What Snowball Effect does

Snowball (formerly Snowball Effect) is a New Zealand-licensed digital investment platform founded in 2014 by Simeon Burnett, Richard Allen, Josh Daniell, and Francis Reid. It operates a two-sided marketplace connecting 55,000+ registered investors (including 5,000+ wholesale) with two distinct supply sides: direct equity offerings in high-growth private NZ companies, and since November 2024, a curated suite of professionally managed alternative funds including private equity, private credit, long-short equity, and global listed infrastructure. Over its ten-year history the platform has facilitated more than $200M of capital raised across 100+ NZ businesses. The company is licensed as an equity crowdfunding intermediary by the Financial Markets Authority under FSP350046 and operates within New Zealand only — international investors are excluded from fund offers.

The platform's underlying technology is a web-based investor dashboard with integrated fund administration (tiered FUA fees from 0.50% down to 0.20% p.a.), a cash wallet, auto-invest functionality, real-time portfolio tracking, and nominee management services, all delivered through snowballeffect.co.nz. Snowball monetizes through three primary streams: (i) recurring platform/management fees on funds under administration and transaction-level fees on the Funds Platform, (ii) fixed-fee-plus-success-fee arrangements with companies raising capital, and (iii) distribution fees paid by third-party fund managers whose products are hosted on the platform. On the supply side, Snowball also provides end-to-end capital raising services — strategy, investor relations, and deal execution — positioning itself as closer to an investment banking partner than a passive listing site, a framing reinforced by customer testimonials.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer digital: content marketing, SEO, email newsletters, and word-of-mouth drive investor acquisition, while the platform itself is the conversion surface for both investor sign-ups and company mandates. Geographic scope is restricted to New Zealand residents, and the customer base spans retail and wholesale investor segments on the demand side, and high-growth NZ companies seeking capital on the supply side. Key strategic partners include NZX, OurCrowd (global VC distribution), Salt Funds Management, Federation Asset Management, Private Capital Group, and Maple-Brown Abbott, with Adminis Custodial Nominees providing custody for the funds offering.

Name

Snowball Effect

Legal name

The Snowball Effect Limited

Website

https://snowballeffect.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Snowball is a New Zealand-licensed digital investment platform founded in 2014 that gives retail and wholesale investors access to private equity offerings in growth companies and a curated suite of managed alternative funds, having helped 100+ NZ businesses raise over $200M and serving 55,000+ registered investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Parnell

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Platform Fees (Managed Funds): Snowball charges an annual Funds Under Administration (FUA) fee ranging from 0.20% to 0.50% (excl. GST) based on aggregate investment value. Additional fees include $10 transaction fees per buy/sell, 0.35% FX fees for foreign currency investments, and $1 monthly account fee.
2. Capital Raising Services (Companies): Snowball charges companies a dual fee structure consisting of a fixed fee to recover pre-launch costs and a success fee on funds raised, subject to a minimum fee. Additional costs may include legal review, AML charges, and bank fees.
3. Fund Manager Distribution Fees: Snowball enters agreements with fund managers to make their funds available on the platform and receives a fee from each fund manager for distribution services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Snowball operates a digital investment marketplace that gives New Zealand investors streamlined access to private equity investment opportunities in high-growth local companies and to a curated range of professionally managed alternative funds. The platform combines direct company equity investments with a managed funds portal, supporting end-to-end capital raising services for issuers and providing investors with digital onboarding, portfolio tracking, and a cash wallet.

Product overview

Snowball is a unified all-in-one investment platform consisting of the core Snowball Platform that enables equity crowdfunding for private companies (Growth Companies) alongside the Funds Platform for managed alternative funds. The platform serves both retail and wholesale investors seeking private market access. Capital Raising Services and Nominee Management Services support companies raising funds. Key features include a Personalized Dashboard for portfolio tracking, Cash Wallet for fund management, and Auto-Invest for automated investing. The platform has facilitated over $200m in capital raises for 100+ New Zealand businesses and serves 55,000+ investors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Snowball Funds: A managed funds platform offering access to alternative investment funds including private equity, private credit, long-short equity, and infrastructure funds.

Products and services

• Growth Companies (Equity Crowdfunding) Equity crowdfunding investment opportunities in high-growth New Zealand private companies. Investors can own shares directly in businesses and build diversified private equity portfolios.
• Alternative Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $200M raised for NZ businesses since 2014
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NZXcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2021Snowball Effect partnered with the NZX (New Zealand Stock Exchange) to provide NZ investors with enhanced access to investment opportunities and market information.
• OurCrowdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to provide NZ investors with access to global venture capital opportunities through OurCrowd's platform.
• Salt Funds ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSalt Long Short Fund available on Snowball Funds Platform. The fund delivered 20.99% return in 2025 and is positioned as a diversifier for investor portfolios.
• Federation Asset ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederation Alternative Investments II fund distributed through Snowball's platform, providing access to private equity opportunities.
• Private Capital Group (PCG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPCG Diversified New Zealand Debt Fund available on Snowball, offering private credit opportunities to NZ investors.
• Maple-Brown AbbottminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMaple-Brown Abbott Global Listed Infrastructure Fund available on Snowball, delivering 15.6% return in 2025 with daily liquidity.
• Adminis Custodial Nominees LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationCustodian for the Funds Platform service, holding money and interests in funds on behalf of investors. Subject to annual independent auditor assurance engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hatch: NZ retail investment platform providing access to US and NZ markets. Directly competes with Snowball for NZ retail investor dollars and is similarly focused on democratizing investment access in NZ.
• PledgeMe: NZ-based equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platform. Direct competitor offering capital raising services to NZ startups and businesses, overlapping with Snowball's core offering.
• Sharesies: NZ-based retail investment platform offering shares, ETFs, and managed funds. Direct competitor in the NZ retail investment marketplace, sharing the same target customers and digital onboarding model.

Others

• NZX: New Zealand Stock Exchange operator and existing Snowball partner. Adjacent capital markets infrastructure provider; while not a direct competitor to Snowball's offerings, it represents the broader NZ capital markets ecosystem in which Snowball operates.

Broad incumbents

• Seedrs: European equity crowdfunding platform (now part of Republic). Comparable business model and regulatory regime under EU/Crowdfunding Regulations, serving as a useful international benchmark.
• Republic: US-based private investment platform offering equity crowdfunding and crypto/private markets access. Comparable as a multi-product retail investment marketplace expanding beyond equity crowdfunding into funds.
• Wefunder: One of the largest US equity crowdfunding platforms under Regulation Crowdfunding. A benchmark peer for the equity crowdfunding business model Snowball has scaled in NZ.
• OurCrowd: Global equity crowdfunding and venture investing platform. Already a partner of Snowball for cross-border deal access; operates a much larger, multi-jurisdictional model competing for the same broader private equity market.

Regional players

• Equitise: Australia/NZ equity crowdfunding platform. Closely comparable regional peer operating across both ANZ markets with a similar capital raising intermediary model.
• Birchal: Australia's leading equity crowdfunding platform. Operates a similar model in the adjacent Australian market, making it a strong comparable for Snowball's growth-stage platform and a potential cross-Tasman expansion reference.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/snowballnz
• Facebookfacebook.com/snowballeffectnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snowball-effect

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments20 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Snowball Effect