Catapooolt will be launched during the Hong Kong Asia Film Festival later this month. The company has join hands with the event as the official Crowdfunding Partner for Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum 2013.
The association with Hong Kong Asia Film Finance Forum (HKIFF) will not only enables them to garner funding support but also makes them the first ever Indian crowd fund platform to list international projects and also enable Indians to be part of these Asian films, it said.
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Catapooolt will also have access and rights of first refusal to the immediate slate of 15 films pitching and competing at HAF.
The company, formed by two entrepreneurs, Satish Kataria and Yogesh Karikurve, boast of 25 years of cumulative experience in the space of fund management and film marketing. While Kataria has more than 13 years of fund management experience; worked with India’s first SEBI registered Film Venture Capital Fund and pioneered crowd-funding in India, Karikurve has more than a decade of experience in the entertainment industry. He has led international distribution with Reliance Entertainment and founded Magus Entertainment to drive Indian films at International festivals.
Kataria, MD, Starting Blocks Media Ventures said, “While on one hand crowdfunding is rapidly emerging as preferred means to fund independent creative entrepreneurs – we understood that cloning other similar platforms for India and Asia wouldn’t work and what was required was totally different and more pro-funder model. This helped us to structure Catapooolt – and we see ourselves as not just a funding platform, but gradually catalyse Asian creative arts across the globe. The Hong Kong move only cements our entry in the market as it makes us aspirational to a large extent – a home grown brand setting out to tackle international projects, which in itself is a role reversal”.
Karikurve, associate director, Starting Blocks Media Ventures, added “We Indians have a great sense of ROI and if we don’t get an answer to that we shy away from any kind of contribution. In order to make the programme pro funders, we have tied up with 100 odd brands striking consumer loyalty deals for them. We are also exploring experiential participation for our members”.