London-based Ctrl Alt, a B2B expert solutions provider for alternative assets, announced on Monday, October 23, that it has secured £2.2M (approximately €2.53M) in a fresh round of funding.
The company specialises in helping fintechs and investment platforms expand their offerings to include fractionalised assets like property and green energy, beyond traditional stocks and bonds.
Investors supporting Ctrl Alt
The investment round was led by Forward Partners and Middlegame Ventures.
The round also saw participation from Angel investors and follow-on funds, including Enterprise Ireland, Algorand Ventures, 365.fintech, Syndicate Room, Marc Cohen (Unbundled VC), Omid Ashtari (ex-Google, ex-President Citymapper) and Alex Macdonald (co-founder of sequel & Velocity Black).
Megha Prakash, Senior Investor at Forward Partners says, “Ctrl Alt promises to broaden access to a large range of investments. With a strong background in structuring financial products and his digital-native, and wealth of experience working in the regulated space, Matt is a great founder to tackle this opportunity and we are excited to be backing him.”
Michael Meyer, Managing Partner of MiddleGame Ventures adds, “We believe that more investors should have the ability to invest in higher returning alternative assets.”
“To date, only institutions and the very wealthy have had access. Matt and his team at Ctrl Alt are working to change that. We are thrilled to be backing such a great team that has built a unique business, combining Matt’s expertise on regulation with cutting-edge technology.”
Opening up alternative asset investing
Founded in 2020 by former Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse executive Matt Ong, Ctrl Alt provides API and white-label solutions enabling investment platforms to offer alternative assets.
Beyond traditional stocks and bonds, this move helps financial services stay competitive. Ctrl Alt claims to bridge the gap between asset holders and platforms, democratising exclusive investments for individual consumers.
Matt Ong says, “A culture of exclusivity, overly restrictive entry requirements and archaic processes have meant access to investing in things like property and green energy and more have traditionally been dominated by the super-rich and institutional investors.”
“A diversified portfolio should play a key role in any investment strategy and it’s not right that alternative assets, a typically robust form of investment, remain in the old world of money.”
The demand for alternative assets
Ctrl Alt simplifies the capital raising process for asset owners, managing investments from end to end. This approach broadens the market by bringing more assets in.
Ong says, “There are plenty of asset holders who are looking for new ways to finance and free up capital. By simplifying the process and providing more on-hand support, we’re meeting the growing consumer demand for alternative assets by bringing more assets into the market.”
In 2022, the Private Equity Database showed a 13.3 per cent annual growth in Infrastructure assets, with alternative assets projected to reach $23.3T by 2027.
According to the Independent Financial Advisors (IFA), the demand for alternative assets is rising, especially among Millennials and Gen-Z, with 97 per cent of portfolios increasing allocations to these assets.
The Bank of America study found 75 per cent of investors aged 21 to 42 seek alternatives, highlighting a shift from equities and bonds.
01
Upstream Festival is back for its sixth edition! 4 solid reasons to mark your calendar