European marketplace for buying and selling shares in private companies, Crowdcube, has announced an exclusive partnership with leading data platform Crunchbase, to drive a new and more transparent platform for private company investment in Europe.
The strategic partnership means that Cubex will allow investors to discover or register interest in shares in private businesses without waiting for them to go public, aided by a huge rich company database across over 250,000 companies provided by Crunchbase. If enough interest is sparked in one company, Crowdcube will facilitate a transaction.
With a growing number of businesses staying private for longer, the new initiative from Crowdcube and Crunchbase aims to satisfy demand among existing shareholders, employees and founders to gain liquidity without waiting for an exit. Meanwhile, the platform also allows Crowdcube to offer new investors the opportunity to invest in high-growth companies they have previously not been able to access as a result of its pre-IPO status.
Matt Cooper, Chief Commercial Officer at Crowdcube, said, “Private markets are notoriously opaque, and potential investors, especially retail investors, deserve the widest possible access to information about the companies in which they intend to invest.”
Investors seeking new opportunities on Cubex will be supported by a vast database drawn from Crunchbase which will allow them to make informed decisions about their next step. This includes the companies’ funding history, investor base and leadership team.
“This exclusive partnership creates a superior investment experience for retail and professional investors alike, providing a deep source of data on all of the companies listed on Cubex, not just those that have previously raised money with us,” continued Cooper.
“Crowdcube and Crunchbase are bringing a new level of data transparency to private company investing, raising the bar in terms of visibility, accessibility and ultimately doubling down our mission to democratise investment.”
