In The Press

Read the latest press articles about Crowdstacker.

An Entrepreneur from Annan is taking an innovative approach to a new £3 million investment project

DNG24, 14th July 2015
But as he builds up his new property venture, Edward Stevenson is maintaining his ties to the town where he grew up with his firm sponsoring a football match in Annan in memory of two men who died as a result of cancer.

Moving to London 11 years ago to start his career, Edward said: “With my business partners we set up a company from scratch in 2006 and after years of persevering we have now managed to launch a new product across the country.

“The property development investment venture from Quanta Group is based on crowd-funding where people use the Internet to pledge money towards a project, which goes ahead if the target is reached.”

Gathering national media attention with his new venture, Edward, 36, said: “Crowd-funding was popular with some other investment types, and its come into the property world a bit.

“We’ve been working with Crowdstacker, who are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) so it’s all protected, and all structured in the right way, and we’re allowed to advertise it.

“The venture is offering a fixed 6.8 per cent return on a three-year £700 investment as part of a pool of investors, with the money developing a portfolio of properties across the UK.”

Edward added: “Our ambition is to take the company onto the stock market, to become a listed company, and I think if I did that I would probably be one of the first people in Annan to do so.”

And Edward is maintaining his connections to Annan, with Quanta Group sponsoring a charity football match in Annan on July 25 in memory of Chris Donaldson and John Aitken.

Edward said: “Chris Donaldson left a son behind, so we have an annual game for him to raise a little bit of money, and then John Aitken passed away last year. They set up the JMA Trust for him.

“And with this football game that we play every year, our company Quanta will sponsor it, and it will just be a nice thing to do.” Read more at DNG24

Crowdstacker survey finds investors think with their hearts, not heads

UK Investor Magazine, 13 July 2015
When thinking about investing in a company, there are certain factors that should be taken into consideration.

Clearly, the company’s past performance is a good place to start. Read over three years worth of financial reports, cash flow and profit projections and net worth of the company. Secondly, it is necessary to ensure the management of the company you are considering has enough expertise. What are the team behind it like? Look for a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as covering the marketing side. The idea may be fantastic, but if no one knows about it because it isn’t marketed correctly, it won’t be a good investment.

Market analysis is also important – make sure there is a gap in the market for the business you are considering investing in. Start-up companies with too many competitors are no go. Finally, and most importantly: don’t invest what you are not prepared to lose. With only 10% of new businesses surviving their first year, the risk is real and needs to be considered fully.

Whilst this last one may seem obvious, research by crowdfunding platform Crowdstacker suggests that people are actually more likely to think with their hearts than their heads when considering investments.

Read full article at UK investor Magazine

Quanta Group to raise £3m in Crowdstacker's first investment

UK Investor Magazine, 6 July 2015
The new Peer-to-Peer lending platform, Crowdstacker, has opened its first crowdfunding project to investors. The City of London registered company is facilitating a £3m funding raising programme for Quanta Group.

Quanta Group specialise in buying and selling residential property, since 2006 they have completed over 500 deals. Their objective is to buy properties that are in need of refurbishment and dispose of them once work is complete. Quanta acquire the properties and undertake modernisation then sell the improved homes. They say their success stems from the short time frame they are able to turn the projects around.

Read full article at UK Investor Magazine

New crowdfunding opportunity based around property investment

Property Investor Today, 26th June 2015
Quanta is the latest property crowdfunding opportunity to hit the headlines. It is looking to raise £3 million by offering UK investors the chance to get involved in buying, renovating and selling properties from the safety and comfort of their living rooms.

The idea is believed to be the first of its kind and will see money lent to Quanta through Crowdstacker, a peer-to-peer lending platform. The money will be used to buy good quality but neglected properties throughout the UK, with the main aim of restoring them to their former glory and then selling the homes on at a higher price.

Listen to Quanta Group talking to BBC Radio Jersey

Listen to Edward and Robby, the property developers at Quanta Group Ltd, talking about retro fixtures and fittings and their live pitch at Crowdstacker.com called Quanta Loans. Listen to the full radio interview

New peer-to-peer lender launches

Financial Reporter, 8 June 2015
“We see Crowdstacker as the democratisation of higher calibre investment options. We know from our research that the average man or woman on the street isn't yet engaging with investment opportunities such as crowdfunding because they don’t know what it is - or they are put off by not knowing exactly where their money will be spent. The average consumer investor is also put off other sophisticated and less risky investments such as bonds or equities, outside of their standard pensions or managed ISA funds, because they don't understand how they work or they don't have the higher sums of money typically required. Crowdstacker aims to bridge this gap - we’re offering crowdfunding style simplicity combined with quality investment opportunities; we’ll only work with businesses that have passed our stringent due diligence tests."

"Quanta was deemed eligible to be one of the select products we will be offering because of its solid track record in its industry, plus the ability to provide further protection for lenders by using the properties purchased as collateral against the loaned capital."

Peer-to-Peer Lender Introduces First Loan

Landlordnews.co.uk, 8 June 2015
A new peer-to-peer lender has introduced its first loan product, hoping to change the way people invest. Crowdstacker will allegedly be one of the first peer-to-peer platforms to provide retail investors the chance to lend money to non-listed yet established, mid-sized and financially stable companies.

Crowdstacker will fill the gap for larger ticket funding of up to £50m, which is sought by businesses with strong trading track records and a proven ability to provide a strong return on investment (ROI), but which find it difficult to secure lending due to stricter terms by banks after the global financial crisis.

Its first product, The Quanta Loans, has been created for Quanta Group, a nationwide property investment firm that buys run down homes, renovates and resells them. Quanta has bought and sold over 500 properties in the UK and plans to use the target £3m to purchase some of the five to ten high quality properties that they currently have to turn down every month.

Investors can lend anything from £700 and are offered a 6.8% return per year over the three-year term of the product. Interest is paid in quarterly instalments.

Radio interview with Quanta Group at Radio Yorkshire

Radio Yorkshire, 8 June 2015
Listen to Edward Stevenson of Quanta Group talking about property development and their live pitch at Crowdstacker called Quanta Loans.

Listen here.

Quanta Group mentioned in the Daily Mail

Daily Mail, 8 June 2015

..."Investing in homes with outdated decor like avocado bathrooms and Artex ceilings is the best way to quadruple your money, according to a leading property developer."

..."Property specialists Quanta Group advised buying homes with old-fashioned strip-lighting, woodchip wallpaper and even out-of-date kitchens."

Read the full article in the Daily Mail.

New Peer to Peer Lender Crowdstacker Loans to "More Established Business" up to £50 Million

Crowdfund Insider, 6 June 2015

Crowdstacker, a new peer to peer lending platform has launched today with its first loan product. The direct lender explains its approach as offering retail investors the option to lend money to “non-listed but established mid-sized and financially stable businesses.

The first loan product, Quanta Loans, has been created for Quanta Group, a nationwide property investment company that purchases run down or hard to sell houses and flats, refurbishes them, and then resells them. With a history of successfully buying and selling over 500 properties in the UK, Quanta plans to use the target £3m raised by The Quanta Loans to purchase some of the five to ten high quality property opportunities it is currently having to turn down each month because of lack of investment capital.

Investors can lend anything from £700 and will be offered a 6.8% return per annum over the three year life time of the product, with interest paid in quarterly instalments. Properties bought with the money will be done-up and quickly sold on, aiming to ensure that the investment is not affected by fluctuations in the buy-to-let market.