Fintech startup GoHenry just smashed crowdfunding records (and that’s a problem)
A fintech firm which teaches kids how to manage money has smashed its fundraising target, becoming the most highly funded crowdfunded business in Britain.
The success of startup GoHenry, which raised just shy of £4m and surpasses the previous record of £3.5m for JustPark, has spurred crowdfunding platform Crowdcube to call for the existing limit on the value of investments to be raised.
Early-stage businesses can currently raise up to €5m (£3.9m) via equity crowdfunding in the UK.
Read more: Digital challenger bank Tandem smashes crowdfunding target in minutes
"We are leading a charge to convince the EU to raise its limit on the amount of finance that any business can raise without a prospectus. If the €5m limit was lifted, GoHenry could have raised significantly more investment to help it expand into Europe, preparing millions of children for a cashless digital future," said Crowdcube chief executive and co-founder Darren Westlake.
Brussels is currently considering proposals for doubling the threshold to €10m across the area.
More than 2,000 investors ploughed cash into GoHenry for a share of 15.9 per cent equity in the business. The final amount it raised was nearly double its initial £2m target.
“We’re delighted to give the parents that love our product a chance to be a part of our future success too. We are a business that was built by parents so it’s only natural that it continues to be owned, managed and grown by parents as well," said GoHenry co-founder and chief operating officer Louise Hill.
"As our economies become increasingly cashless, and as purchasing moves online, children need to be able to manage their money in a digital age," she added.
Read more: This crowdfunder is the UK's most active investor in private companies
GoHenry, which provides a pre-paid debit card to kids and an app to manage their pocket money, has more than 200,000 members and is growing by 10,000 each month. The startup will spend the money on expanding into Europe, as well as increasing the number of users in the UK and on product development.
It's the latest sign of investors' appetite for innovative finance businesses and follows huge demand for a slice of equity in digital banks Tandem and Mondo via crowdfunding in recent weeks.
GoHenry is the 38th business to raise more than £1m on Crowdcube, breaking JustPark's record set last year to take the top spot in the list of largest ever crowdfunding raises. Mondo boasts the record for the fastest ever raise, hitting £1m in just 96 seconds on Crowdcube.