Luke Lang, co-founder of Crowdcube, outlines the commercial and marketing benefits that startups gain from crowdfunding beyond capital raising.
Assertion Supported
Escape the City Rejected Index Ventures to Raise on Crowdcube
“A company called Escape the City, you know, they had two term sheets from VCs, one of them index ventures on the table, and they turned them down and elected to use Crowdcube to raise the money that they were after, you know, that was back in 2012”
Assertion Contradicted
Crowdcube Was the World's First Equity Crowdfunding Platform in 2011
“Equity crowdfunding, you know, when Crowdcube launched in February, 2011 Crowdcube was the first equity crowdfunding platform, not just here in the UK or Europe, but anywhere in the world.”
Disclosure
Crowdcube Funded a Startup Raising £400K With Only a Business Plan
“We funded businesses that have been purely business plans. You know you know, a company raised 400,000 pounds last year, and it was, yeah, it was purely a business plan. It was a bloody good business plan but a business plan nonetheless.”
Assertion Supported
Crowdcube Secured £5M From the UK Government for London Tech Startups
“We recently won some investments from the government, where the, you know, the UK government will be investing five million pounds into businesses through, through Crowdcube for, you know, tech startups in London.”
Disclosure
Crowdcube Raised £1.2M on Its Own Platform Alongside Balderton's £3.8M Round
“On three, three occasions. Yeah, the first time was, you know, 300,000 pounds, then it was 1.5 million, and then most recently where we did it, did a raise with Boulderton Capital, we raised 1.2 million, which topped up the 3.8 from Boulderton and we did that …”
Assertion Supported
Index Ventures Participated in JustPark's Crowdcube Crowdfunding Round
“We've got a company on the site at the moment, Just Park. You know, they've had investment from Index Ventures and BMW in, in the past, and Index are actually participating in this round.”