Crowdcube Crowdfunding Platform: Leader’s Journey Overview

Crowdcube is one of the leaders in investment-based crowdfunding. Starting as a platform empowering individuals to invest in small, emerging businesses, Crowdcube has transformed into a robust crowdfunding platform bridging the gap between ambitious startups and a community of investors eager to support innovation. 

Let’s take a closer look at the Crowdcube’s journey and explore the insights from its successes and failures.

Crowdcube launch

Crowdcube was launched in 2011 by Darren Westlake and Luke Lang in Exeter, the United Kingdom with the aim to provide individuals with an opportunity to invest in small companies. 

As Luke Lang recalls, “It took a long time to fund our first pitch. It took well over five months for one business to raise £75,000 from 80 people.  Entrepreneurs were fearful of putting their business plan or their idea online in the public domain.”

Crowdcube challenges

A key challenge in the early days of Crowdcube was getting investors to fund businesses they’d never heard about. However, that fear was soon replaced by intrigue and excitement, and the platform’s popularity grew. It soon became a good option for investors and entrepreneurs looking to raise capital to support their business ideas. 

Over time, the platform added new various types of investment opportunities and introduced the concept of mini-bonds which allowed investors to lend money to businesses at a fixed annual rate.

Luke Lang says that the regulatory environment was another challenge that the new platform had to overcome. 

At that time, there was no specific regulation to oversee the activities of Crowdcube. This is why when Crowdcube received authorization from the UK Financial Services Authority in 2013 thus becoming the world’s first regulated equity crowdinvesting platform. 

It was a significant milestone not only for the platform, but for the entire crowdinvesting sector.

Expansion to other countries

Soon after getting the FSA (FCA) authorization in 2013, the company expanded to the Swedish market, and soon after that, Crowdcube announced its agreement to expand its operations to the Italian market. 2013 was also the year when Crowdcube surpassed the mark of $5 million raised on the platform.

After that, the company continued signing joint venture agreements that would allow it to operate in Brazil, Poland, and Dubai. However, looking back, these expansions didn’t seem to work out.

Crowdcube licensed under ECSP

In November 2021, the European Crowdfunding Service Provider’s Regulation went into effect in the entire European Union. It allowed companies to raise up to EUR 5 million from anyone in Europe. But at the same time, a new challenge appeared: crowdfunding platforms had to obtain an ECSP license to continue their operations.

Crowdcube was pioneering the trend here, too. 

Crowdcube is the first investment crowdfunding platform to gain approval under the European Crowdfunding Service Provider Rules (ECSPR). The platform, which has operated a subsidiary in Spain for years, secured authorization from the Spanish regulator, Comisión Nacional del Mercados de Valores (CNMV).

Crowdcube highlighted that issuers can raise up to €8 million in the UK while simultaneously raising in Europe, effectively increasing the European funding cap to €13 million. This is particularly significant for European firms aiming to raise over €5 million.

A few months earlier, Circle, a leading digital asset firm and stablecoin issuer, as well as the owner of the investment platform SeedInvest, invested $10.5 million in Crowdcube as part of a $13.5 million funding round. The investment was made using USD Coin (USDC), a dollar-pegged stablecoin. This partnership positions the combined platforms to raise almost unlimited funds when including US investors.

Crowdcube in 2025

Crowdcube is a leader in equity crowdfunding, with operations spanning the UK, EU, and the USA. The platform has facilitated raising over €1.5 billion for more than 1,300 businesses, creating opportunities for startups and established companies. 

Its vibrant community of over 1.7 million members underscores its appeal and accessibility. With a minimum investment starting at just €10, Crowdcube caters to all types of investors, from seasoned professionals to those taking their first steps in the investment world.

How to launch a crowdinvesting platform with LenderKit

If you are thinking about launching a crowdinvesting platform similar to Crowdcube, you can use white-label crowdfunding software provided by LenderKit.

One of our clients, Charm Impact even raised capital on Crowdcube to facilitate their business development and growth.

Charm Impact employs a blended finance approach, merging donations with debt financing to supply entrepreneurs with the capital needed to develop transformative solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. 

In the meantime, LenderKit is suitable for all types of businesses — investment-based or focused on donation fundraising. 

We provide white-label investment software that comes with readily available features which allow you to start operations in no time and can be customized to meet your needs. 

While our product comes with all the required integrations, we can also add custom ones to streamline your business operations.

We did a comparison video of LenderKit vs Crowdcube, so you can check it out to see how our platform works:

If you are ready to explore how our crowdfunding software can help your business grow, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss the collaboration opportunity.