MKT4018 Entrepreneurship in the Digital Sector First Assignment Case Study - Crowdfunding

About This Unit

This assignment is banking and finance for start-ups and Growth-seeking companies. The financial crisis of 2008 was good news for one area of the finance industry -'alternative finance'. This catch-all term covers activities such as 'peer-to-peer (P2P) lending' and 'crowdfunding' - in short,  companies that enable individuals and firms to raise money while cutting out banks.  

Research has shown that this sector has huge potential. In America, for example,  where they've taken a great British financial innovation and ran with it, the two big P2P platforms, Lending Club and Prosper, now have well over $3.2bn in cumulative deal flows between them. And next year could prove a watershed for the British alternative finance sector. In the spring it will become regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), bringing it firmly into the mainstream.  And big institutions have realised that P2P is big news. For example, Liberum  Capital’s Exchange Associates vehicle is looking to raise £200m to invest via P2P  platforms in both the US and the UK, meaning we can expect a rush of money into the sector.  

Case Study Assignment: ‘The London Entrepreneurial Exchange

Investigate the opportunity and marketing campaign to launch a new crowd funding vehicle for start-ups and growth-seeking small firms based in London.