Seedrs hits £1bn in complete recorded investments!

We’re excited to announce that we have now surpassed £1 billion in complete investments recorded on the platform, made by traders of all ticket sizes into high-growth startups.

Right here’s what Jeff Kelisky, our CEO, needed to say about this spectacular achievement:

”We handed many milestones in 2020; from having hit 17 firm exits to delivering over 27,000 investor exits on our secondary market. Nevertheless, on Christmas Day we handed the £1 billion mark in platform investments. That is such a fantastic milestone to us for 3 causes. 

First, we began Seedrs to democratise funding into non-public development companies and this milestone is a transparent measure of worth put to work for our prospects. 

Second, is that that is additionally a measure of earned belief by each entrepreneurs and traders. 

And third, is that in a yr which has proved to be so difficult, personally and professionally for thus many, the truth that we will and have succeeded in persevering with to develop and serve our prospects throughout this time is immensely rewarding for all of us right here.

I’d conclude in personally thanking our neighborhood of traders and founders who’ve helped us obtain this necessary milestone, and the good Seedrs staff, whose hard-work and dedication has led us thus far and can proceed to take action into the long run”

In celebration of an enormous milestone each for our staff and our neighborhood, we needed to check out a few of our team-picked highlights over time which have helped us get to the place we’re at this time.

🏆 The unstoppable development of the Secondary Market

The market now affords over 400 companies to put money into 1 week each month with many 1000’s of particular person share tons provided as much as traders. The market has transacted £8.86M since its inception, Revolut tops the record with £2.8m offered, carefully adopted by Seedrs at £1m and Assetz Capital at 1 / 4 of one million kilos – with fintech traders evidently most comfy in adopting the performance early. 

The market is now averaging £500,000 of trades monthly, with that quantity seemingly solely set to extend because the Seedrs portfolio grows and this one-of-a-kind secondary marketplace for non-public fairness is adopted by increasingly traders.

“We skilled a step change in transactions in 2020, we hit our first £1m+ buying and selling month and from Jan to Dec our investor income taken residence market to market elevated 2.7x – unimaginable achievements. 

The market began as a approach to offer liquidity for crowdfunding traders however with the discharge of our Secondaries proposition we’ve began to see curiosity from non-public companies and their traders that haven’t crowdfunded. The longer term is shiny. These alternatives open the market even additional with development accessible from new companies, new traders, and extra options combining to additional unlock its potential.”

Joel Ipolotti – Chief Product Workplacer

🏆 Funding A Soccer Membership

17 years in the past, Wimbledon’s soccer membership, which had represented its neighborhood since 1889, was compelled to maneuver to Milton Keynes. Refusing to give up, their followers got here collectively to type a wholly new, fan-owned membership. In 13 seasons, Wimbledon have been promoted six occasions in an unimaginable comeback, however their final purpose was to return residence to Plough Lane the place they first began. 

In 2019, AFC Wimbledon raised £2.Three million from over 5,000 traders to construct a brand new stadium simply 230 metres from the membership’s unique floor. In November of this yr, the Dons’ dream got here true as the primary ball was kicked at New Plough Lane.

AFC Wimbledon’s increase turned the Seedrs record-holder for many neighborhood traders in a single marketing campaign, and a agency fan favorite for the Seedrs staff. Come on you Dons!

“I used to be born in Wimbledon and adopted the Dons across the UK on many an away day, so I do know first-hand simply how necessary returning residence to Plough Lane was for everybody related with the membership.

Attending to work with the membership to assist them obtain this historic second was a private spotlight for me, and seeing the Blue and Yellow Military pull collectively to ensure AFC Wimbledon’s Seedrs marketing campaign turned the marketing campaign with essentially the most traders ever jogged my memory simply how necessary community-driven funding is.

I’m extremely proud to have been in a position to play a small half in making the return residence occur, and I can’t watch for my first journey to New Plough Lane to assist the staff in motion!” 

– Alex Dunning, Enterprise Lead

🏆 Delivering Returns For Traders

We not too long ago celebrated Conscious Chef’s acquisition by Nestlé, marking our seventh exit for traders in 2020 alone alongside Orbital Witness, ANNA Cash, Courier Journal, and PodPoint.

