We are very pleased to announce that Seedrs has entered into a strategic partnership with tennis champion Andy Murray.
Andy will join the Seedrs Advisory Board and will work with Seedrs as we grow our brand in the UK and internationally. Like all of our Advisory Board members, he will not be providing investment advice to Seedrs users but instead will offer strategic input to our management team as we continue to grow rapidly.
In addition to his advisory role, Andy will be investing actively through Seedrs as he builds his portfolio of early-stage investments.
Andy the Investor
Andy is at the top of his tennis game right now. Currently ranked number 3 in the world, he won the gold medal in men’s singles at the 2012 Olympics, and in 2013 he became the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
He is off to a great start this season—having been a finalist in the Australian Open, won his first tournament on clay and reached the semi-finals in the French Open—and he plans to continue competing in and winning major tournaments for years to come.
In parallel with his tennis career, however, he has developed a keen interest in investment. Not one simply to hand over his winnings to a manager, Andy is a great example of the growing body of people who want a say in where their capital goes.
He recently purchased the Cromlix House Hotel near his native Dunblane, Scotland (and used it as the venue for his marriage to Kim Sears in April), and he is regularly looking for new investment opportunities.
One area that has interested Andy in particular is the technology space. As the British tech startup ecosystem continues to grow rapidly, he has decided to build up a portfolio of investments in the sector.
Connecting with Seedrs
Rather than approach his tech investments the old-fashioned, off-line way, Andy decided that equity crowdfunding would provide the perfect tool for him. It gives him the chance to access dealflow and make investments in a simple, straightforward way without disrupting his busy tour schedule.
He commented, “I’ve always been interested in investment, and being able to get involved in an innovative way to help support British startups really appealed to me.”
As Andy developed an interest in equity crowdfunding, he took a look at the various platforms on the market. In his words he was focused on “working with people I trusted and who fully understood the huge responsibility of handling people’s money.”
This led him to Seedrs. He began with us by making a few anonymous investments to test out the process, and he liked what he saw. We then began talking with him and his team about entering a more comprehensive relationship, and the partnership we’re announcing today is the result.
The Perfect Alignment
Having Andy on the Seedrs team is a huge boost for us both.
It gives Andy the chance to be a part of a fast-growing and highly innovative business as we continue to build on our position as one of the world’s leading equity crowdfunding platforms. We trust he will find this relationship a great opportunity to build not only his portfolio but also his experience and profile as an investor.
For Seedrs, this relationship promises to add value on a number of fronts. One thing that is especially meaningful for us is that Andy represents the exact combination of qualities that entrepreneurs need to be successful: determination, focus, integrity and skill. He is a fantastic role model for the many businesses that use Seedrs to seek the capital they need to grow, and for the many investors that use Seedrs to build their portfolios.
We are also looking forward to working with Andy as a member of our Advisory Board. We believe he brings a different perspective into certain aspects of the early-stage business community in the health, sport and wearable technology spaces, and we look forward to his input and support.
Final Thoughts
This partnership between Seedrs and Andy Murray represents the first time a major public figure has teamed up with an equity crowdfunding platform in this way. We think it heralds a significant milestone in the growth of Seedrs and the development of the equity crowdfunding industry more generally.
But the person who put it best was Lord Young of Graffham, the Prime Minister’s former Enterprise Adviser and one of the nation’s greatest supporters of entrepreneurship. He said the following: “Both modern tennis and equity crowdfunding have their origins in Britain, and Andy Murray and Seedrs are world-leaders in their respective fields. It is wonderful to see the two coming together in this unique partnership, and I believe the outcome of it will be to see more great British businesses raising the capital they need, and more investors having the chance to be part of those businesses.”
