On Tuesday, Crowdcube announced that a grand total of 111 tech startup has secured £44.5 million through its equity crowdfunding platform.
The Crowdcube team declared in a blog post:
“2015 was a record-breaking year here at Crowdcube as the equity crowdfunding market continued to grow at a rapid pace. Just one of the sectors to benefit from the market’s growth is tech, with over $1.1bn being invested into tech companies through equity crowdfunding in the last year alone.
“Since 2011, 111 tech businesses have successfully raised finance on Crowdcube, following investment of over £44.5m. Some of the stand out tech raises to date include Pavegen, Adzuna, JustPark, Fourex and Droplet just to name a few.
“Pavegen, which raised £1.9m (£1.15m over its target!) on Crowdcube last year, attracted investment from over 1,400 people, showing investors are eager to back innovative tech businesses. The company’s green technology converts footsteps into electricity to power services in high footfall locations.”
Crowdcube then revealed details about the latest research from Juniper:
“According to research from Juniper, the UK has been highlighted as the leading market for equity crowdfunding regulation, naming Crowdcube for the successful model that has been established. By 2020 alternative finance for tech startups, established and growth-stage businesses is expected to grow to $8.2bn through equity crowdfunding, with Britain being held responsible for the huge surge of global interest.”
Crowdcube also cited Julia Groves, founding chair of the UK Equity Crowdfunding Association:
“The profile of companies choosing to use equity crowdfunding is totally changing. Rather than being start-ups, most have been going for over three years, and the amounts raised are rising. It is becoming a much more meaningful marketplace for small businesses to raise finance, and soon we will be snapping at the heels of the [London Stock Exchange’s] Alternative Investment Market.”
The UK-based equity crowdfunding platform added:
“This echoes our prediction that the wider equity crowdfunding market will reach new highs in 2016, with investment rounds becoming larger and more established brands turning to the crowd to raise growth capital. We look forward to seeing what this year will bring to tech companies, so watch this space for investment opportunities from the tech sector.”