We’ve facilitated 17 firm exits in complete, delivering over £4m in returns to Seedrs traders, not together with income realised by traders on the Seedrs Secondary Market. 

“It’s very rewarding to see the Seedrs portfolio begin to attain maturity and ship returns for our traders and to see the exhausting work and dedication of our entrepreneurs repay.  

Along with offering Seedrs traders with exit alternatives by way of the Seedrs Secondary Market, we’re seeing a rising variety of portfolio firm exits every year by way of commerce gross sales, IPOs, and secondary affords from strategic traders.  

Exits through commerce sale or incoming strategic investor have been essentially the most worthwhile, in some instances delivering over 80% return on funding over a holding interval of 2-Three years, which is exceptional worth development that our portfolio corporations needs to be pleased with.”

– Kirsty Grant, Chief Funding Officer

🏆 Launching Our Secondaries Answer

Final yr, we launched a strong new product that enables founders, staff and early traders to grasp secondary liquidity with out having to attend for an IPO or exit occasion. We efficiently executed our first Secondary Marketing campaign built-in with Capdesk finish to finish, with safetytech SafeToNet.

We’re very excited concerning the affect that opening our secondary market providing to companies of all types – whether or not they’ve raised with us or not – and offering liquidity choices for every type of shareholders.

“Having joined Seedrs practically 5 years in the past, I really feel privileged to have the ability to have performed a small half as we progressively modified the best way early-stage funding operates in Europe, bringing returns to traders and offering development capital to some really modern corporations. 

Now, I’m excited by the launch of our liquidity options for later-stage corporations, which is able to additional open up entry to investing in pre-IPO corporations for retail traders, whereas offering monetary liquidity to a number of the founders and staff which have constructed a number of the startups which have come to outline how we dwell within the 21st century. 

Watch this area for some thrilling developments on this space in 2021, as Seedrs continues to guide the cost on the total democratisation of investing in non-public corporations!” 

– Josh Davey, Supervisor

🏆 Welcoming Again Alumni For Repeat Rounds

Lots of our alumni companies have come again to lift additional rounds, however peer-to-peer lending firm Landbay takes the crown with 13 complete rounds on Seedrs (9 of which have been non-preemption) – rapidly adopted by Brickowner with 10 complete rounds (9 non-preemption). Landbay has raised over £13.7 million in complete from greater than 900 traders on Seedrs. 

“I had the pleasure of engaged on most of Landbay’s raises and every time they got here again to lift once more felt like a brand new success for our staff. It’s been thrilling to assist them of their development over time.” 

– Tom Mills, Product Analyst

🏆 Connecting Traders and Entrepreneurs

To this point, Seedrs traders have requested over 45,000 questions in dialogue boards, serving to them be taught extra concerning the companies elevating on the platform, and make knowledgeable choices for his or her portfolios – whether or not it’s their first funding, or their hundredth.

Whereas the Seedrs Institutional Investor staff has additionally been established to assist the >400 high tier establishments that we share a cap desk with, and to foster significant relationships with the broader funding neighborhood, working carefully with VC’s, Angels and different establishments to generate over £30m in time period sheets. 

“Our staff works on the thrilling intersection of crowdfunding and the historically opaque world of enterprise capital; serving to to facilitate introductions and due to this fact additional democratise the early-stage funding panorama by opening doorways for entrepreneurs and leveling the enjoying discipline. Concurrently we’re serving to these traders to develop their portfolios by giving entry to a number of the most fun startups within the business.” 

– Louise Harvey, Senior Affiliate

We’d prefer to thank each our investor and entrepreneur communities for serving to us obtain this milestone. We’re proud to assist the varieties of companies that may change their industries for the higher, and ship returns to the traders who believed in them from the start. 

Right here’s to the subsequent £1 billion and past!

*The efficiency of the investments set out on this weblog refers back to the previous, and previous efficiency isn’t a dependable indicator of future outcomes. As such, this isn’t a sign of the efficiency of every other funding alternative on Seedrs. Returns have been calculated utilizing unaudited accounts and should not inclusive of charges. When investing, your capital is in danger.

Michaela Salomon

Marketing campaign Help Crew