Investment Platforms and Marketplaces

April 14, 2014 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The Beta launch of Landbay was announced today.  The young company is a new peer-to-peer (P2P) finance option for the UK’s frustrated savers and investors who have long struggled to secure low risk returns at rates above inflation, whether from cash accounts, savings accounts, bonds or other… Read More

April 13, 2014 @ 5:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Australia based crowdfunding platform Pozible has recently adjusted their fee structure lowering the total cost to larger campaigns raising funds on their platform.  This is not the first time the site has adjusted their approach but as they enter new markets and challenge a growing… Read More

April 13, 2014 @ 8:00 am By Lionel Slusny  |  

While at Crowdsourcing week I had the unique opportunity to hear from three very different crowdfunding platforms:  Nicola Castelnuovo from Crowdonomic (Crowdfunding and Enterprise Innovation Portal), Getty Goh from CoAssets (Real Estate Crowdfunding) and Crowdtivate:  each shared their insights regarding their respective business models in Asia…. Read More

April 12, 2014 @ 5:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Kickstarter was quick to note their platform has not been impacted by the OpenSSL Heartbleed bug that has caused panic around the world as the “crown jewels” of millions of servers were opened up to just about anyone. On the Kickstarter status page the systems… Read More

April 12, 2014 @ 10:03 am By JD Alois  |  

The global internet community woke up in shock earlier this week as it was learned a massive vulnerability existed in a majority of internet instances around the world.  The Heartbleed bug is probably the most ubiquitous and pervasive example of the fallibility of security technology… Read More

April 11, 2014 @ 7:54 am By Georgia Quinn  |  

London based Assetz Capital Shares Insight into Fast Growing Peer-to-Peer Lending Sector. During my time in London, in addition to touring Westminster Abbey and the National Portrait Gallery, I was fortunate enough to speak with Stuart Law and Luke O’Mahony of Assetz Capital plc who… Read More

April 10, 2014 @ 3:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Two of Canada’ crowdfunding platforms, Fundica and FundRazr, have partnered to put together a 2014 Funding Roadshow.  Powered by FundRazr, the “Fundees Crowdfunding Competition” will be unveiled in both Toronto and Guelph, Ontario. Two Canadian startups will win a prize worth $10,000.  The competition will… Read More

April 10, 2014 @ 12:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Finland based investment crowdfunding platform Invesdor has been recognized by Red Herring as one of Europe’s Top 100 startups.  The recognition event was held in Amsterdam this past week. Since 1996, technology industry executives, investors, and strategists have seen the Red Herring 100 lists as… Read More

April 9, 2014 @ 2:55 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

The Ashden Awards take place every year and recognize leaders in a collective effort to reduce carbon emissions and affect ecology in a positive way. This year, UK-based Abundance Generation has been named a finalist for the award for their work in funding and financing… Read More

April 9, 2014 @ 1:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Posted up on Refinery29, an independent fashion and style site, Danae Ringelmann, co-founder of global crowdfunding platform Indiegogo is recognized as one of the 5 “Powerhouse Women Paying it Forward”. Ringelmann is recognized as being on the first to understand the power of crowdsourcing by… Read More

April 9, 2014 @ 2:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Mawwell, an international rewards-based crowdfunding site for creative and innovative projects has launched a crowdfunding platform for the Europe, Middle East & Africa markets (EMEA).  Mawwell launched in beta in July of 2013.  Mawwal means “fund” in Arabic. The site wants to create the opportunity… Read More

April 8, 2014 @ 10:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Platform Surpasses 35,000 Members and $230 Million Raised by its Entrepreneurs EquityNet, launched in 2005,  has raised an additional $2.1 million in funding led by Proton Enterprises. Also participating were several individual investors from around the country that were identified through EquityNet’s own crowdfunding platform…. Read More

April 8, 2014 @ 10:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Taiwan based HWTrek, a global community for digital electronics, has kicked off its inaugural Asia Innovation Tour which features networking opportunities with billion-dollar hardware manufacturers and technology giants in Taiwan and mainland China. Organized with startups in mind, the tour started in Taipei, Taiwan, with… Read More

April 8, 2014 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Combining e-commerce, crowdfunding, and social media, Crowdemand is a new fashion technology platform launching today that connects consumers directly to the designers they love on their desktop, tablet, and mobile device. Established contemporary designers present pieces via the “crowd commerce” site, with consumers ultimately deciding… Read More

April 8, 2014 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Australia based Pozible has been on a roll the past few months.  Broadening their reach from their Aussie home base, the company has expanded into Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and recently China. Not too long ago they invaded the shores of the United States spreading… Read More

April 8, 2014 @ 7:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Assetz Capital is on track to lend £100 million by end of 2014. Twelve months after launching in March 2013, peer-to-peer (P2P) crowdfunding platform Assetz Capital has experienced record growth and smashed through the £20 million lent barrier, with loans accelerating to more than £15m… Read More

April 7, 2014 @ 9:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

CircleUp CEO and Co-founder Rory Eakin was recently interviewed on Bloomberg West to talk about his consumer goods equity crowdfunding platform. After running the investment crowdfunding platform for about 2 years, Eakin shares some of his insight into the process.  He states that companies that… Read More

April 7, 2014 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

In a video segment on CNN’s Marketplace Middle East, Leone Lakahni in Dubai, addresses the challenges of starting up a company in the Middle East.  Commenting that while youth unemployment remains a critical issue, many are taking matters into their own hands and starting a… Read More

April 7, 2014 @ 10:44 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Lending Club will make a change to their platform that will result in the removal of daily loan origination data across the platform. They’ll instead opt to share data on a quarterly basis. The announcement came via Lending Club’s blog… Instead of posting new issuance… Read More

April 7, 2014 @ 10:02 am By JD Alois  |  

Northern Credit Union (Northern) – in partnership with some of Canada’s top athletes – is launching a new crowdfunding website, TrueNorthStrong,  to raise money for worthwhile projects in the communities Northern serves. “Crowdfunding” is a new and popular method of fundraising where a large number… Read More