May 11, 2021
Our crowdfunding platform Oneplanetcrowd recently raised 1 million euros in growth financing from the European Investment Fund (EIF). The financing was secured through the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation and will be used to further develop the platform and achieve further growth. Read all about it in the joint press release below. And read the interview with our General Counsel Lisa Hees about this investment here.
Oneplanetcrowd raises EUR 1 million in growth financing from the European Investment Fund
– Crowdlending platform Oneplanetcrowd attracts EUR 1 million in growth financing from the European Investment Fund (EIF) to support social entrepreneurship.
– The financing is made possible by the European Union’s Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI).
To further develop the platform and achieve further growth, Oneplanetcrowd has secured financing from the European Investment Fund (EIF) via the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation. This involves a favorable loan with a term of eight years. The required equity has been strengthened as all shareholders have converted their outstanding (convertible) loans into shares and existing Oneplanetcrowd crowd investors have purchased additional share certificates. Following the issuance of these shares, Oneplanetcrowd is well-positioned to finance its further growth. The conversion of loans significantly increases solvency.
“We are proud to have the EIF on board. With their financial support, we can further strengthen our growth and invest in our business model for financing small sustainable SMEs. It also demonstrates the strong and pragmatic effort of the EIF (EU) to support the alternative financing sector, which is even more necessary in these difficult economic times due to the coronavirus,” said Coenraad de Vries, managing director of Oneplanetcrowd.
“At this difficult time, access to finance for the smallest companies in our economies is more important than ever. Besides the health emergency, one of the EIF’s primary goals is to support SMEs wherever possible in view of the economic consequences of this crisis,” added Alain Godard, Chief Executive of the EIF.
European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis says: “In addition to traditional bank loans, Europe needs innovative forms of financing to meet the significant liquidity needs of SMEs and mid-caps. Oneplanetcrowd can bring together sustainable investors and social enterprises seeking financing; I am pleased that the EU can support this platform.”
Investing in growth
Partly with this financing, further investments will be made in the quality of service in the coming years through, among other things:
• Improving front-end and back-end IT systems
• Expanding sales and marketing capacity
• Offering new products such as bonds, shares, and limited tradability
• Meeting strict regulatory requirements as Oneplanetcrowd is one of the few platforms operating under MiFID II.
Oneplanetcrowd has received the capacity-building investment financed by the European Union under the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). The EaSI programme serves to support the European Union’s social and employment policies. The programme is directly under the responsibility of the European Commission and contributes to the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.
