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The explosion of crowdfunding onto the UK startup landscape is to be recognised with a special annual event - UK Crowdfunding Day.
Announced today as part of Social Media Week, UK Crowdfunding Day will be Friday, November 1 2013.
Crowdfunding has taken off in a major way in the UK, which now holds a position of world leadership in many areas; this is reflected in Parliament by the Westminster Crowdfunding Forum and the formation of a new all-party group of MPs (APG) dedicated to exploring crowdfunding opportunities as well as a new trade association for web site providers, UKCFA, which holds its first conference this week.
“Crowdfunding has gained so much traction so quickly as a result of the explosion in social media and because it's a great new way of companies getting started as well as finding the growth funding they need at a time when access to funding is so difficult, and the banking system has failed us” explained Barry James, Director of The Social Foundation and founder of UK Crowdfunding Day.
"It's about people - the crowd – having access at a new level and type of choice right at the formative stage of many, many new businesses, products and projects, where previously this would be the sole prerogative of a wealthy corporation or individual. Ordinary people, 'citizen investors', can also own a part of a growing company," he said.
"Not enough people know or understand the real potential - which is why we are launching UK Crowdfunding Day."
UK Crowdfunding Day comes on the back of the very successful Global Crowdfunding Day, launched and co-hosted in Silicon Valley by Ruth Hedges and Barry James at the 'Crowdfunders meet Silicon Valley Conference' on April 5 this year.
Welcoming the UK’s national crowdfunding day, Ms Hedges said: "Crowdfunding is as national and local as it is global. We at Globalcrowdfundingday.com are delighted that the UK is the first nation from around the world to have its own national crowdfunding day in support of our collective objectives.
Ms Hedges, also founder and creator of Crowdfundingroadmap.com, added: “We are very excited to be working together in this global transformational movement to help level the playing field for access to capital for everyone."
"Crowdfunding is about the crowd - it's new projects and business on a new basis, that people really want. By the crowd, for the crowd," concluded Barry James.
“We want everyone to have new chances and new choices. Which is why we are looking forward to November 1 where we will have a whole slew of exciting announcements and events to unveil.”
