FCA-regulated crowdfunding platform for businesses at “all stages of the growth cycle” launches

The “first” debt and equity crowdfunding platform to provide funding for businesses at seed stage through to listed has launched today.

Founded by finance entrepreneur Tony De Nazareth, London-based Crowd for Angels claims to enable companies to “generate funding outside of traditional circles” and is the “first” debt and equity site to be directly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The platform, which operates a nominee structure, says it provides benefits to both investors and companies looking for investment by giving investors access to firms that would normally be reserved for institutional clients, as well as up to 50% tax relief on investments through the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS).

The site currently has three live pitches including AIM-listed Advanced Oncotherapy; a radiotherapy systems provider, and early-stage film company Mughals, The Series Ltd, which is looking to raise finance for a prime time TV drama, the Mughals.

Crowd for Angels director and founder, De Nazareth, said: “This is the first time that a directly regulated crowd funding platform combines debt and equity pitches in one place.

“We are challenging the status quo by developing new ways of doing things such as having a minimum and a maximum fund raising target for pitches which does away with  the standard ‘all or nothing’ approach.

“The fact that we have a listed company as one of our opening pitches speaks volumes about the need for a new crowd funding model such as ours. The beauty of our platform is that a company can begin with raising seed capital and carry on being funded through to pre-IPO and when listed.”