CROWDESTOR
CROWDESTOR is an Estonia-based peer-to-business crowdfunding platform founded in 2017 that connects small and medium enterprises and specialized project owners seeking short-term financing (typically up to EUR 200,000) with individual retail investors globally, generating revenue through borrower transaction fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersTallinn, Estonia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What CROWDESTOR does
CROWDESTOR is a peer-to-business crowdfunding platform founded in December 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia, that connects small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking short-term financing (loans up to EUR 200,000) with individual investors globally, bypassing traditional banks and other financial intermediaries. The platform operates two distinct product lines: the main business lending platform (crowdestor.com) offering SME loans, real estate development financing with mortgage collateral, and specialized projects across energy, forestry, movie production, and gaming; and a separate consumer P2P lending platform (p2p.crowdestor.com) operated jointly with Simpleros, an online lending company active in Spain since October 2020.
The platform is built on a conventional web stack (VueJS, Nuxt, NodeJS, Symfony 4/5) with third-party integrations for KYC (Veriff) and open banking (Salt Edge). An in-house automated scoring and credit report model, introduced in 2020, provides standardized credit risk assessment for SME borrowing projects. Secondary market functionality enables loan position trading with a 2% seller commission and conditional buyer fee. Auto Invest feature automates portfolio allocation by investor-set criteria. The FLEX product, launched July 2021, adds a flexible investment vehicle with EUR 1 withdrawal fee.
CROWDESTOR's revenue model is transaction-fee based, generating income from borrower risk assessment fees (EUR 200), structuring fees starting at 3% of loan amount, monthly management fees of 0.10% on remaining principal, secondary market commissions, and restructuring/prolongation fees (EUR 500 or 2%). Investor-side fees are nominal. The platform has facilitated EUR 57.2M in cumulative funding across 27,578 registered investors with average returns of 19.65% p.a. (up to 28% max). The legal entity, Crowdestor OÜ (Estonian private limited company), is headquartered at Narva mnt 5, Tallinn, with a regional office in Zagreb, Croatia. A 2020 equity crowdfunding round raised EUR 1M at a EUR 12.5M pre-money valuation. Notably, the company's main page states 'Currently, no new Business loans are issued,' signaling a pause in the platform's core SME lending activity.
CROWDESTOR firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CROWDESTOR
- Legal name
- Crowdestor OÜ
- Website
- https://crowdestor.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CROWDESTOR is an Estonia-based peer-to-business crowdfunding platform founded in 2017 that connects small and medium enterprises and specialized project owners seeking short-term financing (typically up to EUR 200,000) with individual retail investors globally, generating revenue through borrower transaction fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CROWDESTOR industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Peer-to-business crowdfunding / Marketplace lending
- SIC
- Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- P2P Small Business / SME Marketplace Lending (FSAKAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- P2P Loan Syndication & Participation Platforms (FSAKAHAL)
Keywords
Where CROWDESTOR is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tallinn
- HQ country
- Estonia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
CROWDESTOR business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Borrower Structuring Fees: Fee charged to borrowers after funds are collected from investors, calculated as a percentage of total funds collected and disbursed to the borrower. Starting from 3% of loan amount.
- Borrower Risk Assessment Fee: One-time fee paid by borrowers for risk assessment performed. The risk assessment report is sent to the borrower. Fee is paid irrespective of whether the borrower got an offer for project placement or got rejected.
- Borrower Monthly Management Fee: Monthly fee paid by borrower for administration of the loan, calculated from the total loan principal remaining
- Secondary Market Commission: Seller's commission of 2% calculated and deducted from the loan deal price. Buyer's commission depends on discount - no fee if discount <=10%, otherwise 10% of the difference between X and 10%, capped at 2%.
