🥇 Crowdfunding gold - this week's buzz

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

• Tumbler & Rocks by The Fort Distillery is the first ready-to-serve (RTS) cocktail brand to offer a variety pack. And it has been game-changing. Read more on this in the latest update.

• Have you listened to Prairie Clean Energy’s podcast yet? With almost $1M raised, PCE’s latest update details their From Funding to Fame interview and why you should listen to it.

🔔 Industry Highlight

In 2016, Revolut offered Crowdcube investors a chance to buy 2.4% of the company at a £40m valuation. 433 investors seized this opportunity, investing an average of £2,152. With Revolut now valued at $45B, those investments could be worth £860k! Some invested over £10k and could see millions in return.

Congratulations Revolut and all its investors.

✍ Three stories on our mind

🧐 Important: Why Economists Say 'Don’t Panic'

Stock markets took a nosedive, with major indexes hitting their worst day in almost two years. The sell-off spurred fears of a looming recession, but economists urge calm. They point to a market correction driven by investors adjusting to tighter monetary policies, not an impending economic collapse. The U.S. economy is still robust, with strong consumer spending and growth in the service sector. This isn't the end of the world—perhaps just the end of easy money.

😲 Interesting: What’s an Olympic Medal Really Worth?

Winning an Olympic medal is about more than just the glory. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, athletes who top the podium not only take home a unique medal infused with iron from the Eiffel Tower but also significant cash prizes—especially from their home countries. For example, U.S. athletes earn $37,500 for gold, while Serbia offers over $200,000. However, despite their glitter, the medals aren't pure gold; they're mostly silver, with a value of around $950. So don’t expect to see a lot of these medals in your local pawn shops. For many Olympians, the real prize is the honor of representing their country on the world stage.

🤯 Innovative: Apple TV and Roku, Meet Your New Rival

Google is retiring its Chromecast streaming dongle and introducing the Google TV Streamer, a new set-top box featuring AI capabilities. Set to launch in September, this device promises enhanced performance, cinematic visuals with Dolby Vision, and immersive sound with Dolby Atmos. As consumers increasingly shift from cable to streaming, Google’s latest innovation intensifies the competition among streaming giants like Roku and Apple TV. Sounds like we can expect faster processors, better multitasking, and seamless smart home integration.

✍ Founder Feature

Nathan Flim | The Fort Distillery

On marketing: The cocktails taste great, we use many high-quality ingredients but if someone doesn’t pick it up off the shelf, it doesn’t matter. So you really have to win on the shelves first. You have to have the good-looking product that makes people pick it up and then the great-tasting cocktail so that makes them buy it again.

On partnerships: One of our partnerships is with Porter Airlines where we are the exclusive cocktail supplier for the airline. We also work with several Fairmont Hotels. Some of them purchase the product directly and for some of them, we have created exclusive white-label products The last few years, we’ve partnered with the Edmonton Oilers to sell our drinks out of the arena. As we continue, there are other unique large deals like hotels and resorts, more airlines, and cruise ships we’re planning to tackle as we grow.

On product innovation: We want to be careful of getting stuck in the trend of launching new products every two months. Our core lineup remains the same but we plan to release different series. We plan on releasing a Canadian series as our focus is on Canada and our location is unique. This series will highlight unique Canadian ingredients. This summer we launched a Blueberry Margarita. Last Fall, we released a Maple Bourbon smash which is relaunching this year. Instead of focusing on launching new products all the time, we want to make sure we are adding value to the market.

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