Tag: equity crowdfunding

Not just another acquisition headline

Not just another acquisition headline

Mar 16, 2016 | ,

If you are like me — an innovation and entrepreneurship enthusiast — then you get excited when you read headlines about the latest acquisition of a startup by a large multinational corporation. You get excited on behalf of the startup’s founders and team that they have reached the culmination of what must have been an incredible journey. You get excited about the possibility that the integration will go well, and that with the large company’s resources behind it, the startup’s technology can soar to new heights. If the company being acquired is local, you get excited about what this means for your tech ecosystem: more talented, experienced employees and management now available to help the next wave of local startups scale, and potentially more capital flowing in now that investors are paying a little bit closer attention. Most people, however, read the headline, process it, and move on. This is understandable given what little impact the merger or acquisition will have on their lives or on the lives of anyone they know. While they may be happy for the presumed financial success of the startup’s...

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Gateway to Asia: OurCrowd announces strategic partnership with UOB to bring equity crowdfunding to Singapore

Gateway to Asia: OurCrowd announces strategic partnership with UOB to bring equity crowdfunding to Singapore

Mar 3, 2016 | ,

The Startup Nation and Smart Nation just became that much closer. Earlier today, OurCrowd announced that it has closed a strategic partnership agreement with United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB), headquartered in Singapore. This collaboration is OurCrowd’s first official foray into Asia and represents a significant step towards developing the FinTech ecosystem in the region. OurCrowd, together with UOB and with the support and investment of the Sassoon Investment Corporation, an investment holding company with deep roots in Asia, is working to bring equity crowdfunding to Singapore and beyond – offering a new asset class to accredited investors in the region of Asia. The partnership pairs UOB’s strengths and depth of experience in serving entrepreneurs as well as small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the region with OurCrowd’s expertise in investing in some of the world’s most promising startups via equity crowdfunding. This is an important announcement for OurCrowd but it’s equally important for our investors. Through this collaboration, OurCrowd’s global investor community will be able to invest in innovative Asian companies with differentiated and highly scalable products, who in turn will now get access to another source of funding through OurCrowd’s equity crowdfunding platform. This isn’t...

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Risk and Reward: The truth about diversification

Risk and Reward: The truth about diversification

Feb 2, 2016 | , ,

It is a common misconception that investing in startups is for the uber-wealthy, venture capital and angel investing insiders; being exclusive and risky — an alternative asset class where losing is part of the strategy. Venture capitalists leaders highlight how often you lose before you win. Thought leader Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures says, “Investing in startups is risky. If you make just one investment, you are likely going to lose everything. If you make two, you are still likely to lose money. If you make five, you might get all your money back across all five investments. If you make ten, you might start making money on the aggregate set of investments.” How Much to Invest That being said, no one will advise you to put a large percentage of your savings into early stage companies. However, if you allocate 5% of your overall portfolio into startup investments you can increase returns and reduce risk. According to a SharesPost whitepaper, if you allocate 5% of your investments to private growth companies, you can increase the returns of a traditional portfolio by...

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The Democratization of Investing: OurCrowd’s 2015 Year In Review [Infographic]

The Democratization of Investing: OurCrowd’s 2015 Year In Review [Infographic]

Jan 13, 2016 | ,

In 2015, OurCrowd achieved groundbreaking figures investing in Israeli and global startups. OurCrowd has effectively disrupted and democratized the venture-capital space, offering accredited investors the chance to partake in the lucrative industry. As we continue to build on the strong foundation we set down just three years ago, OurCrowd managed to shatter (even its own) records and rise even higher as a leader on the equity crowdfunding scene, setting the bar high for other investment crowdfunding platforms. OurCrowd stands at the forefront of the key trends revealed in the report. This year we have surpassed raising $200M for 91 startups making us the single largest investor in the Israeli tech ecosystem. We are driving the democratization of venture capital, opening the door to tens of thousands of accredited investors who want  a shot at the enormous riches now coming from investing in private companies, and bringing the hotbed of Israeli and global innovation and entrepreneurial activity to our investors through the power of the crowd.” ~ Jon Medved, OurCrowd Founder & CEO To capture the scope of these amazing achievements, OurCrowd created...

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OurCrowd ranked one of the world’s top ten most innovative fintech companies

OurCrowd ranked one of the world’s top ten most innovative fintech companies

Dec 15, 2015 | ,

Just in: OurCrowd was voted the 10th most innovative Fintech company worldwide in the second annual Fintech 100 report, the leading Global Fintech innovators report published by investment firm H2 Ventures and KPMG. In addition to the top-ten distinction, OurCrowd was also the sole crowdfunding platform and the only Israeli company named among the top ten listed. This represents a significant leap from last year, when OurCrowd was ranked #22. The top ten companies in the Fintech 100 for 2015 are: ZhongAn (China) Oscar (USA) Wealthfront (USA) Qufenqi (China) Funding Circle (UK) Kreditech (Germany) Avant (USA) Atom Bank (UK) Klarna (Sweden) OurCrowd (Israel) OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved stated: “It is truly an honor to be a part of such a prestigious list of Fintech innovators two years in a row. We are proud to be recognized as the world’s leading equity crowdfunding platform. Fintech is now a global sector and we are glad to be leading an Israeli contingent of 8 companies on the list.” OurCrowd portfolio company BioCatch was also listed in the Fintech 100 report as one of...

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