Webinar
The Crowdfunding Revolution

*Due to unforeseen circumstances the webinar will not go ahead but will be postponed to a later date. Please check our website for an update date and time.*

Date: Thursday 23 March
Time: 2pm to 3pm

Crowdfunding involves raising funds via an internet platform for a project or venture by collective contributions from a variety of sources. For-profit crowdfunding is the best known example of alternative finance (the offspring of fintech or fusion of new technology and finance) and has mushroomed over the past decade. Debt crowdfunding involves individuals investing in peer-to-peer business loans via platforms such as Funding Circle, LendInvest and Zopa. These accounted for 14% of new lending to UK small businesses in 2015.

In this webinar Professor Jerry Coakley, Professor at the Essex Business School and Deputy Director of the Business and Local Government Data Research Centre, will analyse the benefits and risks of debt crowdfunding for both small businesses and society, and argue that it marks the beginning of a revolution in the financing of small businesses in the UK.