FundedByMe finds international success and adds crowd lending
FundedByMe confirms today that its expansion into Asia through Singapore proves successful as investments from Asia into European companies are already happening on a regular basis. Others have claimed it prematurely before, but this creates the world’s first true widely cross-border equity crowdfunding website.
The website provides a platform for people to invest in companies early-stage and growth in return for equity. Seeing the success and growth of crowd financing, FundedByMe also confirms plans to add crowd lending to its main markets. Starting with profit-participating loans in Germany and soon adding peer-to-company lending and convertible lending to Sweden followed by its other markets.
To help support further expansion and development, FundedByMe is raising three million SEK (approx €315,000) for the rapidly growing business. Everyone from ordinary investors to business angels who see the potential for equity crowdfunding and crowdlending can now have a share in a rapidly growing business in an industry that is predicted to be worth over 10 billion USD in 2014.
FundedByMe already has over 32,000 registered international investor members, has funded deals with over €4,5m and currently is number one in the markets it operates in.
The rise of FundedByMe since its launch in 2011 has been epic. In the past three months the company received a White Bull Bully Award, was listed as one of Wired UK’s top 100 startups and was named one of the top 100 websites by Internet World.
Daniel Daboczy, co-founder and CEO, said: “Equity crowdfunding is a fast emerging market, that has arrived not only to disrupt and change the current financial models of investments but also adding new capital to a very stagnant market. Investment in growth and early ventures are few and rare. We are quite proud that in the last year, since our pivot into equity crowdfunding, we’ve already added 2% to the total venture-funding in our main markets and over 56% new money to seed-funding Figures that clearly shows that equity crowdfunding is a model that not only increases investments but also caters for cross-border investments and attracts an global audience. We see that this is only the beginning and aim at taking an even bigger stake out of the investment market. Our strategy to do this is by growing fast, always developing and making sure that trust, quality and transparency follows every step we take.”
FundedByMe has since it’s pivot into equity crowdfunding in September 2012, raised over €1,5m from various business angels in Sweden, Finland and Singapore. It counts very prominent people in its board, advisory board and its investors. It currently employs 18 people in eight countries, with previous experience from Facebook, Spotify, Klarna, Microsoft and Eban among other.
