Funding platform VentureCrowd to open in Singapore as investors stump up $65m in just a year

Digitised capital raiser VentureCrowd plans to beef up its staff numbers by as much as a third as it prepares for an expansion into South East Asia.

The VentureCrowd team with Steven Maarbani on the right. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

After seeing more than $65m invested on its crowdsourced platform over the past 12 months, VentureCrowd is going on a ­hiring spree and opening its first international office in Singapore.

The start-up, which operates on a deal-by-deal basis, has had strong growth over the past three years, having watched $247m invested through its platform.

Over the past 12 months alone, VentureCrowd recorded double the amount of investment of the previous year spread across 70 different capital and property projects.

Chief executive Steve Maarbani now wants to increase the start-up’s footprint in Australia, and to move into South East Asia by opening its first office Singapore.

Up to 10 staff, including data scientists, content managers and capital managers, will join the 45 staff already based in Australia.

About five more will be recruited for the Singapore office, including a country manger, capital managers, marketing staff and compliance personal.

Mr Maarbani attributes VentureCrowd’s success to several things, but says the complete digitisation of investment is one of them.

“We’ve now completely digitised the entire capital-raising process,” he said.

“Somebody can come on and invest in a start-up without ever speaking to anybody at VentureCrowd.”

The VentureCrowd crew of Glen Barry, Darren Tasker, Elle Georgiou Steven Maarbani (middle), Archie Georgiou and Miles Scott. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

These investors were also quiet about who they spoke with.

“Just last week, there was a million-dollar application. I thought it was a typo,” Mr Maarbani said.

“I had asked the team to double check this because it’s the largest single investment we’ve ever ­received without speaking to anybody.”

Young investors have different priorities to their Boomer and Gen X parents.

“This is a group of people who are the beneficiary of the largest generational transfer of wealth in history,” Mr Maarbani said.

“The idea that you should go to play golf with Dad to position an investment option, those days are over.

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“The long lunches and all that stuff is a thing of the past. Very capable and very sophisticated Millennials and Gen Z now hold the purse strings — and will continue to hold more and more things over the next few years.”

Catering for younger investors meant seeking out opportunities that were purpose over profit, Mr Maarbani said.

“They’re not fools, but also they want to make sure that what they’re putting their money into is making some kind of difference to key social problems,” he said.

“So nowadays we won’t do a deal unless it addresses one or more of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.”

Venture Crowd generated $8m in revenue, a figure up 45 per cent year on year.