Equity Crowdfunding

Teach In Tuesdays: Join us (online) to learn why investors are riding the bicycle sharing market

Teach In Tuesdays: Join us (online) to learn why investors are riding the bicycle sharing market

Dec 28, 2014 | , , ,

Each month OurCrowd has hundreds of investors from around the world join us for online events from our webinar series called Teach-In-Tuesdays. In this series, we explore investing in early-stage Israeli and global companies, identify and explain influential tech trends, stay up-to-date with the crowdfunding industry, and examine actionable insights from our own experience running OurCrowd’s investment platform. During December, we will be hosting an educational webinar on Tuesday, December 30th, as part of our Teach-In-Tuesdays series. Register for the event below. Pedal-driven innovation: Why investors are riding the bicycle sharing market Lately, we’ve been seeing more and more industries touched by the sharing economy, a business model built on the sharing of human and tangible resources. Today, within the startup culture in both Israel and beyond, there are plenty of sectors building on the concept, including social lending, accommodation, travel, and commute. Bike share, a billion dollar opportunity growing 25% yearly, is the fastest growing mode of public transport globally and currently one of the hottest sectors within the sharing economy industry. Join David S. Rose, an Inc. 500 CEO, serial entrepreneur and a...

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What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (December 2014)

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (December 2014)

Dec 25, 2014 | , , ,

Happy holidays and welcome to OurCrowd’s ‘What We’re Investing In’ series. To date, OurCrowd and our network of angel investors have invested over $80M in 56 startup companies. Aside from these exciting investment opportunities, we are also launching a series of educational webinars with leading tech industry experts to further dissect the sectors that we are investing in. Stay tuned and visit gold.ocdvlp.com for more information. Borro – Secure asset backed loans The 2008 financial crisis brought to light the desperate need for reform in the traditional yet antiquated banking and lending systems. In just six short years, companies like Lending Club and Prosper managed to capitalize on the opportunity and broker over $5B in unsecured, peer-to-peer loans. Borro, a UK-based lending platform takes a novel, more secure approach to online lending. Taking a loan from Borro requires pledging a physical asset, which is appraised and held in a warehouse for the term of the loan. Asset backed lending mitigates risk for the lender and allows asset rich individuals to borrow money without actually selling any of their assets....

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OurCrowd named top crowdfunding platform by KPMG

OurCrowd named top crowdfunding platform by KPMG

Dec 24, 2014 | , , ,

This month, OurCrowd was named the top equity crowdfunding platform in KPMG’s The 50 Best Fintech Innovators Report, reaching the number #22 spot overall. The 50 Best Fintech Innovators report is a collaborative effort between AWI, KPMG Australia and the Financial Services Council (FSC), and provides an analysis of the rapidly evolving fintech industry worldwide, identifying the global ‘50 Best’ performers. The report states that the selected companies are those using technology to the best advantage and driving disruption within the financial services industry. This report identified four other equity crowdfunding platforms in the top 50, including: CircleUp (#23), AngelList (#35), Crowdcube (#46) and Seedrs (#47). In the same list of innovators, KPMG also named a company that is currently raising funds on OurCrowd: Borro, an online lending platform who at #8, came in just behind the two recent IPO success stories of Lending Club (#6), and OnDeck (#7). Borro is a UK-US based, online asset-backed lending platform with an investor roster that includes the same early investors in leading fintech innovators such as Lending Club, Zopa, Wealthfront, and Funding Circle. Access the full list: The 50 Best Fintech Innovators...

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OurCrowd’s Jon Medved featured on Fox News: “Is Israel the next Silicon Valley?”

OurCrowd’s Jon Medved featured on Fox News: “Is Israel the next Silicon Valley?”

Dec 18, 2014 | , , , ,

Yesterday, OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved was interviewed by Fox News’ KT McFarland about Israel’s developing tech sector. His company is seen as funding the next generation of Israeli Startups through both equity-based and donation-based crowdfunding. Cooperation with the U.S. is seen as a driving force behind the boost in exports. Medved says he is co-investing with several American companies in the auto and telecommunications industries, among others, on new development projects. In the interview, Jon discussed the Israel tech industry boom, its record year in startup investments, Israeli technology innovations that are changing the lives of many worldwide, and the Startup Nation’s strong partnership with the US.   View the video below or play it on Fox News here. Watch the latest video at...

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Don’t believe these 4 myths about equity crowdfunding

Don’t believe these 4 myths about equity crowdfunding

Dec 3, 2014 | , , ,

Equity crowdfunding is quickly finding its legs. For 2014, we estimated upwards of $700 million of capital invested in startups would be through equity crowdfunding platforms. Investors who have already migrated to these platforms are the early adopters, quick and flexible and open to trying an innovative new way to invest in the next Google, Facebook and Apple. However, many investors are still reticent to getting their feet wet since it’s still not entirely clear how equity crowdfunding works. This article dispels four myths about equity crowdfunding to offer investors a new investment track in some of the most exciting opportunities in the startup scene. Myth #1: Companies that choose crowdfunding couldn’t raise venture capital Raising money via crowdfunding channels may look easy, but in reality, it isn’t. And companies that are considering fielding an investment on an equity crowdfunding platform are, more times than not, choosing between many different sources of funding. Many of these companies have already raised an investment from an early stage venture capital firm or from other angel investors. Many will ultimately go on...

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