Earlier this year, we announced the renaming of the original Grow Venture Community (officially launched in 2010 as the first global online platform for equity crowdfunding), to Startup Crowdfunding, and a commitment to develop Startup Crowdfunding further as an independent service, as part of the Grow VC Group, the global pioneer and leader in crowdfunding. We are now pleased to announce that Startup Crowdfunding is taking a new strategic direction, with a shift towards becoming the leading global aggregator for the best startup crowdfunding opportunities.
The crowdfunding market has recently experienced some serious growth, proving to be a truly disruptive model for investing in startups. Through this growth phase we have witnessed the proliferation of crowdfunding platforms globally, across a range of asset classes and sectors. This fragmented marketplace, poses many problems for our current and growing audience of global investors, entrepreneurs, and also local platforms involved in the crowdfunding space. At this stage crowdfunding aggregators will play a more important role than ever before. As a global aggregator, Startup Crowdfunding will showcase the best crowdfunding opportunities for investors. Through Startup Crowdfunding, we will provide a centralized hub for investors, entrepreneurs and local crowdfunding platforms to collaborate.
Our primary focus for investors, is to ensure they get access to the best quality deals in the quickest manner, screened by us from across crowdfunding platforms. Startups will discover the best crowdfunding platforms to fit their needs. Through Startup Crowdfunding, entrepreneurs will be able to showcase their products and companies, to a global investor base. We will collaborate and partner with local crowdfunding platforms, directing the right startups their way and providing support during fundraising. We simply see this as the best model to connect the local benefits with global ambitions and investor audience, and as such remain true to our original core value to be global.
We are also very pleased to introduce Startup Crowdfunding’s Co-Founder/CEO, Neha Manaktala. Neha will be spearheading Startup Crowdfunding’s transition to become the leading global aggregated crowdfunding marketplace. Neha brings diverse experience, from investment banking, private equity and start-ups. She has a unique combination of fundraising experience from top tier financial institutions and has experience in co-founding, leading and running a previous start-up. She has global experience from London and Mumbai and has worked with teams, clients and investors across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Neha began her career in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley in Mumbai in the early 2000’s. She worked on equity & M&A transactions of top technology, media and telecom companies in India, working closely with Morgan Stanley’s teams based in Hong Kong, New York & Menlo Park. In 2006, she was recruited as part of the core team to establish Lehman Brothers’ investment banking division in India. Neha worked together with Lehman’s global teams in the origination and execution of equity, M&A and debt transactions for leading Indian companies. In 2010, Neha rejoined Morgan Stanley’s technology investment banking team in London, before joining Actis Private Equity, the leading global pan-emerging markets firm. At Actis, Neha worked on the US$2Bn global private equity fundraise, she worked closely with key Actis investors through the fundraising. In 2012, Neha co-founded and was COO at Vizibee, an aggregated quality mobile video platform, for original short video from Publishers, Vizibee secured a global distribution contract with the BBC. Neha lead and was responsible for all business operations at Vizibee.
Neha Manaktala commented, “The opportunity to transform Startup Crowdfunding into a global aggregator provides a unique opportunity for me to combine my passion and experience for both startups and finance/fundraising. Crowdfunding is a disruptive force, unlocking capital in new ways, making it more accessible to entrepreneurs and startups. As a pioneer and global leader in crowdfunding, the Grow VC Group is the ideal platform and partner to enable Startup Crowdfunding to become the leading global aggregator for crowdfunding.”
Over the course of the coming months we will be relaunching Startup Crowdfunding in stages to reflect the new strategy. We will keep you updated on new features, partnerships and functionalities and on the transition from the current global ecosystem on Startup Crowdfunding.
Investors, crowdfunding platforms and startups can get in touch with us through the following link:http://www.startupcrowdfunding.com/contact.html or by sending us an email to info@startupcrowdfunding.com for any support needed.
Startups and investors can sign up to our new communities startups.startupcrowdfunding.com andinvestors.startupcrowdfunding.com respectively, these communities are for approved members only. More details about these communities will be shared soon
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