Seedrs 2020 Year in Review

2020 was a big year for the Seedrs Secondary Market, with a record-breaking +193% growth in value transacted. August saw the introduction of variable pricing, bringing more investors and liquidity into the market and representing a huge step forward in our path to a fully functioning market. By December, sellers had seen profits increase by a massive 250%* versus January, and businesses too reaped the rewards, with the secondary market providing a compelling investor engagement mechanism for businesses in between primary rounds.

This year we also opened secondaries to a wider group of private businesses, allowing a company's direct shareholders - from founders to angels to employees - to sell their shares to Seedrs investors regardless of whether the business raised primary capital through Seedrs. Since launch, we’ve generated a fantastic amount of interest in this service, partnering with Capdesk and launching our first Secondary Campaign with Safetonet, and we have many exciting businesses in the pipeline for 2021.

When the scale of the Covid pandemic became apparent to us in March 2020, we—like pretty much every other company across the globe—had no idea what would be in store for us. We battened down the hatches as best we could, focusing on our core business and deferring longer-term strategic projects, but we thought there was no way of avoiding a down year—and likely significantly down—compared with our record achievements in 2019.

So to come to the end of 2020 having delivered meaningful growth across all key metrics is a source of great pride. The numbers we are sharing here represent two things for us. First, they are a validation of one our founding hypotheses, that equity investment in growing private companies is a largely non-correlated activity that can thrive in good times and in bad. But equally, they are a testament to the hard work and tremendous dedication of our whole team, working under tough circumstances to deliver the best possible outcomes for our entrepreneurs and investors.

We are also conscious that, while a number of our portfolio companies have likewise thrived this year, many others—especially, but not only in the hospitality and leisure spaces—have struggled under these extraordinary conditions. We were pleased to be able to support a number of them with new financing rounds, including 45 campaigns we that attracted matched funding from the UK government’s Future Fund. For some others, the burdens of the year were just too great to survive, and while such is the life of startups, we commiserate with their teams and wish them the best of luck in their next endeavours.

We enter 2021 buoyed by our achievements in the past year, but also conscious that normality is still a ways off. Whatever the year ahead holds in store for the economy and the world, we look forward to continuing to expand and improve our offering (including through our planned merger with Crowdcube) and to providing more investors with more opportunities to invest in more great entrepreneurial businesses than ever before.

Investing involves risks, including loss of capital, illiquidity, lack of dividends and dilution, and should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. Please read the Risk Warnings before investing. Investments should only be made by investors who understand these risks. Note that not all shares will be eligible for the secondary market and, even if they are, the ability to buy and sell shares will depend on demand. It can be difficult to find a buyer or seller, and investors should not assume that an early exit will be available just because a secondary market exists. This webpage has been approved as a financial promotion by Seedrs Limited ("Seedrs"), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Seedrs does not provide legal, financial or tax advice of any kind. If you have any questions with respect to legal, financial or tax matters relevant to your interactions with Seedrs, you should consult a professional adviser.

*The performance figures set out on this webpage refer to the past, and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. As such, this is not an indication of the performance of any other investment opportunity on Seedrs. Returns were calculated using unaudited accounts and are inclusive of fees.

Seedrs Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (No. 550317). © Seedrs Limited 2019. All rights reserved. Seedrs is a registered European Community trademark (No. 008771537) and registered United States service mark (No. 85423072) of Seedrs Limited, a limited company registered in England and Wales (No. 06848016), with registered office at Churchill House, 142-146 Old Street, London EC1V 9BW, United Kingdom, VAT No. GB 208 3065 32.