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]

SyndicateRoom
Type of site
Venture capital fund
Available inEnglish
Headquarters,
United Kingdom
Founder(s)Gonçalo de Vasconcelos, Tom Britton
CEOGraham Schwikkard
IndustryVenture capital
Employees17
URLwww.syndicateroom.com
CommercialYes
Launched21 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

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SyndicateRoom 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

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  1. ^ a b c "Startup of the year 2014: SyndicateRoom". the Guardian. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  2. ^ "Crowdfunding: gimmick or revolution?". Spectator Life. 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  3. ^ "Financial Conduct Authority". register.fca.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  4. ^ Asgari, Nikou (2019-03-01). "Crowdfunding in search of the next Apple or Facebook". Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  5. ^ "SyndicateRoom stands out from the crowd with its investor-led approach". Proactiveinvestors UK. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  6. ^ Alois, J. D. (2019-10-31). "SyndicateRoom Email Indicates Shift to 'Fund First Approach' to Investing". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  7. ^ "Crowdfunding Startups Thrive in the U.K., Where Anyone Can Play Angel Investor". Bloomberg. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  8. ^ "Radio Physics Solutions Raises £700K To Detect 3D Printed Guns". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ a b "SyndicateRoom raises $4.5M Series A to push for growth in equity capital markets – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  11. ^ Fedor, Lauren (2016-03-14). "A crowdfunding platform has joined the public markets". Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  12. ^ "'Crowdfunding is growing up': SyndicateRoom just partnered with the London Stock Exchange". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  13. ^ Rickman, Craig (2016-06-24). "Product Review: SyndicateRoom Fund Twenty8". Financial Times Adviser. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Crowdfunding pioneer Goncalo de Vasconcelos steps down as SyndicateRoom CEO - AltFi News". AltFi. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  16. ^ Alois, J. D. (2020-02-29). "SyndicateRoom Transitions to Pre-funded Offerings with EIS Fund. Crowdfunding No More". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  17. ^ Alois, J. D. (2019-10-31). "SyndicateRoom Email Indicates Shift to 'Fund First Approach' to Investing". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  18. ^ "Oxwash bags $1.7M for a cleaner spin on laundry". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ Allen, Patricia (2022-03-25). "London-based startup Slip raises €897k to revolutionise the retail experience". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
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