Regionally to launch investment platform
White Label Crowdfunding is building an investment platform for Regionally to deliver finance to scale-up businesses across the regions in the UK, post-Brexit and Covid-19.
White Label Crowdfunding produces software for a number of crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platforms globally, including its sister business, Rebuildingsociety.
It will finish completing Regionally’s platform, which will start providing equity investment, with a soft launch this November and an official launch at the end of the year or start of 2021.
Flora Gray, operations director at Regionally, said the platform, which is aimed at all pre-qualified private investors, clubs and institutions that are not retail, will quickly deliver finance from £500,000 to more than £10m and give investors the ability to apply for a governance position in the businesses they are backing.
She said the platform has a vast amount of due diligence conducted on the companies whose investment opportunities are listed, aided by their regional corporate advisors, accountants and law firms supplied by Regionally.
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“There is a huge funding gap across the regions and we’re contributing to filling that gap,” said Gray.
“We will take two to three months rather than a year and a half to bring fast capital to growing companies bringing jobs to their regions, which is especially important with Brexit and Covid-19.
“We’re offering an alternative to crowdfunding and P2P. We believe the platform’s governance features and due diligence is ground-breaking in many ways.”
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“Both Brexit and Covid-19 have made it very difficult for UK businesses to grow and survive, coupled with the UK regions which struggle to access funding anyway,” said Freya Wordsworth, head of marketing at Regionally.
“Post-Brexit when we cut ties with the European Union, it’ll be more important to look within the UK for funding and to see what brilliant industries and businesses that, with investment, can scale up and provide local economies with a really great boost.
“And we need to look at all of the UK’s resources to help our recovery after Covid-19 too.”
Since March, Regionally has created a website, developed a platform which is near completion, doubled the size of its team and developed an extensive network of associates.
The firm is starting its platform with equity investment and has plans to then move onto debt, including mezzanine and bonds.
“We’re taking foundations of what’s built in the industry and changing it and adapting it to make it suitable to our investment service needs,” said Gray.
“We’re excited to have Regionally as a customer and are looking forward to launching the platform,” said Daniel Rajkumar, chief executive of White Label Crowdfunding.
“It’s industry leading and we wish them every success with the venture.”
