Risk Summary
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes.
Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
1.You could lose all the money you invest
– Most investments are shares in start-up businesses or bonds issued by them. Investors in these shares or bonds often lose 100% of the money they invested, as most start-up businesses fail.
– Checks on the businesses you are investing in, such as how well they are expected to perform, may not have been carried out by the platform you are investing through. In addition to the Fundraise information, you should do your own research before investing.
2.You won’t get your money back quickly
– Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back depending on the opportunity available at the time.
– You may have the opportunity to sell your investment early through an available and appropriate secondary market, but there is no guarantee you will find a buyer at the price you are willing to sell.
– The most likely way to get your money back is where another appropriate investor purchases your shares (as per above) or the Firm is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
– Start-up businesses very rarely pay you back through dividends. You should not expect to get your money back this way.
3.Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
– Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
4.The value of your investment can be reduced
– If your investment is shares, the percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
– These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment. You should check the Terms sheet if you are unclear on the rights that come with this investment.
5.You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
– Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here.
– Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated platform, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here. For further information about investment-based crowdfunding, visit the FCA’s website here.