Seedrs

Seedrs Limited was a UK-based online equity crowdfunding platform founded in 2009 by Jeff Lynn and Carlos Silva as an MBA project at the University of Oxford's Said Business School, and publicly launched in July 2012. It became the first equity crowdfunding platform to receive FCA regulatory approval in May 2012, enabling retail investors to purchase shares in private early-stage companies. Seedrs pioneered a secondary market for unlisted company shares in 2017, allowing investors to buy and sell equity between themselves. By 2022, over 1.9 billion pounds had been invested through the platform, making it the most active funder of private companies in the UK. In December 2021, Seedrs agreed to be acquired by US-based Republic for approximately $100 million, completing in 2022. The Seedrs brand was officially retired on 10 July 2024 when the business rebranded as Republic Europe.