SyndicateRoom is a UK venture capital fund, headquartered in Cambridge, founded by Gonçalo de Vasconcelos and Tom Britton in September 2013.[1][2] The company is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.[3]
Type of site | Venture capital fund |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Gonçalo de Vasconcelos, Tom Britton |
| CEO | Graham Schwikkard |
| Industry | Venture capital |
| Employees | 17 |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | 21 September 2013 |
SyndicateRoom initially launched as an equity crowdfunding platform for high-net-worth individuals and angel investors.[4][5]
In October 2019, the company announced that it would adopt a venture capital fund investment model, and would no longer offer individual crowdfunding investment opportunities.[6]
History
editSyndicateRoom was founded by Gonçalo de Vasconcelos and Tom Britton on 21 September 2013.[1] The pair met while studying at the Cambridge Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.[7]
In April 2014, SyndicateRoom was named Startup of the Year by The Guardian Small Business Showcase.[1]
In June 2014, SyndicateRoom investors committed £700,000 to Radio Physics Solutions, a startup which builds technology to detect 3D printed guns.[8]
In May 2015, SyndicateRoom raised £1.2m in seed funding on its own crowdfunding platform.[9]
In March 2016, SyndicateRoom was the first crowdfunding platform to offer public market investment opportunities after being accepted as a member company of the London Stock Exchange,[10] although it has since closed down the public markets area of its platform.[11][12]
In May 2016, SyndicateRoom raised £3.1m funding in series A round led by Abcam founder Jonathan Milner.[10]
In June 2016, SyndicateRoom launched FundTwenty8, the first passive Enterprise Investment Scheme fund.[13][14]
In July 2019, Gonçalo de Vasconcelos stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Graham Schwikkard.[15]
In September 2019, SyndicateRoom launched Access EIS, the first data-driven Enterprise Investment Scheme fund.[16]
In October 2019, the company announced that it would adopt a new fund-first investment model, and would no longer offer individual equity crowdfunding investment opportunities.[17]
In April 2020, SyndicateRoom invested in Oxford-based laundry startup Oxwash, alongside Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.[18][19]
In March 2022, SyndicateRoom invested in London-based startup Slip.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Startup of the year 2014: SyndicateRoom". the Guardian. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ "Crowdfunding: gimmick or revolution?". Spectator Life. 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Financial Conduct Authority". register.fca.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ Asgari, Nikou (2019-03-01). "Crowdfunding in search of the next Apple or Facebook". Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "SyndicateRoom stands out from the crowd with its investor-led approach". Proactiveinvestors UK. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ Alois, J. D. (2019-10-31). "SyndicateRoom Email Indicates Shift to 'Fund First Approach' to Investing". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Crowdfunding Startups Thrive in the U.K., Where Anyone Can Play Angel Investor". Bloomberg. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Radio Physics Solutions Raises £700K To Detect 3D Printed Guns". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Syndicate Room raises £1.2m in 33 hours | Business Weekly | Technology News | Business news | Cambridge and the East of England". www.businessweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ a b "SyndicateRoom raises $4.5M Series A to push for growth in equity capital markets – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ Fedor, Lauren (2016-03-14). "A crowdfunding platform has joined the public markets". Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ "'Crowdfunding is growing up': SyndicateRoom just partnered with the London Stock Exchange". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ Rickman, Craig (2016-06-24). "Product Review: SyndicateRoom Fund Twenty8". Financial Times Adviser. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "From car refinancing to data tools: Five new alternative finance products making life easier for the retail investor". CityAM. 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Crowdfunding pioneer Goncalo de Vasconcelos steps down as SyndicateRoom CEO - AltFi News". AltFi. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ^ Alois, J. D. (2020-02-29). "SyndicateRoom Transitions to Pre-funded Offerings with EIS Fund. Crowdfunding No More". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ Alois, J. D. (2019-10-31). "SyndicateRoom Email Indicates Shift to 'Fund First Approach' to Investing". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
- ^ "Oxwash bags $1.7M for a cleaner spin on laundry". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ Cook, James (2020-05-04). "Twitter co-founder invests in laundry start-up's £1.4m funding round". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ Allen, Patricia (2022-03-25). "London-based startup Slip raises €897k to revolutionise the retail experience". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2022-06-07.