Crowdfunding is fueling growth of the Sharing Economy

Compare and Share is the comparison marketplace of the Sharing Economy, a one-stop shop for people and companies - a gateway to the Sharing Economy. 8 in 10 Sharing Economy startups see crowdfunding as the best way to raise finance

80% of Sharing Economy startups now see crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending as the best ways to grow their business, says new research by Compare and Share, the world’s first comparison marketplace of the Sharing Economy.

This is set against a backdrop of growth in the alternative finance sector with peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding set to see the largest growth between 2013 and 2025 according to PwC1, growing by an average 65% over this period. Previously, Google declared 2014 a “big year” for crowdfunding, with 21-times more searches performed than in 2013. In 2014 alone, the UK alternative finance market provided £840 million worth of business finance for start–ups and SMEs. 2

“Crowdfunding has become the Sharing Economy poster child of the finance sector, with 8 out of 10 startups in the space seeing this as the prime way to grow their business. Crowdfunding not only offers Sharing Economy startups access to finance but embodies the sharing values building a network of brand champions (the crowd) who contribute to the longer term growth and success of the company.” Says Benita Matofska, global Sharing Economy expert and Chief Sharer of Compare and Share.

Compare and Share made crowdfunding history in 2013 when they become the first company in the world to triple their crowdfunding target on equity based platform Crowdcube, raising 303% of their target.

Compare and Share’s second raise on Crowdcube went live this week and expects to be oversubscribed again. You can see the pitch here

For additional information contact: Benita Matofska, +44(0)7793276205 email: benita@compareandshare.com

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