Startup Investing

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 www.ourcrowd.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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8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: New Charging Tech (8/8)

8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: New Charging Tech (8/8)

Dec 24, 2014 | , ,

As Israel observes Hanukkah – a celebration of the light among the darkness – it’s time to highlight the tech trends creating sparks within the Startup Nation. Note, these trends are based on our deal flow – what our team sees on the ground. Trend 8/8: New Charging Tech How a trend is born:  Is there anything worse than seeing your phone’s battery bar turn red? And, whenever it happens, it’s certainly when you most need more power. Although many new smartphones are already equipped with high capacity batteries, they take considerably longer to charge. Batteries have long been outstripped by the tech they power in terms of quality and innovation, but that does not mean there’s nothing new on the horizon. Over the past few years battery and charging methods are gradually improving and exciting new developments are hitting the market. Who’s who:  When it comes to the emerging wireless charging landscape for mobile devices, the Startup Nation is maintaining its reputation as a leading force. Here are some Israeli companies working hard to switch off that low battery warning in the future: Wi-Charge: Wi-Charge is working to create a safe...

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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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8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Autonomous Driving (7/8)

8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Autonomous Driving (7/8)

Dec 23, 2014 | , ,

As Israel observes Hanukkah – a celebration of the light among the darkness – it’s time to highlight the tech trends creating sparks within the Startup Nation. Note, these trends are based on our deal flow – what our team sees on the ground. Trend 7/8: Autonomous Driving How a trend is born:  Cars are the single most complex consumer product in the world. While the combustion engine and large-scale, production-line manufacturing of the late 19th century helped make cars more ubiquitous, at large we have yet to see how the true power of the Digital Revolution, new fuel and propulsion technologies, innovative business models, new material technologies and advances in safety features will drive innovation forward and help bring about the car of the future. What’s causing the traffic jams of innovation? For one, road traffic accidents are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide according to the World Health Organization. This is reason enough that advancement in the automotive industry can be excruciatingly slow. Think of it this way – the more electronics there are in a car, the easier the car...

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