The Lightning Lab XX Female Founders Programme is about to come to an end. It’s been my home away from home for three months. I’ve poured my heart and soul into the dream I’ve been building here. It’s called Hive. And now Hive can only succeed if I find people who believe in what I’ve been doing - enough to invest.

But I’m not asking for a donation. You can own a part of what I’ve been building.

I created Hive because of my passion for connecting community. New Zealanders are losing touch with their neighbours, and it’s affecting our wellbeing. A new survey, Sovereign Wellbeing Index 2015 shows only 4% of Kiwis agreed they felt close to people in their local area. Can you believe that? New Zealand ranked last compared to 29 European countries.

It doesn’t have to be this way. I have proof that people want to connect.

People want to get stuff done, feel valued and get paid. Time and money, as we know, are two of the world’s most valuable resources. We can bring communities back together by offering them a chance for more time and money, by connecting people so they can help one another. It might be helping someone mow the lawns, pick up someone’s kids after school or mending the gate for a grandmother who lives alone.

We have plenty of underemployed people in New Zealand. According to the stats I studied, there are 1 million: students, over 50s, stay at home parents who need flexible work or those who haven’t had work for years.

I know Hive can help them. We started a Facebook group first in Whangarei, where 5% of the population signed up in the first month. Then when we kicked off in Wellington, 1000 people signed up within the first few hours.

We then trialled a pay-to-play private group to test out the idea of a subscription based model, building on trust currency - where people were vetted. We see people connecting on average 5x a week, for jobs totalling $150.

The next logical step was to build a local app, mobile-enabled, that integrates with Facebook. We built a Y-frame app and signed up beta testers. Now we want to make it faster, easier and add premium services like police, address and skills checks, as well as shout-outs and job tips.

Getting the backing to build out this app would make Hive what I originally envisioned: not just get your to do list done but do social good too.

My vision is to empower people to be the best version of themselves.

I certainly do. And I know you do too. That’s why right now I’m offering everyday Kiwis to buy $100, and own 100 shares. And you can share in the knowledge that you’ve helped create a community where good people are doing good things. Helping one another, creating relationships. It’s the Kiwi way.

I have two children, a very patient husband and a cattery I cannot wait to return to in Whangarei. But I want to return knowing that all of my hard work in Wellington actually accomplished something. Help me help Hive succeed as a sustainable business and a community where no strangers exist. Where we see people purely as people and provide flexible jobs for everyday people.

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