In a recent development, Velocity Capital Fintech Ventures has added crowdfunder Lendahand to their portfolio, with an investment of €1 million. The money will be used to accelerate the growth of Lendahand – to date EUR 50 million has already been lent through the website – and to further implement the international expansion.
Willem Willemstein (Founder of Velocity): “We believe in the ability of entrepreneurs to make an impact through successful business models. As the largest social impact investing platform in the Netherlands, Lendahand has demonstrated its ability to link European investors and companies in emerging markets in an efficient and innovative way. Velocity is therefore happy to invest in the further rollout of this proven approach ”.
Koen The (CEO of Lendahand): “Since the start in 2013, Lendahand has grown with at least 50% in volumes every year. The first years we financed the company with seed capital from angel investors. Now that we have outgrown the start-up phase and successfully combat poverty in developing countries as a scale-up, it is time for a professional investor with a lot of fintech experience, who also has its heart in the right place. With Velocity we have found that combination and we are very happy with that.”
Rotterdam-based Lendahand is an online impact investing platform where socially aware investors can invest in entrepreneurs and sustainable initiatives in emerging economies. By creating new jobs and enabling people there to improve their access to basic needs, poverty is combated. Not by giving, but by investing. 5,000 investors have now lent more than EUR 50 million to 2,500 entrepreneurs in 25 countries. At the end of 2018, Lendahand was named best crowdfunding platform in the Netherlands by IEX.
Velocity Capital Fintech Ventures is a new fund that invests exclusively in fintech companies. In addition to the Velocity directors, the venture is funded by Dutch family offices with extensive experience in investing in young companies. By using in-depth knowledge and insights, the fund selects innovative companies worldwide that want to structurally improve sectors. Velocity always has the same goal in mind: to stimulate some of the world’s most promising fintech players with funding, expertise and unique relationships to unlock the potential to the maximum.
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