 300 clients across ANZ, including DHL, Blackmores and Baxter Pharmaceutical.
Having found their certified sweet spot, 2021 seemed as good a time as ever to take things to the next level. Like many others when a billion dollar opportunity came knocking, they turned to the medium of crowdfunding to help get them moving, enlisting our increasingly experienced team to guide their strategy throughout.
As a result of concerns from both the public and regulatory bodies, conversations regarding the packaging industry’s sustainability have been gaining significant traction in recent years.
When paired with other rapidly emerging and eco-friendly global trends, these concerns have become a powerful force behind the campaign for consumer packaging changes.
Right now we have an industry built on the back of single-use plastic in the crosshairs of regulators all around the world. When the attention of policymakers shifts towards a specific industry, what typically follows – aside from counterproductive lobbying – is a mad scramble for ideas and solutions; a perfect breeding ground for innovation.
This new landscape offers promising opportunities to any businesses willing to rethink how they can support global supply chains, and those who embrace sustainability will find themselves years ahead of slower moving competitors.
As logistics companies and global supply chains begin to embrace sustainability, Planet Protector is one of the few who find themselves ready to provide what soon so many will be requiring.
With that in mind, the decision to raise capital seemed all too logical. After all, the best opportunities aren’t worth a thing if you aren’t ready for them.
In a space overflowing with exuberant would-be entrepreneurs, companies like Planet Protector are a much needed breath of fresh air for the crowdfunding industry.
Cautious investors are skeptical at the best of times, and trying to convince them of a company’s potential – especially at times when there is yet to be any hard data to support your claims – is a difficult thing to accomplish. Thankfully, Planet Protector wasn’t one of these companies: backed by years of experience, a valid opportunity and a bevy of impressive clients, the potential value of Planet Protector was one easily communicated.
Additionally – thanks to the fundamental simplicity of their idea – we had no problem translating abstract ideas into easily-digestible information, allowing us to generate investment opportunities well beyond the scope of typical retail investors that everyone could clearly understand.
In realising this opportunity, we developed a strategy that aimed to maximise expressions of interest (EOI’s) by connecting with people on an emotional level: as any marketer will tell you, few things are more effective than forming an emotional connection between a business and a consumer.
By building messaging to promote ideas of environmental protection and inspire confidence in the future, we leveraged several important emotional motivators renowned for encouraging action in consumers. What this realistically comes down to is an understanding of where the value lies, and what resonates with consumers; once you’ve got that figured out, everything else comes easily.
By clearly communicating Planet Protector’s wholesome and environmentally conscious mission, even people far removed from the equity crowdfunding persona felt motivated to put their support behind the company.
Through a combination of robust messaging, vibrant creatives and a wide range of audiences, Planet Protector closed their EOI phase with a total of 1,050 expressions of interest.
Following yet another successful EOI period, it came as no surprise to see Planet Protector open their investment round to an influx of sensational support.
Thanks to an average investment size of a little of $1,400, it took just 4 days to amass over $700,000 worth of newly minted capital.
Following on from this, consistent figures throughout the rest of the investment period saw Planet Protector surpass the $1m mark in a little under 2 weeks, before heading on to close out their equity crowdfunding campaign with a total of $1.25 million.
Welcoming onboard 855 new investors from a total of 1,050 EOI’s represents one of our highest crowdfunding conversion rates to date, whilst marking another successful raise for the logbook.
With another successful raise added to our increasingly diverse portfolio, there’s no shortage of useful insights to pull from a campaign as thorough as Planet Protector’s.
Budget, brand and confidence aside, success in marketing is never a guarantee – especially in an equity crowdfunding campaign. With outcomes dependant on so many variables, the importance of approaching things from a holistic perspective can’t be overstated.
Understanding the importance of diverse messaging, clear communication and a robust strategy is more often than not the difference between a flop and a success. As the equity crowdfunding industry becomes increasingly populated as time goes on, recognising individuality holds more value than ever before.
Guided by a realistic mission to benefit the many as opposed to the few, Planet Protector now finds itself at the forefront of a rapidly changing industry, showing us all the importance of tenacity in staying true to your vision.
With $1.25 million of freshly minted capital sitting behind them, they’ve got a long road ahead of them – and we can’t wait to see where they go from here.
We're blown away with the support we've had from our equity crowdfunding campaign and welcome our 855 investors who are helping drive the change to eco-friendly packaging and reducing the amount of harmful polystyrene. A huge thank you to Es ad the Glide team for helping make our campaign a success with the paid digital ads.
