UK based equity crowdfunding site SyndicateRoom has created a partnership with Keiretsu Forum angel investment network.
Keiretsu Forum London was launched in April 2008, is active in local investment and entrepreneur community. Due to the global nature of Keiretsu they also provide investors with international opportunities with reciprocal deal flow between Europe, North America and China. Now the UK based arm of Keiretsu will bring members of SyndicateRoom access to investment opportunities previously only available to their business angel network.
Shelley Bays, co-President Keiretsu Forum in the United Kingdom and Paris, commented:
“SyndicateRoom supplies a high-value, high quality service to both angel investors and entrepreneurs looking to complete their funding rounds, which is why Keiretsu Forum chose to become associated with the service.”Joe Ponsonby, from Keiretsu London, added to the conversation, “For investors, there’s transparency and fairness about participation. For entrepreneurs, there is access to funds that might otherwise be difficult to reach. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Investors who signup with SyndicateRoom can invest from £500 upwards directly into deals that have been through a thorough screening process at the hands of experienced Angels from Keiretsu who will up to several hundreds of thousands of pounds in the same deal. SyndicateRoom members will not be able to influence the companies’ strategy, but they do get the exact same economic opportunity as the experienced Business Angels, making the same profit pound for pound invested as the larger investors if the business succeeds. Depending on their personal circumstances, both SyndicateRoom and Keiretsu members can benefit from tax reliefs such as the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) which may have significant tax benefits for the investors.
SyndicateRoom founder Gonçalo de Vasconcelos, stated, “Until now, if you wanted to invest in start-ups, you had two very different avenues: you either belonged to an ultra-exclusive angel network, or you would invest through crowdfunding platforms with a varied quality of investment options. Now the crowd can invest together with Business Angel investors in the most ambitious start-ups guided by ambitious and experienced investors”.
