Businesswoman Samantha Acton, proprietor of the Southbourne-based Domestic Angels network, has certainly got the alternative-finance message. Ms Acton, speaking to the award-winning local newspaper, The Daily Echo, criticises what she styles “the obsession” with getting banks to lend to small businesses again. “A good entrepreneur will seek and secure investment from alternative sources as the […]
New figures from the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA), a charitable body, reveal that the number of crowdfunding platforms operating in the UK rose by over 50% in 2013. NESTA’s online commentary service, The Economic Voice reports that the number of crowdfunding platforms operating in the UK, across every type from reward-based crowdfunding […]
The UK has “by far the fastest rate of growth” in world crowdfunding, according to a report in the Independent. “More than $133m was raised from crowdfunding – rewards and equity – in the first quarter of the year and 500 new projects are being launched daily on crowdfunding platforms around the world,” says the […]
The hedge fund industry is coming to the world of crowdfunding. As we noted earlier, Marshall Wace, which reportedly has more than $15 billion under its control, is targeting institutions with a £200 million investment fund. A recent report by Reuters indicates that the hedge fund manager’s plans would “bring peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, hitherto at the fringes of […]
Britain is set to overtake the United States as the world leader in crowdfunding, according to Money&Co. CEO, Nicola Horlick. Speaking at a crowdfunding event organised by the NESTA charity (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts), the Money&Co. chief executive said: “I think we will become a world leader, partly because we are […]
Richard is what’s known as an early adopter. He was looking for a better return on his cash, and was drawn to crowdfunding and connecting with businesses almost as soon as he heard of the idea. “I like the whole concept of crowdfunding, and I think it will grow,” he says. “There are lots of […]
Jacob was having an “early mid-life crisis” when a drink of coconut water on an Asian beach set him on the path to founding Cocofina. For Jacob, that drink spoke of his home (Kerala in India, whence he hails, means “land of coconuts”, he says). Now, Cocofina has a diverse product range of coconut-based drinks […]
The high-street banks may not want to lend, but they may be forced to point would-be borrowers in the direction of other potential sources of finance. This week sees the beginning of a governmental review process, whereby banks may be required to make companies aware of alternative sources of finance, including crowdfunding, reports the Telegraph. […]
“Crowdfunding and Person-To-Business financing (P2B) are relatively new parts of the finance industry – or at least their popularity is relatively new,” says Money&Co. CEO, Nicola Horlick. Money&Co. notes with interest how quickly that popularity is increasing. A recent report by Reuters indicates that “a British hedge fund plans to bring peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, hitherto at […]
SME Finance Monitor BDRC Continental has recently published a survey that highlights the growing number of alternative funding providers. Crowdfunding is cited as a prime example of this phenomenon. The Telegraph reports that small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are turning to alternative providers of finance. The news organisation’s enterprise editor, Rebecca Burn-Callander says that SMEs […]