Investment Platforms and Marketplaces

August 4, 2015 @ 11:24 am By JD Alois  |  

Alibaba continues to expand its strategic push into financial services with the significant hire of Michael Evans as President of Alibaba Group. According to the company, Evans will direct international growth strategy for the fast growing internet conglomerate.  Evans was already a member of the… Read More

August 4, 2015 @ 11:02 am By Erin Hobey  |  

AssetAvenue, an online lender for real estate investment properties, announced that Peter Coleman has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Coleman brings more than 20 years of financial management and investment banking experience focused on technology companies. At AssetAvenue, Coleman will be responsible for leading the… Read More

August 4, 2015 @ 10:34 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

The winners of the inaugural Crowd2Shelf Contest debut on Staples’ new entrepreneurial store. Created by Fundable and sponsored by Staples, the Crowd2Shelf Contest drew thousands of startups across the country competing for a chance to crowdfund their way to Staples. Contestants demonstrated demand for their innovative… Read More

August 4, 2015 @ 8:55 am By JD Alois  |  

The shift from bricks and mortar banking to  direct lending occurring online is a global phenomena.  One country that has seen few entrants is Brazil, the largest economy in South America and the 2nd largest economy in the western hemisphere. But like other parts of… Read More

August 4, 2015 @ 7:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Real estate crowdfunding platform RealtyShares, has stated that nearly $22 million was funded via its marketplace in the 2nd quarter of 2015. This represents a  5X jump versus year prior as the platform matched accredited and institutional investors to over 50 properties across the United… Read More

August 3, 2015 @ 1:13 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

With the previous announcement of Exploding Kittens being shipped to its backers, co-creator Elan Lee reveals a bit of an insight of the famous Kickstarter project. While sharing details about the funding process, Lee admitted to CNN: “The biggest lesson for me is that Kickstarter is a… Read More

August 3, 2015 @ 10:46 am By JD Alois  |  

In a posting on the Quirky blog page, the crowdsourcing company announced that Quirky CEO Ben Kaufman will be replaced by current CFO Ed Kremer; “In light of our ongoing strategy to focus our efforts and resources on Wink, our founder, Ben Kaufman, will no longer… Read More

August 3, 2015 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Richmond based Allegiancy, a real estate asset management firm, says it is preparing for outsized growth in the coming months.  The firm expects to double the number of employees over the next two years. To accommodate the growth plans, Allegiancy has just moved into new… Read More

August 3, 2015 @ 9:18 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

AgFunder, an investment platform for accredited investors investing in agriculture and agriculture technology, announced the release of its 2015 Midyear AgTech Investing Report, tracking a record $2.06B in AgTech investment for the first half of 2015. This figure is only $300M shy of the $2.36B… Read More

August 3, 2015 @ 8:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfund Insider reported last month on the US Department of Treasury’s interest in the fast growing Marketplace / Peer-to-Peer lending space. Treasury published a “Request for Information” (embedded below) seeking public comment to study the various business models and review “how the regulatory framework should… Read More

August 2, 2015 @ 7:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Woomentum.Fund, a Singapore based crowdfunding platform, launched this weekend seeking to empower, and help fund, Asian based women led startups. Founded by Mouna Aouri Langendorf, Woomentum.Fund seeks to provide personalized support, and social boost, along with capital for female entrepreneurs. “Women entrepreneurs often find it hard… Read More

August 2, 2015 @ 9:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Indiegogo CEO and co-founder Slava Rubin has become a regular suspect on CNBC. Last week he was visiting the studios of the financial network once again touting the power of crowdfunding, specifically in regards to risk mitigation.  This is a common theme in rewards based… Read More

August 1, 2015 @ 5:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Patch of Land, a real estate crowdfunding platform, has added commercial properties to its offerings for investors.  Until now the young company has focused on residential, mainly fix-and-flip type deals. The push into commercial has been expected following the announcement of a successful funding round earlier… Read More

August 1, 2015 @ 12:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Neil Roberts, founder of New Zealand based peer to peer lender Harmoney, has unexpectedly stepped down as his role as a member of the platform’s Board of Directors.  Reportedly Roberts will remain as CEO. Roberts launched Harmoney as the first P2P platform in the country… Read More

July 31, 2015 @ 10:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Ryan Feit, CEO and co-founder of equity crowdfunding platform SeedInvest,  won a British GREAT Tech Award. The recognition was delivered by none other than HRM Prince William. Feit, recently interviewed by TechdayHQ, spoke about SeedInvest’s relationships in the UK noting they were rather strong; “Through the GREAT… Read More

July 31, 2015 @ 8:41 am By Therese Torris  |  

SparkUp is a new French startup, the brainchild of 24 year old, now 26. And yes, age matters. Why? Because it takes a lot of disruptive energy to reinvent equity crowdfunding when it is barely emerging as a force. SparkUp positions itself as a B2B… Read More

July 30, 2015 @ 2:03 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Funding Circle, the SME peer-to-peer lender, announced that a fee-free investment trust will go live after the summer, according to CityWire‘s Gavin Lumsden. This will be the first fund launch from a lending platform and the company hopes the ‘no charge’ proposition will enable it… Read More

July 30, 2015 @ 11:52 am By Erin Hobey  |  

This week Crowdfund Insider featured Chris Tyrell’s post “Crowdfunding is Impacting the Global Economy” and Rodrigo Niño’s post “Crowdfunding: From Impossible, to Improbable to Inevitable in less than 10 years,” James Tuckett, CEO of investUP adds to this exciting conversation below as he shares his insights in a release regarding… Read More

July 30, 2015 @ 10:36 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Beauty brand, Revlon, announced on Thursday the second phase of its new philanthropic platform designed to have a greater impact on women’s health initiatives with the Revlon LOVE IS ON Million Dollar Challenge. The Revlon LOVE IS ON Million Dollar Challenge is inviting charities dedicated to three leading health… Read More

July 30, 2015 @ 10:32 am By Karsten Wenzlaff  |  

When the Crowd Helps Women to Become Pregnant Entrepreneurs Juliane Zielonka and Julia Lazaro are two energetic founders in the sprawling Berlin startup scene. Their latest creation, LARACompanion, is designed to help families with their desire to have children. LARACompanion is the derivative of a women’s… Read More