The Finnies (run by Fintech Australia) is the leading Australian business awards for achievement in the Fintech industry. In the 2019 Awards, there were more than 200 entries with a record number entered into the Fintech Organisation of the Year. Equitise won the Excellence in Crowdfunding award, as well as being a Finalist for the Fintech Organisation of the Year award, alongside industry giants such as Prospa and AfterPay.
It’s a quite a journey for Founders Chris Gilbert and Jonny Wilkinson, starting Equitise in 2014 in Australia and New Zealand. As retail equity crowdfunding wasn’t legal in Australia, the Founders concentrated their effort in New Zealand, only running wholesale and IPO offers in Australia whilst lobbying the government for change. In 2017, the Australian Government legalised retail equity crowdfunding and Equitise was one of the first to be granted a license being the only platform with direct retail equity crowdfunding experience.
Jonny Wilkinson said, ‘’Equity Crowdfunding is still a new concept with many Australians still unaware you can invest in exciting early-stage companies. However, the public’s awareness of our industry and our offers continues to grow which makes it both rewarding and a challenge.
We have disrupted the traditional sources of capital raising and have given the opportunity to the everyday Australians to invest in early-stage companies. To date, we have successfully managed to raise over $8.4 million via the ‘crowd’. One of the major milestones in our journey was the raise with Endeavour Brewing Co., where we successfully raised more than $550,000, making it the most successful raise for a brewery in Australia. Direct Injection Technologies, an AgTech company from QLD, reached its minimum target within 24 hours raising over $650,000 in total. Lastly, neobank disruptor Xinja - the first company to do a first and then second equity crowdfunding - has raised more than $5.3 million.’’
We are proud of this award as it’s a result of our team’s hard work and dedication. We look forward to working with more exciting early-stage companies, giving alternative capital raising and investment opportunities to Founders and everyday investors respectively.''
Read the B&T article on the awards here