- Restructuring and Prolongation Fee: Fee paid by borrower for making any changes in the agreement, be it prolongation or restructuring. Fee is 500 EUR or 2% of loan amount.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Investor Platform - Free to use |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Secondary Market - Investor Fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Borrower Risk Assessment |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Borrower Structuring Fee |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Borrower Monthly Management |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Borrower Restructuring |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
CROWDESTOR product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CROWDESTOR operates a peer-to-business crowdfunding marketplace that connects SMEs, real estate developers, and specialized project owners (energy, movie production, forestry, gaming) with individual investors globally. It facilitates debt and equity funding campaigns, applies an automated scoring and credit report model for SME credit risk assessment, and offers secondary-market liquidity and a FLEX flexible investment product. The platform operates in the Baltic States (with planned European expansion) and runs a separate consumer P2P lending marketplace (p2p.crowdestor.com) together with Simpleros in Spain.
Product overview
CROWDESTOR operates as a peer-to-business crowdfunding platform with two distinct product lines: the core business lending platform (crowdestor.com) and a consumer P2P lending platform (p2p.crowdestor.com). The main platform offers SME loans, real estate development financing, and specialized projects (energy, forestry, entertainment) through debt and equity funding campaigns. The platform features an automated SME credit scoring model for risk assessment. A secondary market enables liquidity, while the Auto Invest function automates portfolio allocation. The FLEX product addresses cash flow concerns for investors. The separate P2P platform, powered by Simpleros, focuses on consumer loans with two risk-return structures: profit-share with default risk or buyback-protected loans. The platform operates across Baltic States and plans European expansion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CROWDESTOR P2P: P2P consumer lending platform offering investments in consumer loans, operated in cooperation with Simpleros. Offers combination of risk-reward concepts including default risk-profit share and buyback obligation options.
- CROWDESTOR FLEX
Products and services
- CROWDESTOR Platform (Main Peer-to-Business Crowdfunding Marketplace) Core peer-to-business crowdfunding marketplace for SMEs, real estate developers, and specialized projects (energy, movie production, forestry, gaming, restaurants) offering debt and equity funding campaigns, secondary-market liquidity, and automated credit scoring for risk assessment. Targeted at SME borrowers in the Baltic States (with planned European expansion) and individual investors globally with multilingual EN/DE/ES support.
- Business Loans (SME) Short-term business loans for small and medium enterprises, typically not exceeding €200,000, underwritten using CROWDESTOR's automated scoring and credit report model. Designed for European SMEs that need quick capital beyond traditional bank lending.
- CROWDESTOR P2P (Consumer Loans via Simpleros) Separate consumer P2P lending platform at p2p.crowdestor.com originating consumer loans in Spain via Simpleros. Offers investors two risk-return profiles: Default Risk with profit share up to 240% p.a. for new consumers, and Buyback Obligation with 60-day buyback protection for repeated consumers. Over 82,000 registered users with a 19% loan approval rate.
- CROWDESTOR FLEX Flexible investment product for peer-to-business investors that lets them withdraw funds subject to a €1 fee, mitigating the cash-flow and illiquidity challenges of traditional term business loans on the main platform.
- Real Estate Project Funding Debt funding campaigns for real estate development projects, typically collateral-backed with real estate mortgages, investable from €50 with returns up to 28% p.a. or higher. Targeted at real estate developers seeking alternative financing for property projects.
- Specialized Project Funding (Energy, Forestry, Movie & Game Production) Funding campaigns for specialized projects in renewable energy and biomass power plants, forestry and agricultural land, movie and game production (with profit-sharing opportunities), and entertainment/restaurants. Often structured in multiple tranches and may include profit-sharing, convertible loans, or pledges on intellectual property and copyrights.
Quantifiable outcome
- €57.2M funded amount across platform
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use CROWDESTOR
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CROWDESTOR technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
CROWDESTOR partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Salt EdgecoreSalt Edge provides open banking solutions as Technical Service Provider for Open Banking connections. Information regarding bank accounts is received via Salt Edge's open banking solutions.
- VeriffcoreVeriff provides Face ID and document verification for customer identity verification during the registration process on the platform.
- SimpleroscoreSimpleros is an online lending company managed by professionals with 15+ years experience, operating in Spanish market since October 2020. They serve as Loan Originator for consumer loans on the P2P platform with 82k+ registered users, 19% loan approval rate, and 1.11M EUR+ in total loans issued.
- Crowd p2p d.o.o.coreLegal entity that operates the subdomain p2p.crowdestor.com. CROWDESTOR is entitled to exchange client data with Crowd p2p d.o.o. for providing consumer loans to clients.
