GCV will use the investment to develop a new P2P lending platform. The new platform will focus on providing access to pre-vetted, quality investment opportunities that have the potential to deliver strong investment growth, and support syndication between institutional, professional and retail investors.
GCV launched its first crowdfunding platform, GrowthFunders, in 2014. The new funding will also support the business in further developing its investment platforms and increasing deal flow for its expanding investor base.
Bill Kennedy, Partner at Maven, said: “Alternative finance, including crowdfunding and peer to peer lending is becoming an increasingly mainstream asset class. Maven is pleased to support GCV to enable it to further develop and enhance its highly sophisticated investment platform which has been uniquely designed to connect investors with opportunities across the real estate, technology, and clean energy sectors.”
Norman Peterson, co-founder and CEO at GCV, added: “As a result of Maven’s investment, we will be able to evolve the GrowthFunders platform, and add P2P lending to our model that will enable investors to access an additional number of asset classes and build a diversified and balanced portfolio.”
Craig Peterson, co-founder, and COO at GCV said: “The alternative finance sector has a valuable part to play in stimulating economic growth and innovation in the UK. Equity and lending based platforms have seen an increase in co-investment from institutional investors, a trend we believe will increase significantly in the coming years. Our online investors are keen to participate alongside specialist institutional investors to support businesses and projects that have the potential to make a difference precisely because they are tackling problems in underserved markets.”
The deal for GCV represents Maven’s fourth Venture Capital Trust investment this year and in total its tenth Private Equity transaction of 2016.
