Scott Mcintyre0:00
Firstly, let me thank my friend and colleague Zen Jang at World Bank Group for inviting me to speak with you. My name is Scott McIntyre, and I have the honor of serving on the board of directors of the Crowdfunding Professional Association, the nonprofit international trade group formed by the same visionaries who ushered crowdfunding into law here in the United States. I'm a lifetime entrepreneur in finance, entertainment, and education. I also mentor engineering students here at the University of Toledo. I'm so impressed with the depth and purpose of your Internet Finance Forum. Events of this scope draw critical attention to a meaningful global movement and can only help shed light on how important openness and collaboration are in the new world economy, of which China plays such a vital role. One of the quotes on the website for this forum was particularly relevant. It reads, 'Good finance in a good country,' and it reminds me of one of the hindsight wisdoms I relate to attendees of my own presentations because I believe a good company starts with keeping good company. Collaboration is all but required in the new economy, and nowhere more appropriately than with crowdfunding, where inventions are shared openly on investment portals and where products and companies are made literally overnight. So my advice is that because life is so short and because business is so fast-moving, try to make sure the people you entrust with your ideas are worthy of your trust. This is one of the CFA's primary objectives: to connect our members to trusted experts, verified professionals, and reliable information. Our stated purpose is working for the success of every fundraiser and their supporters by providing education, resources, and assistance to all stakeholders in the crowdfunding community. And China not only represents a massive community of entrepreneurs with good ideas, but it adds to that the largest manufacturing culture on Earth. This potentially makes crowdfunding in China an explosive proposition with benefits to all entrepreneurs worldwide, and it's why the CFPA stands committed to helping the Chinese people on their path to fulfillment, much as we have formed partnerships with leading international trade groups in the United Kingdom, Russia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, and Australia. So in the spirit of collaboration, we at the CFPA welcome all Chinese inventors, innovators, investors, and leaders to join our group and share resources, experience, and success toward making the promise of crowdfunding as powerful there as it is becoming everywhere else. I was fortunate to be part of the last American Revolution—well, a socioeconomic revolution—the internet, and I immediately saw crowdfunding as the next great revolution, and I'm excited to see it coming to life in China. So cheers, enjoy the forum, and please visit us at cfpa.org. Bye.
