London crowdfunding platform acquired for £75m by £750m US fintech

London based equity crowdfunding platform announced it is to be acquired for $100m (approximately £75m) by US fintech Republic.

This deal will create the first global private investment marketplace with offerings across North America and Europe. The acquisition of Seedrs follows Republic’s recent $150m (approximately £112.5m) Series B financing announcement, led by Valor Equity Partners.

With this deal, Republic expects to rapidly advance their presence in Europe. The additional capital Republic will commit toward expanding Seedrs reach in the region is expected to help deliver new innovations and products for European investors and private businesses.

Republic is a US based fintech company that enables investment in private market equity, debt, or crypto offerings through its retail platform and has almost one $1bn (approximately £750m) dollars under management through its private asset management practice.

Republic’s retail investment platform hosts offerings across startups, real estate, crypto, music, gaming, and more. They continue to expand their product as well as their geographic reach with members in over 100 countries.

Seedrs was the first regulated securities crowdfunding platform in the world and has seen nearly £1.5bn invested on its platform to date. The platform was also the first to introduce a secondary marketplace and has hosted some of the industry’s most significant success stories, including Revolut, a leading digital bank valued at over $33bn.

Kendrick Nguyen, Republic’s founder & CEO said: “We knew international expansion was necessary to achieve cross-bordered participation. In working with Seedrs, we have admired their technological capabilities, the strength of their team and their strong presence in the UK and soon Europe.

“We anticipate further developing the strengths of both companies from retail, secondaries, crypto, and communities to create a clear industry leader. We look forward to working together to shape the future of the industry at this critical stage of growth and innovation.”

Jeff Kelisky, CEO of Seedrs added: “Seedrs’ ambition has always been to build a global private equity marketplace. This transaction is a natural development of our partnership with Republic to achieve and go beyond that ambition. We share a similar culture, a common goal, and a commitment to the strategic opportunities that lie ahead.

“We have great admiration for the teams at Republic, and together we can accelerate our plans to create a powerful global private investment marketplace that will transform the finance ecosystem and the communities they serve.”

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