FundedByMe In Bella Italia!

Milan, 6 November 2013

FundedByMe, Europe’s fastest-growing crowdfunding platform, has confirmed a joint venture partnership with international financial consulting firm U-Start. This partnership launches FundedByMe into its seventh country in Europe, following its launch into Germany in September 2013.

U-Start is a global boutique advisory firm offering services targeted at facilitating the matching and cross-border investment amongst international investors based in Europe and early stage companies in Southern and Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. Due to its strategic positioning within the Italian entrepreneurial ecosystem U-Start will be running FundedByMe Italy under guidance from its Swedish head office, based in Stockholm. “U-Start is the next step up for early-stage companies that have completed a crowdfunding campaign on FundedByMe,” says Daniel Daboczy, CEO and co-founder of FundedByMe. “This partnership allows our existing entrepreneurs access to an international network of VC funds, family offices and corporate offices for the next level of financing and allows U-Start a platform from which to grow those companies that are not yet large enough for their extensive network of investors.”

The joint venture sees U-Start supporting the launch of FundedByMe Italy with immediate effect within the Italian borders. “We are extremely positive about this partnership,” says Stefano Guidotti, CEO at U-Start. “We spotted the synergy between our business model and that of a leading European crowdfunding platform months ago. FundedByMe, as U-Start, has a major focus on cross-border investments and thanks our partnership Italian companies could benefit from a global crowdfunding campaign by raising small amount of money.” This announcement sees FundedByMe Italy launching now, with the potential of extending the joint venture into a launch into Brazil and Mexico during 2014. “U-Start already has an international operating platform and we intend to take FundedByMe global with us” Guidotti continues.

The first of four planned Italian crowdfunding campaigns will be live on the FundedByMe platform during November, appealing to the already international membership base of more than 27,000 and aiming to increase the existing total money raised for Equity crowdfunding above its current level of €4,1 million. “FundedByMe is on the highway to success and the high quality of the partnerships we are attracting is testament to a winning formula,” says Daboczy.

About FundedByMe

FundedByMe is Europe's fastest-growing crowd investment platform connecting investors and entrepreneurs – be it through reward-based or equity crowdfunding. Founded in April 2011 in Sweden, FundedByMe today operates with additional offices in Finland, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Germany and Italy. For more information, visit www.fundedbyme.com.

About U-Start

U-Start is the market place where early stage investors can find the most innovative opportunities and scalable businesses in the global scene, scouting the best deal flow, mostly from vetted sources such as top accelerators, incubators, research centers and universities, in some of the most attractive markets worldwide. U-Start facilitates Family Offices and VC Firms through its structured local teams and extensive networks. For more information, visit www.u-start.biz