Raising finance is one of the toughest problems
entrepreneurs face when launching their business. BankToTheFuture.com founder Simon Dixon is
aiming to ease the process by encouraging people to invest in small
businesses in return for special bonuses.
0-5 seconds: Sum your business up in a
sentence
We are an online platform that allows entrepreneurs to raise
finance from a crowd of investors by offering them rewards, equity
or monthly interest.
5-10 seconds: What's the business
model?
We charge a success fee off all funds raised through our
platform as well as offering online training on getting investment
ready. We also help people build their social capital score which
builds on traditional credit scoring. Social capital score is one
of the rating tools used by the BankToTheFuture.com that measures
additional factors beyond traditional credit-rating. It is based on
the member/investor's social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,
Google+) connections, activity and recommendations/reviews from
followers.
10-15 seconds: Who are your
competitors?
Funding Circle, Crowd Cube, Seedrs and Kickstarter.
15-20 seconds: What's your USP?
We are the only platform that allows businesses to raise finance
and investors to invest in three different ways as well as help
them to build a social capital score for future funding rounds.
20-25 seconds: How have you funded it so
far?
We funded out of the founders pockets, then raised our first
round on our own platform.
25-30 seconds: What were you doing
before?
I was an investment banker before setting up a training company
for investment bankers and my wife Bliss Dixon the co-founder was a
banker before joining the training company and helping students to
become more ethical bankers.
30-35 seconds: Where did the idea come
from?
I wrote a book on the future of finance called 'Bank To the
Future' and have been advising parliament on how to increase
competition in banking, so decided to set up our own online
financial institution.
35-40 seconds: What's the smartest thing you've
done so far?
Getting Richard Branson to get behind us. "I like the goals of
BankToTheFuture.com, where everything is transparent and people can
see what happens with their money." Sir Richard Branson
40-45 seconds: What's the stupidest?
Spending two years to get everything ready for launch. Could
have been one year or less with the knowledge we have now.
45-50 seconds: If your business was a biscuit,
what would it be?
Rich Tea. Like the nation's favourite biscuit, we want to become
the nation's favourite crowd-funding platform and get more money
into the hands of entrepreneurs who deserve it. Entrepreneurs who
will go on to create jobs that will make our country rich.
50-55 seconds: Which idea are you a bit jealous
of?
There is a bank in Germany that has a banking licence and is
fully social media driven. We are looking to get our banking
licence one day in the future.
55-60 seconds: Where are you going to be in 12
months' time?
At the one year birthday with other entrepreneurs and investors
showing that we managed to support each other and get more finance
in the hands of SME's.
For more information about BankToTheFuture, click
here