US FinTech firm Republic has entered into an agreement to purchase crowdfunding platform Seedrs in a deal worth $100m.
According to Republic, the acquisition will create the first global private investment platform with offerings across Europe and North America and will commit substantial capital to drive growth across the UK and Europe.
Republic enables individuals to invest in private market equity, debt or crypto offerings through its retail platform. The company claims it has almost $1bn under management through its private asset management practice.
Seedrs is a crowdfunding platform and was the first regulated securities crowdfunding platform in the world. The firm has seen nearly £1.5bn invested on its platform to date.
The acquisition of Seedrs comes off the back of Republic’s recent $150m Series B financing raise.
Through the acquisition, Republic claims it expects to rapidly advance its presence in Europe and will help commit toward expanding Seedrs reach on the continent, by helping to deliver new innovations and products for European investors and private companies.
Republic noted that it has held a longstanding relationship with Seedrs over the past feew years, with the Seedrs leadership team having served as advisors to Republic’s leadership team. Both companies have also enabled businesses to co-raise on both platforms in order to reach a wider berth of investors.
Republic founder and CEO Kendrick Nguyen said, “Republic launched with the mission to make private investments accessible to all. We knew international expansion was necessary to achieve cross-bordered participation. In working with Seedrs, we have admired their technological capabilities, the strength of their team and their strong presence in the UK and soon Europe. We anticipate further developing the strengths of both companies from retail, secondaries, crypto, and communities to create a clear industry leader. We look forward to working together to shape the future of the industry at this critical stage of growth and innovation.”
Seedrs CEO Jeff Kelisky added, “Seedrs’ ambition has always been to build a global private equity marketplace. This transaction is a natural development of our partnership with Republic to achieve and go beyond that ambition. We share a similar culture, a common goal, and a commitment to the strategic opportunities that lie ahead. We have great admiration for the teams at Republic, and together we can accelerate our plans to create a powerful global private investment marketplace that will transform the finance ecosystem and the communities they serve.”
As a part of the acquisition, Kelisky will join the Republic leadership team and continue as CEO of Seedrs. Seedrs leadership team will also remain intact.
The acquisition – subject to regulatory approval – is expected to be completed in early 2022. The transaction will be structured as an acquisition by Republic of all the outstanding share capital of Seedrs Limited via scheme of arrangement.
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