Tagged: EU

June 17, 2013 @ 8:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Pling is a rewards based crowdfunding platform based in Germany.  The creators of this crowdfunding application experienced some initial success early on in the German crowdfunding market – enough so to sell the platform to investors and  to move their company in a different direction…. Read More

June 4, 2013 @ 9:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission held a workshop on Crowdfunding this week.  Below is a storify from the event which included the participation of several different crowdfunding platforms including: Sponsume Sonic Angel Ulule Alternativa Seedrs Babyloan Keynote speakers included: Michel Barnier – Commissioner for Internal Markets and… Read More

April 9, 2013 @ 6:42 am By Wired.it  |  

Italy could become the first country in the world to pass a law on crowdfunding . give us to act even Forbes after the publication of the draft of the Consob Regulation . The document is open for comment until 30 April and will be used to operationalize the provisions of the decree Growth 2.0 . After work will be… Read More

April 3, 2013 @ 6:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Correspondent, an Amsterdam based start-up striving to launch a news site of quality news, has crowdfunded € 1 Million in 8 Days (approximately $1.3 Million).  As announced on the future news sites blog, More than 15,000 participants supported this crowdfunding event which was created by Rob… Read More

March 11, 2013 @ 10:30 am By Dominique Litmaath River  |  

As a Dutch national (but born and raised in Hong Kong and living in the US since 1985) I thought it was particularly interesting that the Netherlands created one of the first equity crowdfunding platforms in the world – Symbid. Being ONE of the first… Read More

February 27, 2013 @ 8:44 am By JD Alois  |  

UK based equity crowdfunding site CrowdCube surpasses £5,000,000 in funds raised.  This amount represents 39 businesses funded £2,547 average amount invested 30,239 members Crowdcube was established in 2011 and claims their platform as the first crowdfunding site  to allow ordinary people invest in start ups… Read More

February 22, 2013 @ 10:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Below is a speech presented by Neelie Kroes Vice-President of the EuropeanCommission responsible for the Digital Agenda EU & US for Growth, Investment Crowdfunding and Support This is a difficult time for Europe. As growth stays low, uncertainty is everywhere. Our people, particularly younger people, face horrific… Read More

February 13, 2013 @ 5:11 am By JD Alois  |  

(Staff Translation) Delegates explain that small and medium businesses are “starved of capital”. Legislation needs to take account of their particularities.   Straßburg – The EU-Parliament intends to facilitate access to credits for small and medium businesses. To achieve this, more flexibility and transparency in… Read More

February 8, 2013 @ 8:09 am By Presseurop  |  

I have started making loans to total strangers – scores of them. I am not mad, rich or philanthropic. The loans are tiny. The safeguards are good. So far, the borrowers are paying me back and I am turning a handy profit. Even nicer, I… Read More

January 15, 2013 @ 6:01 am By Dominique Litmaath River  |  

UPDATED: In an early version of this article it was indicated that Enviu held the Dutch record for funds raised but it was pointed out (rightly so) that Enviu is in the number two position.  SellAnApp holds the record for raising funds on Symbid crowd funding € 150,000…. Read More

January 13, 2013 @ 12:24 pm By The Malta Independent  |  

The European Commission this week presented an action plan aimed at “unleashing Europe’s entrepreneurial potential to bring back growth”. The message is that in order to return to growth and higher levels of employment, Europe needs more entrepreneurs. With four million new jobs created every… Read More

January 11, 2013 @ 7:14 pm By Business Review Europe  |  

2012 was a tough year for SMEs. The Eurozone crisis rumbled on, economies stagnated or contracted and the banks failed to lend the sums needed to help pull Europe out of the abyss. Government initiatives such as the Funding For Lending (FLS) scheme in the… Read More

January 10, 2013 @ 8:12 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has released a statement indicating that a focus on Entrepreneurship, including crowdfunding, is an increasing priority in driving economic growth. During the economic crisis EU member countries have struggled to various degrees in their attempts to create job. Dramatic structural reform must… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 5:06 pm By The Economist  |  

    OF THE things you expect to encounter in a financial firm nowadays, hope is not high on the list. Panoramic views, insincere receptionists, plates of uneaten biscuits, yes. Optimism, no. But this is a time of huge opportunity in finance—as long as you… Read More

December 6, 2012 @ 9:54 pm By Reuters  |  

(Reuters) – A new breed of internet-based financiers are calling for action to end regulatory uncertainty they say is preventing them from getting money to the small and medium-sized businesses that need it. The so-called crowdfunding sector raises cash from members of the public to… Read More

November 5, 2012 @ 8:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The recently released document put together by a cadre of European academicians has quickly become a must read for the policy leaders of the domestic Crowdfunding industry. Matthias Klaes, Professor of Commerce from Keele University in the UK opens the discussion by quoting Schumpeter and… Read More

November 1, 2012 @ 5:22 am By JD Alois  |  

(Staff Translation) Europe’s Crowdfunding Portals wish for more EU support. In a 40 page long report (PDF) that can be downloaded on the website Crowdfunding framework, crowdfunding representatives and supporters outline what future framework they have in mind. The EU on the other hand requires… Read More

October 30, 2012 @ 6:00 am By JD Alois  |  

One of the premises of this blog is that the success and methodology of open source are not one-offs, but part of a larger move towards open, collaborative activity. Thus, by observing what open source does well – and not so well – lessons can… Read More