How to Invest with the Crowd in Irish Startups

Fancy yourself as a bit of a Dragon?  We all do! 

But getting access to attractive deals is impossible and you probably don’t want to invest as much as the average Dragon.  And it would be nice to able to take some comfort from knowing what other investors like yourself think of the investment opportunity. 

Equity crowdfunding gives small to medium sized investors access to the types of deals only previously accessible to Venture Capital companies (or Dragons!).  The crowdfunding industry has exploded in popularity in the UK, USA and Australia as a simple, quick and low-cost way for startups to secure venture funding.   

We didn’t invent equity crowdfunding here at Spark Crowdfunding, but we were the first company to introduce it to the Irish market in mid-2018.  Since then, our investors have invested €384,000 in Fleet, the person to person Car Sharing App; €284,000 in Campsited, the Airbnb for campsites; and €147,000 in Wellola, a med-tech video consultation app.  Interestingly, all three of these companies are also Enterprise Ireland High Potential Startup companies. 

The minimum investment amount in each of these campaigns was €100 and this was designed to appeal to as many small and medium sized investors as possible.  This did not prevent larger investors participating also and each campaign had investors who invested €25,000 or more. 

 

Tax Rebate for Irish Investors in Irish Startups

Irish investors can also claim a tax rebate of 40% of the value of their investment in many of these startups with EIIS (Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme) status.  What this means is that an Irish taxpayer who invests €1,000 in one of these companies can reclaim €400 in the form of a tax rebate (€300 in year 1 and €100 in year 4).  This reduces the risk or maximum loss of a €1,000 investment to €600.  Please contact us for more information on EIIS.    

 

Benefits of Joining Spark Crowdfunding

If you are a small to medium sized investor interested in hearing about new investment opportunities in exciting Irish startups, where the minimum investment amount is typically €100 and where you can actively monitor the amount invested as each campaign evolves and discuss the merits of the investment opportunity with investors like yourself, then Spark Crowdfunding could be for you.     

 

How to Join the Crowd

Registration is free and only takes a couple of minutes.  New members must answer a number of questions to ensure they fully understand the risks of investing in startups.  Click here to register now.  Investors are under no obligation to invest in any campaign and, as we don’t hold investor funds, no deposit is required until a campaign completes. 

 

Spark Crowdfunding – Democratising the way in which Irish investors can invest in Irish startups.

 

If you are interested in signing up as an investor with Spark or would like to know more about raising funds for your business, please click on either of the buttons below: 

        

 

Risk Warning – Investing in Startups is high risk and investors could lose the full value of their investment.  Investors should only invest with money they can afford to lose.  We recommend all investors seek independent financial advice before proceeding with any investment.