Cur8 Capital Announces Rebranding and Launch of Its Investment Fund with a Focus on Projects by Entrepreneurs from Diverse Backgrounds
- Written by Newsfile
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - July 11, 2022) - IFG.VC has announced its rebrand as Cur8 Capital as part of its business evolution strategy. The firm specializes in providing investors with access to investment in startups and real estate ventures that investors from diverse backgrounds primarily helm.
Finding investors for startups is generally an uphill task, but it is even more difficult for founders of startups from diverse backgrounds. In 2021, only 1.3% of VC funding in Europe went to founding teams solely made up of ethnic minorities[1]. Women-led startups received only 2.3% of venture capital funding in 2020[2]. Cur8 targets investment in early-stage, high-growth tech startups that are led mainly by entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. All of the investments are screened thoroughly for sharia and ethics compliance, with 63% of the startups having either female or minority founders. 50% of the deals are related to sectors that have a positive social impact.
The Cur8 team itself primarily hails from minority backgrounds. "Investing in diverse founders isn't a tick box exercise or a sentimental point for us," said Ibrahim Khan, partner at Cur8 Capital. "The data shows that it makes for a better investment portfolio. And the most sustainable way to attract capital into minority-led startups is to have genuinely diverse fund managers managing the money of a diverse investor pool."
Retail investors are now more open to investment in alternative assets with stock markets across the world plunging after the US Federal Reserve raised rates and inflation reaching record levels[3].
Cur8 is a UK-based firm seeded by the popular global Islamic personal finance website islamicfinanceguru.com[4] ("IFG") that offers investors deals on a regular basis within the startup and real estate segments. The investors become part of an angel investor syndicate that invests in such deals. The launch of Cur8 Capital's first VC fund, Impact Fund I, means investors can now simply allocate capital in the fund and get access to a range of startup investments whilst retaining the ability to cherry-pick certain deals via the syndicate.
Cur8 specializes in startups focusing on financial technology (fintech), media, and communities. The firm has generated an impressive track record, having invested in over 50 companies, outperforming most first-time fund managers with an IRR in excess of 35%. Cur8 Capital has previously invested in breakout startups such as Quit Genius, Causal, and XYZ Realty. UK investors will be able to benefit from EIS relief, and the fund is open for investors globally.
Mohsin Patel, a partner at Cur8 Capital, said, "Institutions typically invest 30% or more into alternative investments, but most of us have no way to access these hard-to-reach asset classes. With Cur8, we're disrupting what asset classes everyday investors have access to. We've started with venture capital and real estate, and we want to unlock more. In this low return environment, this is more relevant than ever before."
Media contact:Name: Mohsin PatelEmail: mohsin@cur8.capital[5]
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/130481[6]
References
- ^ In 2021, only 1.3% of VC funding in Europe went to founding teams solely made up of ethnic minorities (www.newsfilecorp.com)
- ^ Women-led startups received only 2.3% of venture capital funding in 2020 (www.newsfilecorp.com)
- ^ stock markets across the world plunging after the US Federal Reserve raised rates and inflation reaching record levels (www.newsfilecorp.com)
- ^ islamicfinanceguru.com (www.newsfilecorp.com)
- ^ mohsin@cur8.capital (www.newsfilecorp.com)
- ^ https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/130481 (www.newsfilecorp.com)