Symbid acquired by SeedBlink

Dutch equity crowdfunding platform Symbid has been acquired by Romanian crowdfunder SeedBlink. Combined, the platforms have invested over 110 million euros in 250 tech startups in total. Symbid users now gain access to more European investment opportunities.

Symbid history

According to Symbid, it was the first equity crowdfunding platform in the world at its launch in 2011. The company focuses on shares of startups, particularly those operating in the tech industry. These are investments with high risks.

The Dutch platform wanted to expand internationally, but never succeeded in doing so. The company stayed active within the Netherlands, but with a small offer of investment opportunities. In 2020, the platform traded less than 300,000 euros and last year it was also limited to almost 2 million euros.

Acquisition by SeedBlink

This week, the companies announced the acquisition, though the amount involved in the deal is unknown. Together, they have invested over 110 million euros in 250 startups, with a combined network of 62,000 investors. Although in the case of Symbid, this is a sum of partly dated data.

Symbid is active in across Europe

SeedBlink launched in 2020 and has since then gathered a network of 12,000 private investors. In total, it has provided startups with more than 75 million euros. Compared to well-known English equity platforms like Seedrs or Crowdcube, it still has a long way to go. It currently has a portfolio of over 60 companies from 12 countries and focuses on technology startups and scale-ups.

‘We want to be present in all member states of the European Union.’

The platform already has offices in Greece, Bulgaria and Austria. In addition to the expansion to the Netherlands, it also expects to expand to France and the Czech Republic soon. “We want to have a presence in all member states of the European Union. We’ll be announcing more acquisitions in the next year and a half”, said Radu Georgescu, chairman of SeedBlink.

Effects of the acquisition

As a result of the acquisition, SeedBlink will enlarge its pool of investors with Symbid’s existing network. SeedBlink also strengthens its position with the network of professional investors with which Symbid is already connected, such as banks, VCs and angel investors.

‘Investors get access to more opportunities.’

Symbid’s team will continue to lead investment opportunities in the Benelux. Users get access to pan-European investment opportunities. The acquisition will not have any consequences on current investments.

“Joining forces will help us strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering a unique digital finance infrastructure, secondary market and an agile network of professional investors who co-invest with individual investors across Europe”, said Robin Slakhorst, founder of Symbid.