Republic.co is an equity crowdfunding platform that allows non-accredited investors to access highly vetted investment opportunities in:
- Startups
- Real estate
- Video Games
- Cryptocurrency
The platform is made possible by a provision in the 2012 Jumpstart Our Businesses (JOBS) Act, which enables companies in their early stages to source funding from non-accredited investors in exchange for equity of future profits.
In this article, we’ll be going through:
- The founding of Republic.co
- The concept behind Republic.co
- Success stories on Rebpublic.co
- Additional resources surrounding equity crowdfunding.
Let’s get started.
Founding of Republic.co
Republic.co is a part of the AngelList family of startups that also includes companies such as CoinList and ProductHunt.
The platform was born in 2016 after Republic.co spun out of AngelList with CEO Ken Nguyen spearheading the co-founding effort. He paired up with Paul Mechov, former CTO at CoinList, to bring the project to life.
AngelList continues to hold an equity interest in Republic itself.
Since the company’s founding, they’ve acquired some impressive statistics:
- $200M invested to date
- Over 1 million members
- Over 700,000 people have invested
- More than 250 completed deals
To learn more about Republic.co stats and the company in general, visit their About Page.
The Concept Behind Republic.co
Republic allows anyone to invest in private startups through regulation crowdfunding.
Companies put together a campaign page which can be browsed by investors. The campaigns essentially function as a pitch.
From there, investors are able to invest as little as $10 or up to $107,000 in startups that they believe have a bright future.
And in exchange for their investment, they are given a stake — hence the “equity” in equity crowdfunding — in the company’s future profits. The larger the investment, the larger stake that investor will receive.
More or less, much like other equity crowdfunding platforms such as StartEngine or WeFunder, Republic.co serves as a Kickstarter for investments.
On traditional crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, backers are given a reward for their monetary support of the project, which usually comes in the form of a tangible product.
The real prize for supporters of startups on Republic.co, however, comes in the form of return on investment (ROI).
Republic.co poses greater inherent risk as opposed to traditional crowdfunding platforms — as investors have no guarantee of return on their investment. But if a startup performs well, investors have the opportunity to hit it big getting in on the ground floor.
Should the startup fail (which most startups do), the investors lose all of their money.
Every investment strategy poses risk. But for Republic.co and other equity crowdfunding platforms, investments are yet riskier.
Estimates show that about 10% of equity crowdfunding campaigns succeed. It’s also touted as a long-term investment, where investors should expect to buy-and-hold for several years before the prospect of seeing returns.
The good news? There have been many extremely successful startups on Republic.co that have gone on to acquire significant economic gains that pay out impressive dividends.
Republic.co Success Stories
Since the platform’s inception in 2016, more than 250 companies have been successfully funded on Republic.co. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable campaigns across different categories:
Robinhood
Raised on Republic.co: $11 million (2 rounds)
Year: 2020
Category: Startup
Description: Commission-free trading and investing app.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Raised on Republic.co: $4.4 million
Year: 2017
Category: Video game
Description: Role-playing PC game. Reached funding goal of $1.1 million in less than 24 hours.
Flatiron Miami
Raised on Republic.co: $300,000
Year: 2020
Category: Real estate
Description: Iconic condos in downtown Miami’s architectural hub.
Props
Raised on Republic.co: $1.07 million
Year: 2018
Category: Cryptocurrency
Description: Decentralized ecosystem of video applications.
Clearly, companies in many different categories have raised copious amounts of funds on Republic. To see their full portfolio, click here.
Additional Equity Crowdfunding Resources
Want to learn more about equity crowdfunding and all the opportunities it presents for both startups and investors?
We’ve got some great resources for you:
- What is Equity Crowdfunding?
- 6 Equity Crowdfuning Pros and Cons
- The Launch Plan Behind a $98,640 Republic.co Equity Campaign (Podcast)
- How Equity Crowdfunding Works (Video)
- What is Equity Crowdfunding? (Video)
Here at CrowdCrux, our mission is to lead the charge into the equity crowdfunding era. To stay up-to-date and learn more about equity crowdfunding (especially on the entrepreneurial side), be sure to:
- Subscribe to the once-weekly newsletter
- Check out the Crowdfunding Demystified Podcast
- Subscribe to the Youtube Channel
- Find the book: Equity Crowdfunding Explained
Ready to launch your own Republic.co campaign? Book a coaching call with our founder Salvador Briggman — we’ve worked on successful equity crowdfunding campaigns in the past, and we’re ready to help you achieve your goals.
We hope that this article has been informative for you as you set out to discover all the possibilities of Republic.co and equity crowdfunding. The future of non-accredited startup investing is very bright!
