Candice Pascoal

When financial crisis hit Brazil, funding dried up for NGOs, activists, artists and entrepreneurs, stifling the country’s creative economy and slowing down development and innovation, this was a problem Candice Pascoal felt she could help address. Candice’s company, Kickante, is a real success story in Brazil’s spiralling economy. Founded in 2013, Kickante is a pioneering Marketplace of Finance set up to connect campaign creators with financial contributors who want to help a project succeed.

After just 8 years Kickante became the largest platform for creators in Brazil, impacting the lives of over 100,000 artists, charities and entrepreneurs, inspiring another 2,000,000 Brazilians to donate and introducing digital fundraising to more than 50 million Brazilians.

The company’s rise, which has been compared to the rapid rise of Indiegogo, Kickstarter and Gofundme in the US, is fuelled by a number of world-first innovations not previously seen in the sector, as well as elements tailored to a Brazilian audience.

Kickante partners with every campaign creator, only applying fees at the end of the campaign on confirmed raised funds. The company not only offers free digital marketing support, but in another world first, it crowdfunds to large and international NGOs. Kickante allows donations to be made in instalments, offers an easy-to-launch campaign function and an open platform unencumbered by curators or bureaucracy, Kickante is fostering a culture of fundraising and donation across the country.

All walks of life

Campaigns on Kickante have raised more than R$300 million, empowering, inspiring and allowing Brazilians to make their dreams a reality.

Most campaigns to date have been related to education, music, NGOs, entrepreneurship and health/wellness. The most successful campaign to date raised a record R$5 million for a sports club, the fastest and largest total ever raised in Latin America.

Donors can pledge as little as 5 reais (just about $US1), although some have donated as much as 250,000 reals.

As well as income from campaigns, income for the business can also come from recurring donations, with supporters being charged monthly, and third party fundraising, with supporters able to raise funds for NGOs they support.

Candice believes the company’s success has come from looking at its customers as individuals. The Kickante team is constantly asking ‘how can I reach the people that need us, but don’t know yet’; ‘how can I help this person overcome the emotional blockages involved with launching a public fundraising campaign’; and ‘what do I need to do to help them succeed’.

Kickante customers are Brazilians from all spheres of society. They have some campaign creators who are social media influencers with more than five million followers, and have others with maybe 100 Facebook friends and don’t even have a fan page.

Giving hope

Expanding at 30% a month and 1800% year-on-year, Kickante is making digital fundraising simple for Brazilians and has democratised development in the country.

Kickante is committed to making a massive impact in a country plagued by economic woes by offering a viable alternative to cash. With more than 2,000 campaigns launching a month, Kickante is making digital fundraising accessible to all and is giving back hope to any Brazilian with a bright idea.