- Security AgentcoreSeparate registered company that manages all loan securities (commercial pledge, mortgage, etc.) and performs debt collection on behalf of CROWDESTOR to protect interests of Investors.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CROWDESTOR competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mintos: Latvia-headquartered P2P lending marketplace connecting retail investors with multiple loan originators across Europe and emerging markets. Directly comparable to CROWDESTOR in model (loan-participation marketplace), European focus, and Baltic operational base.
- Bondora: Estonia-based P2P consumer/SME lending platform operating across Europe. Comparable to CROWDESTOR in jurisdiction, self-serve retail-investor GTM, and mix of consumer and small-business origination.
- Estateguru: Estonian/Baltic-headquartered real-estate P2B crowdfunding platform focused on property-backed loans across Europe. Directly comparable as a Baltic-rooted peer-to-business lending competitor with a heavily collateralized deal mix.
- Debitum Networks: European P2B lending platform operating with multiple loan originators, including SME, real estate, and corporate loans. Directly comparable business model and cross-border origination approach.
- Twino: European P2P consumer and business loan marketplace with operations across CEE and Western Europe. Comparable to CROWDESTOR in offering both consumer (via Simpleros-like originator partnerships) and SME exposure.
Broad incumbents
- Funding Circle: UK-founded, publicly listed SME P2P/Factoring lender operating across multiple European markets. Comparable as a category-defining incumbent in SME peer-to-business lending; non-overlapping only in that CROWDESTOR sits at the smaller/SME-loan end.
- LendingClub: US-listed marketplace lending pioneer; comparable as a category-defining P2P consumer/SME platform. Same underlying unit economics (origination fee + servicing fee), though primarily US-regulated.
Emerging players
- Bulkestate: Baltic-focused real-estate crowdfunding platform offering pooled property investments. Comparable to CROWDESTOR's collateral-backed real estate category, though narrower in vertical scope.
- Kiva: Global non-profit P2P microlending platform for small businesses. Comparable as a marketplace connecting individual lenders to SME borrowers globally; differs on non-profit status and zero-interest mission.
Regional players
- Linked Finance: Irish-headquartered P2P business lender serving SMEs in Ireland and the UK. Comparable in SME-only focus and direct-investor marketplace model, but primarily UK/Ireland rather than EU/Baltic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CROWDESTOR social profiles
Digital presenceCROWDESTOR financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CROWDESTOR leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
CROWDESTOR subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
CROWDESTOR funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CROWDESTOR M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CROWDESTOR
What does CROWDESTOR do?
CROWDESTOR operates a peer-to-business crowdfunding marketplace that connects SMEs, real estate developers, and specialized project owners (energy, movie production, forestry, gaming) with individual investors globally. It facilitates debt and equity funding campaigns, applies an automated scoring and credit report model for SME credit risk assessment, and offers secondary-market liquidity and a FLEX flexible investment product. The platform operates in the Baltic States (with planned European expansion) and runs a separate consumer P2P lending marketplace (p2p.crowdestor.com) together with Simpleros in Spain.
Is CROWDESTOR a public or private company?
CROWDESTOR is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CROWDESTOR founded?
CROWDESTOR was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CROWDESTOR based?
CROWDESTOR is headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, in the Europe region.
How does CROWDESTOR make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Borrower Structuring Fees are the primary driver. The others are borrower Risk Assessment Fee, borrower Monthly Management Fee, secondary Market Commission and restructuring and Prolongation Fee.
Who are CROWDESTOR's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mintos, Bondora, Estateguru, Debitum Networks and Twino. Broad incumbents are Funding Circle and LendingClub. Emerging players are Bulkestate and Kiva. Linked Finance is listed as a regional player.
Does CROWDESTOR have an API?
No public API is recorded for CROWDESTOR.
What industry is CROWDESTOR in?
CROWDESTOR's product category is Peer-to-business crowdfunding / Marketplace lending. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAHAC, P2P Small Business / SME Marketplace Lending, with a secondary code of FSAKAHAL, P2P Loan Syndication & Participation Platforms. Its SIC code is 6163.