UK-based Crowdcube has reached a historic target becoming the first equity crowdfunding platform to raise £100m.
290 businesses have secured investment from the crowd via the platform. Of them, 109 businesses, including 14 overseas companies, have raised £50m collectively in 2015.
Crowdcube has almost 200,000 registered investors, who have received financial returns in excess of £600k so far in 2015, following the equity sale of E-Car Club to Europcar in July and multiple mini-bonds, including Eden Project and River Cottage, making their first interest payments to investors.
On the companies’ side, a dozen companies have raised over £1m in the last 12 months including JustPark, Camden Town Brewery, Sugru, Adzuna, Eden Project, and easyProperty.
FinSMEs
03/09/2015
Press Release
Crowdcube hits £100m investment milestone
– 290 businesses have successfully funded on the platform
– Over 20 deals have raised £1m+
– 200,000 registered investors
02 September 2015 Crowdcube has become the first investment crowdfunding platform to raise £100 million and has now helped 290 businesses secure investment from the crowd. 109 businesses, including 14 overseas companies, have raised £50 million collectively in 2015 alone, with Crowdcube amassing a dominant 52% market share in the UK, according to data released by Crowdsurfer in August. Crowdcube also affirmed its position as the largest and most active investment platform in Europe as it nears 200,000 registered investors, with more than 70,000 people signing up to the award-winning site this year.
Investors through Crowdcube have received financial returns in excess of £600,000 so far in 2015, following the equity sale of E-Car Club to Europcar in July and multiple mini-bonds, including Eden Project and River Cottage, making their first interest payments to investors. Award-winning invoicing app for trade professionals, Powered Now, which is currently overfunding after surpassing its initial £350,000 target was the business that took Crowdcube through the £100 million ceiling.
The last 12 months has seen a growing trend toward more established and VC-backed businesses using Crowdcube to raise finance with a dozen companies raising over £1 million. This trend has combined with more proven, high calibre management teams, which have previously founded or held executive positions at eBay, Zoopla, Poundland, easyGroup, Ask Jeeves, MTV Europe, Amazon Europe, ASOS, Innocent Drinks and Made.com, seeking growth funding on the site either instead of, or alongside, traditional sources of finance.
Businesses raising over £1m include:
– JustPark’s pioneering parking app backed by Index Ventures and BMW i Ventures raised £3.7 million in March 2015.
– Award-winning Camden Town Brewery raised £2.4 million to help fund building a new brewery in London.
– Sugru got stuck in by raising £3.4 million to expand markets globally for its mouldable adhesive and attracted an investment of £1 million, the largest single investment to date from an existing member of the crowd.
– Former top executives from Zoopla, eBay and Gumtree raised £2 million for Adzuna, the VC-backed job site listed as one of London’s top 10 hottest start-ups.
– The world-renowned Eden Project secured £1.5 million in just 20 hours to build new educational facilities.
– easyProperty, the most recent addition to Sir Stelios’ easyGroup secured £1.4 million seed capital in 2014.
Crowdcube also celebrated its largest single private investment of £1 million in July, which was invested in Sugru after the member signed up in 2014.