Investment Platforms and Marketplaces

February 3, 2015 @ 7:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), the China based internet conglomerate, has formed a partnership with Lending Club (NYSE: LC), the largest peer to peer lender in the world.  According to multiple reports, the relationship would facilitated US based businesses to receive lines of credit from $5000 to $300,000… Read More

February 3, 2015 @ 3:07 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Looking to perfect your prose in heartfelt notes tied to long-stemmed roses and boxes of chocolate for a certain, upcoming heart-shaped holiday? Kickstarter is celebrating the literary spirit of Valentine’s Day. Throughout February, the crowdfunding platform will host a series of events celebrating publishing and journalism,… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 11:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Research from peer-to-peer lending platform, RateSetter, attacks the UK’s tendency to procrastinate – specifically with managing personal finances. The information was coordinated with RateSetter’s #MakeItPay promotional campaign. Ostensibly RateSetter decided to delve deeper into the procrastination habits that stymie people from making a change like dumping their bank and hooking… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 5:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

Australian peer to peer lender Lendex has added two prominent names to its advisory board. The P2P / P2B site has announced the appointment of both Robert Hines and Kim Jenkins. The move boosts insight and experience for the young funding platform. Jenkins is the… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 4:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

CrowdProperty launched their real estate platform last fall. At the time management stated their first year target was £20 million in funding. CrowdProperty has now announced it a has successfully completed its first successful crowdfunding project with a total of £360,000 being loaned by 40… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 3:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

BOP Consulting and Equity Crowdfunding Platform ShareIn Poised to Offer Combo UK / China Portal An English translation of draft policy for equity crowdfunding in China has made its way to the pages of BOP Consulting (see below).  Following a period of research and consultation… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 10:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Tycoon, a new real estate crowdfunding platform, hit the studios of SharkTank to pitch the young platform to the “Sharks”.  The entrepreneur may regret this decision as Mark Cuban declared “I am out” in less than 60 seconds.  Cuban goes on to call it a “rip… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 9:15 am By JD Alois  |  

  Leading investment crowdfunding portal Seedrs is claiming another “first”.  In a note to followers, CEO and co-founder Jeff Lynn stated; “I’m pleased to share that today Seedrs is launching the first-ever crowdfunding campaign for a company’s IPO.” It should be noted that SyndicateRoom claimed the… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 2:46 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

LendInvest, the world’s largest peer-to-peer marketplace for real estate mortgages, will soon add a new home: the London Stock Exchange, along with planned growth into residential mortgages, writes the Financial Times. And when LendInvest lists on the stock exchange next year, it will be the… Read More

January 31, 2015 @ 11:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

Investing in startup companies is a risky endeavor.  Now I believe that risk capital should be a part of anyone’s portfolio but a decision to dedicate money to a promising business, with enthusiastic entrepreneurs at the helm, is no guarantee of success.  This is a… Read More

January 31, 2015 @ 6:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fundrise co-founder Dan Miller recently chatted up one of their most interesting real estate crowdfunding deals yet:  3 World Trade Center. The project is a 2.5 million square foot class A office development put together by big name developer Silverstein Properties in downtown New York City. Silverstein… Read More

January 31, 2015 @ 4:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

UK based FundingKnight is a peer to peer lender that provides short-term funding to allow property owners or investors to acquire or improve commercial or residential property prior to selling or refinancing it. These loans typically range from £100,000 to £500,000 – a max amount… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 5:39 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Seeking to share the ins and outs of crowdfunding with the younger generation, Chicago designer Craighton Berman, introduced a new year-long professional development course to University of Illinois at Chicago students. According to the Chicago Reader, Berman, who successfully launched a series of products on Kickstarter, created… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 5:23 pm By Alessandro M. Lerro  |  

    The equity crowdfunding market has been slow to take off in Italy largely due to intrinsic limitations with the environment and regulations. But Italy is pivoting once again and adapting to the new world of capital formation. Just 18 months after having enacted (first… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 3:47 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

The Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative (MCRI) is calling for research proposals for high-risk multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer on the Myeloma Crowd. The MCRI is a new way of fundraising for myeloma research, combining the skill and knowledge of leading myeloma specialists with educated “epatients”… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 10:40 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“PEER-to-peer lender P2P Global Investments yesterday saw its C-shares rise from 1,000p to 1,057.50p, an increase of 5.75 per cent on their first day of trading. The investment trust raised £250m in a heavily over-subscribed C-share issue, giving the rapidly expanding peer-to-peer lending sector a further… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 8:49 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Hong Kong could shine along the lines of the U.S. and London as a solar finance hub, if it weren’t for the city’s financial laws, writes Bryane Michael, senior fellow at the University of Hong Kong law faculty’s Asian Institute for International Financial Law,… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 8:34 am By JD Alois  |  

We all know that film and crowdfunding are perfect mates. Fans get to be a part of something they believe in and filmmakers get to create the movies they want without a nagging studio trying to turn it into a commercial disaster. While the investment… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 8:33 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK based business lender Funding Circle has reached a new milestone in peer to peer lending.  The 4 1/2 year old company has now topped £500 million in loans that have been provided for over 7000 UK SMEs in need of finance.   It took just shy of 4… Read More

January 29, 2015 @ 10:15 pm By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  RateSetter, one of the UK’s largest peer-to-peer lending platform, recently began officially courting a new country’s market: Australia. In is first international expansion, the company launched into Australia in October 2014, and remains the “first and only company in Australia to provide peer-to-peer lending… Read More