Crowdcube

What Crowdcube does

Crowdcube operates Europe's largest private market investment platform, enabling private companies to raise primary equity capital and providing secondary liquidity through a proprietary FCA-authorised infrastructure. The platform combines a self-serve equity crowdfunding marketplace (crowdcube.com / crowdcube.eu) with a proprietary nominee structure that holds all investor positions as a single legal entity, simplifying cap tables for companies with thousands of retail shareholders. Core products include primary equity raises, secondary share sales, the POP designation for prospectus-free raises, and PISCES access via the LSEG partnership.

Underlying technology includes proprietary sell-side workflow automation covering order creation, automated tax relief prioritisation (EIS/SEIS/VCT), equity confirmation, order matching, document signing, and post-trade settlement, enabling large-scale simultaneous seller events (up to 24,000 sellers in a single transaction). The nominee holds £1.3bn in securities across 979 companies for 450,000+ investors and is reported to have grown at 40% per year since 2018.

Crowdcube generates revenue through three streams: transaction-based platform/arrangement fees on primary raises, secondary transaction fees (now up to 50% of revenue and scaling rapidly), and recurring annual nominee management fees tied to assets under administration. The company is FCA-authorised (Capital Ltd, No. 650205), operates Crowdcube Europe SL for continental markets, and has facilitated £1.5bn+ of investment across 1,600+ businesses since 2011 for 2M+ registered investors in 100+ countries. The company achieved its first full-year net profit in 2025 after reporting £9.8m of revenue and a £6.2m loss in 2024.

Name

Crowdcube

Legal name

Crowdcube Capital Ltd

Website

https://crowdcube.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Crowdcube is Europe's largest FCA-authorised private market investment platform, enabling private companies to raise primary equity capital and facilitating secondary liquidity for retail and institutional investors via its proprietary nominee structure serving 450,000+ investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equity Crowdfunding & Private Market Investment Platform

NAICS

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Equity Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAB)

Keywords

• Equity crowdfunding
• Private market investment
• Secondary share trading
• Nominee administration
• Venture capital investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Platform Fees / Arrangement Fees: Crowdcube charges fees to companies for facilitating fundraising rounds on the platform. The website mentions flexible pricing with smaller raises benefiting from lower fees and larger public campaigns scaling affordably.
2. Secondary Transaction Fees: Revenue generated from facilitating secondary share sales. The company earns fees on each exit and secondary liquidity event. As companies move upmarket to later-stage positions, each secondary event generates additional fees. Carry revenue from realised gains has roughly trebled in three years.
3. Annual Management / Nominee Fees: Nominee administration services generate recurring revenue as the platform manages £1.3bn+ in securities across 979 companies for 450,000+ investors. Revenue tied to assets under management grows as the portfolio compounds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Crowdcube operates an FCA-authorised online equity crowdfunding and private market investment platform that enables private companies to raise primary equity capital from retail and institutional investors, and provides secondary share sale liquidity for existing shareholders and employees. The platform manages all investor positions through a proprietary nominee structure, with regulatory compliance and nominee administration built in. Companies apply via a three-step process (Prepare & Compliance, Launch & Engage, Close & Collect), while investors register, browse live opportunities, and invest in primary rounds, secondary transactions, or funds across 100+ countries.

