EIT Health and aescuvest launch first European Crowdfunding Platform for Healthcare
Pioneering project will enable start-ups to accelerate access to market
EIT Health and aescuvest announce the launch of aescuvest.eu, the first pan-European equity crowdfunding platform for European healthcare companies. The platform will be the number one of such services dedicated to foster and fund innovations from European start-ups and SMEs in an end-to-end digital process. Besides, it will allow companies to promote campaigns and EU citizens to invest across borders. The platform will give retail and institutional investors access to best-in-class companies in the core health sectors biotechnology, medical technology and digital health. As prospectus-based security offerings, investment opportunities went through a thorough approval process. The start of the first campaign is expected in Q4 2018.
'We are very proud to have been chosen by EIT Health as the partner for this project, which is trailblazing in the financing and crowdfunding sector', commented Dr Patrick Pfeffer, CEO & Founder of aescuvest. 'EIT Health activities are needs-driven and feature the engagement of future users in the development, testing and scaling of solutions, in co-creation environments. It is the goal of aescuvest.eu to build a bridge between European citizens, healthcare professionals and healthcare innovators.'
Jan-Philipp Beck, CEO of EIT Health, added: 'Crowdfunding stops at country borders these days. The cooperation with aescuvest.eu enables EIT Health to provide a unique service that will attract lots of start-ups and clearly differentiate us against any other accelerator. aescuvest.eu gives strong visibility, helps creating a bigger customer base, higher funding volume and therefore increased chances to succeed and to create impact. aescuvest's specialisation, expert due diligence and excellent digital reach of professionals within the sector, combined with EIT Health’s incomparable access to hundreds of innovative companies, offers investors an exciting investment opportunity.”
One unique tool that addresses financing, marketing and sales
EIT Health is a network of best-in-class health innovators backed by the EU. By collaborating across borders, EIT Health delivers solutions to enable European citizens to live longer, healthier lives. To achieve these goals, EIT Health connects all relevant healthcare players across European borders – making sure to include all sides of the “knowledge triangle,” so that innovation can happen at the intersection of research, education, and business. EIT Health brings together healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and citizens, offering them new opportunities and resources. The crowdfunding platform aescuvest.eu gives the offering further breadth with a unique tool that addresses financing, marketing and sales in order to help the most promising health start-ups to scale up their businesses across Europe.
Dr Pfeffer added: 'Crowdfunding gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to attract the attention of investors and customers and to benefit from their willingness to provide funds, knowledge, and widespread contacts. On aescuvest.eu, all of this is offered in equity over a fixed contract period. Companies will be able to raise EUR 1 million to 10 million with a standardised prospectus, both allowing for cross-border financing under the European "passporting" regime. It is possible to raise between EUR 500 000 and 1 million in capital, without issuing a prospectus.'
aescuvest.eu will enable investors to participate in handpicked projects that have been reviewed by an independent investment committee. It provides the possibility to take advantage of early stage investments in the largest economic sector of Europe that offers stable and sustained growth, not at least due to an ageing society. The co-owner model is structured to enable retail investments alongside business angel and venture capital funding. Open to companies from across the EU, the initial funding focus will be on Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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