Intro Crowd
 | |
| Privately owned | |
| Industry | Alternative finance |
| Founder | Gregory Baker |
| Headquarters | 1 Fore Street, London, United Kingdom |
Key people | Gregory Baker, Chris Merriman |
| Website |
introcrowd |
Intro Crowd was launched by Gregory Baker in April 2016.[1] Intro Crowd is a crowdfunding platform that allows investors to collectively fund the acquisition of strategically selected land.[2]
The concept was driven by a demand for new housing in the UK.[1][3] Intro Crowd’s first project is a land development at Cam, near Dursley in Gloucestershire.[4] Intro Crowd has funded this project in its entirety.[2]
Model
Intro Crowd identifies strategic land that is near to existing settlements and experiencing high growth in population.[3]
Strategic land is typically on the edges of towns and villages.[4] The sites are listed on the Intro Crowd platform with site plans, a report, and indication of future land value from chartered surveyors.[5]
Intro Crowd then sets up an investment company in order to purchase each plot of land, in which investors then buy shares.[2] Shares can be bought for a minimum of £1,500.[6]
Once the land has been fully funded via the crowdfunding platform, Intro Crowd seek planning permission for the land, which can take anywhere from three to ten years.[2] If planning permission is obtained, the land is then sold to a housing developer and the profits are distributed between the investors.[1]
Key People
Gregory Baker is the CEO and Founder of Intro Crowd.[5] He is also the director and founder of Hermex FX, the City foreign exchange firm.[2]
Chris Merriman is a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and is in charge of the planning aspect of Intro Crowd.[6]
Regulation
Intro Crowd is an appointed representative of Sapia Partners LLP, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).[7]
References
- 1 2 3 Smith, Oliver (27 April 2016). "Intro Crowd thinks crowdfunding land will fix Britain’s housing crisis". The Memo. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Weeks, Ryan (27 April 2016). "Strategic Land Investment Platform Launches". AltFi News. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- 1 2 Da Silva, Marc (20 May 2016). "Crowdfunding website offers new ways to invest in property". Property Investor Today. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- 1 2 Turvill, William (27 April 2016). "Crowdfunding website offers new ways to invest in UK property development". City AM. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- 1 2 Alois, JD (27 April 2016). "Intro Crowd Let’s You Invest in Undeveloped UK Land". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- 1 2 Nair, Praseeda (11 May 2016). "New crowd platform tackles UK's housing shortage, one investment at a time". Growth Business. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ↑ "Intro Crowd Ltd". The Financial Services Register. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
