UK based All Street has launched its platform providing research for investors in crowdfunding offers. The firm has claimed to be there first in the space. All Street clarifies that all research will be independent and paid by the investors and not commissioned by platforms or issuers. As part of the announcement All Street said it would be running a 3 month rewards campaign as the company pre-sells subscriptions at a discounted fee. The crowdfunding offer is also designed to leverage the social aspect of crowdfunding by generating brand awareness.
All Street described its research as “jargon-free”, designed to clarify opportunities and guide investors in making informed decisions. Many offers are for early stage companies that typically are correlated to a high degree of risk. All Street will be creating “standardized research reports” that will incorporate feedback from key management from issuers and will review company business models.
Emanuela Vartolomei, Managing Director and founder of All Street, commented on the launch;
“Crowdfunding is growing exponentially and All Street wants to bridge the information gap for investors. While the Financial Conduct Authority is keen to keep an eye on regulations for crowdfunding platforms and who is allowed to invest, impartial information about the investments themselves – and the management teams behind them – is still scarce.”
“Screening ventures is one of the most time-consuming parts of the investment process so our reports are designed to help people make sound decisions quicker. Reliable financial information shouldn’t be a luxury, that’s why we want to produce affordable research reports to empower everyone to make better financial decisions.”
Julia Groves, Chair of the UK Crowdfunding Association (UKCFA) and CEO of Trillion Fund, was positive on the All Street launch;
“There are now 5.5 million people in the UK without access to advice since the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) was implemented, so anything that helps provide everyday investors with information about the risks and potential rewards has to be welcomed.
“Given that we may soon have a situation where people are investing their pension money into crowdfunding projects, independent research and guidance is increasingly important.”
The five member team of All Street is led by Vartolomei, an economist by training, who earned an MBA from Oxford and has two Masters of Science. She believes that we are moving towards a fundamental reconfiguration of the financial industry, moving away from the current model of vertically integrated monoliths and towards an ecosystem of firms focused on different components of the industry.