Crowdcube doubles investment into overseas businesses in 2019

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 5:57pm

Crowdcube is announcing a record-breaking year for overseas businesses raising funds on Europe’s leading equity crowdfunding platform. Despite Brexit uncertainty, investment into businesses based outside the UK has doubled since 2018. Leading e-bike maker, Cowboy, backed by Index Ventures, has raced to €3.5m just five days into its campaign.

In 2019, Crowdcube’s overseas raises drew in €26.6m, which marked a massive 100% hike from 2018. ID Finance, a Spanish based fintech, scoops the No. 1 place in terms of investment raised, pulling in €5.2m in November. More than 4,500 people also backed Bnext, the Spanish challenger-bank, which stands in second place. European entrepreneurs are matching their British counterparts in terms of investment raised and number of investors they attract, as they realise the benefits of building loyal communities alongside raising growth finance.

Pepe Borrell, Head of International Fundraises, Crowdcube, says: “The sensational year-on-year growth of our international operation shows how equity investments are shifting from the local to the global. We welcome the move by European regulators to bring in ground-breaking legislation in 2021, aimed at growing capital markets and which is sure to feed financing for entrepreneurs.”

Luke Lang, Co-founder and CMO, Crowdcube, says: “Our international expansion stepped up a gear in 2019, a milestone year for Crowdcube. Our record-breaking figures show that people are motivated to back businesses which have a compelling mission and vision. ID Finance, Cowboy and Muroexe lead the charge, proving that trail-blazing businesses can raise significant levels of investment with Crowdcube, while fostering powerful relationships with their communities.”

Crowdcube’s Top 5 international raises in 2019:

 

Adrien Roose, CEO, Cowboy says: “The phenomenal response from our community to Cowboy’s raise shows how people are fired up about e-bikes and their potential. With the support of Crowdcube, we know we’re onto great things. Transforming urban mobility is our mission, and we look forward to 2020 and to cities with better air, safer roads and finely designed transport.”

Boris Batin, co-founder and CEO, ID Finance says: "It was a pleasure working with such a professional Crowdcube team on this exciting transaction. Our Crowdcube campaign exceeded our expectations, as we closed the raise ahead of schedule with sizable overfunding. The success of the campaign was a result of our strong track record, the enormous opportunity in the regions we operate and a clear strategy by ID Finance to become the number one digital lending platform across Latin America and Spain."

Crowdcube is the world's largest equity crowdfunding platform. We enable the next generation of businesses, who love pushing at the edges and want to challenge the status quo with big ideas and new thinking, to raise finance. For investors, we provide the opportunity to back businesses that they can believe in, those that have a purpose beyond the next customer or sale.

Since Crowdcube was founded in 2011, we have helped raise funds for over 1000 campaigns, with over £800 million having been invested on the platform to date by a crowd of over 860,000 registered Crowdcube investors.

Businesses that have raised with Crowdcube include Monzo, Revolut, BrewDog, Cocoro, Freetrade, Garage Beer, Pip & Nut, Mindful Chef, Mr & Mrs Smith and Grind.

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