Product overview

Crowdcube is a unified equity crowdfunding and private market investment platform operating as Europe's largest private market investment platform. The core platform enables companies to raise primary equity capital and provides secondary liquidity through its proprietary Nominee structure—a single legal entity holding all investor positions across 979+ companies. The platform offers a 'full menu' of primary and secondary options, including block sales for pre-IPO distribution, large-scale shareholder liquidity events, and access to LSEG's PISCES trading venue for institutional-caliber transactions. Supporting features include a Risk Calculator for investor suitability assessment, a Due Diligence Charter outlining verification processes, and tax-advantaged investment options through EIS, SEIS, and VCT schemes. The platform operates under FCA authorization and POP designation, managing over £1.5 billion in investments for 450,000+ investors across more than 100 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Crowdfunding Platform Primary equity crowdfunding platform that enables private companies to raise capital from retail and institutional investors through public and private campaign rounds, with FCA-authorised regulatory compliance built in.
• Nominee Service A single nominee entity that holds all investor positions on behalf of buyers, simplifying cap table management for companies (thousands of shareholders appear as a single line) and enabling efficient ownership transfers, corporate actions, and tax relief administration.
• Secondary Offerings Liquidity solutions enabling existing shareholders to sell shares to new investors, including block sales for founders and early investors, and large-scale shareholder liquidity events for employees and retail investors.
• Raise Capital Platform Service for companies seeking to raise primary or secondary capital, offering regulatory approval handling, nominee administration, due diligence support, and access to over 2 million registered investors.
• PISCES Access Service enabling retail investors to access PISCES, a regulated public venue for trading private company shares, with trades settling on LSE rails and stamp duty exempt.
• Public Offer Platform (POP) Designation Regulatory designation enabling Crowdcube to facilitate uncapped primary offers on behalf of companies without requiring a full prospectus, through lighter disclosure and due diligence obligations.

Quantifiable outcome

• £1.5bn+ invested into private markets since 2011
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025London Stock Exchange and Crowdcube formed a strategic partnership to create a more inclusive liquid private capital market ecosystem for retail investors. The partnership enables hundreds of thousands of eligible Crowdcube investors to access investment opportunities on the same terms as large institutional investors. Crowdcube is a Registered Auction Agent of LSEG and serves as the retail gateway for the PISCES (Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System) platform — the first operator approved by the FCA to run a private securities trading venue. The partnership enables companies to convert their customer base into shareholders.
• SempercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2023Crowdcube acquired Semper, a secondary liquidity platform for European high-growth companies' founders and employees. The acquisition enables retail investors to participate in secondary startup transactions alongside institutional investors, expanding liquidity options for startups. Semper had supported over €10 million in secondary sales since 2021 and partnered with notable European startups.

Scale indicators25 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• AngelList (AngelList Venture): US private markets platform offering fund formation, deal syndication, and rolling funds. Adjacent ecosystem player enabling private capital flows rather than directly competing in equity crowdfunding.

Direct peers

• Seedrs (now Republic Europe): Direct UK/EU equity crowdfunding competitor offering primary raises and secondary trading for private companies. Acquired by US-based Republic in 2022, intensifying head-to-head competition with Crowdcube in the UK market.
• Republic: US-headquartered equity crowdfunding and private investment platform operating Republic Europe (ex-Seedrs). Closely comparable business model spanning primary raises, secondaries, and retail access to private securities.
• Wefunder: US-leading Regulation Crowdfunding platform enabling retail investors to buy equity in startups. Operates a similar primary + secondary equity model and serves as a direct US benchmark for Crowdcube.
• StartEngine: US-based equity crowdfunding platform with a large retail investor base, primary raises, and secondary trading. Comparable to Crowdcube in offering uncapped raises under US Regulation Crowdfunding and Regulation A.
• Companisto: Germany's largest equity crowdfunding platform, offering primary equity raises and a secondary market (Companisto Exchange). Direct European peer competing for German issuers and investors.
• Forge Global: US-led private securities marketplace focused on secondary transactions in late-stage private companies. Comparable to Crowdcube's secondary-market PISCES and nominee-based liquidity offering.
• EquityZen: US private securities secondary marketplace enabling employees and early investors to liquidate shares. Directly comparable to Crowdcube's secondary offering and Semper acquisition capabilities.

Regional players

• SeedBlink: Central and Eastern European equity crowdfunding platform focused on tech startups. Comparable business model but different geographic footprint, positioning it as a regional peer rather than direct UK/EU competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Nasdaq Private Market: Established US private securities secondary marketplace operated by Nasdaq. Comparable secondaries functionality and a comparable PISCES-style venue (Nasdaq Boardvantage), but as part of a much larger incumbent exchange operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Crowdcube

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1043 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crowdcube