Symbid and Catena Partner Up to Offer Independent Risk Scoring With Loan-based Equity Crowdfunding

The Funding Network by Symbid, Online Funding Platform for Small Businesses, Adds Professional Third-Party Scoring

By Robert Hoskins

Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Symbid Corp. (OTCQB: SBID) announced a partnership with Catena, spin-off of leading European treasury and risk management firm, to provide INRISC, an automated credit risk scoring and pricing service for its upcoming loan crowdfunding product. The partnership means Symbid becomes one of the first online funding platforms to use an independent third party to score investment opportunities and set objective interest rates. Using standardized accounting data and fully automated processes, it represents efficient risk management for entrepreneurs and investors.

Symbid is the only platform in the Netherlands where investors become shareholders

“We’re delighted to announce this strategic partnership with Catena Investments while The Funding Network continues to grow and mature. As our monthly transaction volume exceeds $35 million it is right that we keep pushing for more professionalism,” said Korstiaan Zandvliet, co-founder and CEO of Symbid Corp. “With Catena on board, we’re confident that our upcoming loan crowdfunding product will be the most transparent on the market. Looking ahead, instant scoring and pricing will be a cornerstone of our offering to professional investors. This is a big step forward in our mission of simplifying the way small businesses are funded.”

Catena Investments, a Zanders spin-off specialising in the development of state-of-the-art financial technology solutions, will assess the credit risk of loan propositions with its INRISC service using data provided by Monitoring by Symbid. This data is, in turn, streamed via accountant reporting systems. This automated scoring and pricing process is expected to be an improvement on the market standard. Most online funding platforms continue to operate scoring models internally that allow companies have a say in the final interest rate of a loan.

“With INRISC we mean to provide the market off-the-shelf solutions that will ultimately enable the investment industry to benefit from more transparency on risk and pricing, specifically for alternative investments such as crowdfunding,” said Marco Behling of Catena Investments. “Working together with Symbid represents a unique opportunity for us to link to the day-to-day needs of the crowd with independent and state-of-the art scoring models and adequate pricing of requested credit facilities.”

The Funding Network by Symbid is a go-to platform for start-ups and small businesses in search of funding. Through advanced investing, monitoring and data tools Symbid is connecting traditional and alternative finance in a new, online model. With over $100 million provided to small businesses via The Funding Network in its first 3 months, this partnership validates Symbid as a leading European player in financial technology. Although this funding volume does not currently equate to a significant revenue stream there is potential for a monthly recurring revenue model to be added in the near future.

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Vignet’D Lauches Record $2.9M Equity Crowdfunding Campaign for Investors on Symbid in the Netherlands

The company has already completed funding from informal investors, but now seeks the participation and knowledge of Symbid’s 27,000 active investors

By Robert Hoskins

Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Vignet’D plans to break records on the Symbid (OTCQB: SBID) equity crowdfunding platform by seeking $2.9 million (EUR 2.3m) in investment from Symbid’s investment community. Symbid became the first publicly listed crowdfunding platform worldwide in December 2013.  If successful, this will be the largest campaign ever at Symbid, one of the first investment crowdfunding platforms worldwide, while also ranking among the largest equity crowdfunding campaigns globally. Vignet’D expects to build on the success of their campaign by going public on the AIM London Stock Exchange in 2015.

The Vignet’D has a digital agency specialising in mobile strategies & concepts that ensures deep engagement with your customer. Scanning the product package or using AR techniques allows you to use multimedia to further enhance your product’s message.

Unlimited Crowdfunding Potential
By fluidly integrating digital codes into packaging designs, Vignet’D aims to transform a simple box or carton into a powerful marketing communication tool. While scanning codes with a smartphone is not necessarily new, the company’s emphasis on the whole user experience from shelf to social media is revolutionizing consumer packaging. Vignet’D specializes in an integrated approach to marketing strategy, app development, interactive and package design.

The company creates everything in-house to ensure that the final experience is both beautiful and engaging: consumers are stimulated to access additional content, ranging from nutritional information to online games. The invisibility of the code means manufacturers can also use Vignet’D technology to prevent product imitations. The commitment to a fully interactive design, with safeguards against fakes, means Vignet’D is able to take retail packaging into new directions which traditional 2D barcodes (like the QR code) could not.

Although a young company, Vignet’D has already had several successful demo projects with global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers and retailers. Game developers and publishers, including Rovio (Angry birds) and Triangle Studios, are pursuing the Vignet’D technology because of its clear potential for merchandising.

The Added Value of Crowdfunding Campaign Launches
Vignet’D is now seeking funding to further develop this groundbreaking technology and scale up their marketing and sales activities globally. The company has already completed funding from informal investors, but now seeks the participation and knowledge of Symbid’s 27,000 active investors: the crowd.

“With our solid partnerships and tested products, Vignet’D has already been validated by the market for its huge global potential,” said CEO Martin Bril. “For us this campaign is about more than just finding investment. We want the crowd’s involvement, their experience, their ideas and ultimately the extra value this generates. Together with Symbid we want to give investors large and small the opportunity to buy a stake in our company’s future.”

The sheer business potential of Vignet’D is a sign that the investment crowdfunding industry is making significant progress, with Symbid leading the way.

“After the exponential growth we’ve been seeing here at Symbid, for us this campaign is a large cherry on the cake,” said Korstiaan Zandvliet, Symbid CEO and co-founder. “As crowdfunding matures and people begin to realize its true potential, it’s crucial that Symbid continues to attract innovative, high-growth startups like Vignet’D. We see 2015 as a big year for the Symbid funding platform.”

International Ambitions
When the $2.9m funding target is reached, Vignet’D will not only become the largest Symbid campaign ever, but also one of the largest investment crowdfunding campaigns worldwide. However, in line with their strategy of international expansion, the company plans to complete another crowdfunding campaign in Germany with Symbid.

Founded in April 2011 as one of the first investment crowdfunding platforms worldwide, Symbid allows non-accredited investors to invest online in start-ups and SMEs with as little as EUR 20 in exchange for shares in those companies. Based in the Netherlands, Symbid has emerged as a global leader in investment crowdfunding due to our innovative technological infrastructure, user-friendly interface and commitment to providing a secure funding environment for both investors and entrepreneurs.

The Symbid team’s extensive experience with start-ups means entrepreneurs choosing our platform receive all the coaching and advice necessary for a successful campaign. This, in turn, ensures that investors using the Symbid platform can be confident in the profitability of their investment.

As of December 2014, Symbid has successfully funded over 65 start-ups for a total capital sum of $7,000,000.

In 2015 the company is expected to expand its product portfolio with several new (alternative and traditional) financial services in order to develop the Symbid platform towards an online fundraising network. Meanwhile, Symbid anticipates a European roll-out of its investment crowdfunding platform beginning in Q4 2014.

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