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

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

This agreement will create the first global marketplace for private investing with offerings across North America and Europe. The acquisition of Seedrs follows Republic’s recent announcement of a $150m (about £112.5m) Series B funding led by Valor Equity Partners.

With this deal, Republic expects to rapidly advance its presence in Europe. The additional capital Republic will commit to expanding Seeds’ reach in the region and will help bring new innovations and products to European investors and private companies.

Republic is a US-based fintech company that facilitates investments in equity, debt or crypto offerings in the private markets through its retail platform and has nearly $1 billion (approx. £750m) under management through its private wealth management practice.

Republic’s retail investment platform offers deals on startups, real estate, crypto, music, games and more. They continue to expand their product and geographic reach with members in over 100 countries.

Seedrs was the first regulated securities crowdfunding platform in the world and has invested nearly £1.5 billion on their platform to date. The platform was also the first to launch a secondary marketplace and has been home to some of the industry’s most notable success stories, including Revolut, a leading digital bank valued at over $33 billion.

Kendrick Nguyen, Founder and CEO of Republic said, “We knew international expansion was necessary to achieve cross-border participation. Working with Seedrs, we have admired their technological prowess, the strength of their team and their strong presence in the UK and soon to be in Europe.

“We expect to continue building on the strengths of both retail, secondaries, crypto and communities companies to create a clear industry leader. We look forward to working together to shape the future of the industry at this critical time of growth and innovation.”

Jeff Kelisky, CEO of Seedrs added: “Seedrs’ goal has always been to build a global private equity marketplace. This transaction is a natural progression in our partnership with Republic to meet and exceed that goal. We share a similar culture, a common purpose and a commitment to the strategic opportunities ahead.

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

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