JD.com Inc. is getting further entrenched in the equity crowdfunding business.
China’s online direct sales company on Tuesday disclosed its new JD Equity Crowdfunding platform to create an ecosystem to help finance, develop and promote the creation of start-ups in China.
The new venture expands the offerings from JD Crowdfunding, which was established in July 2014 and became China’s first crowdfunding platform. The latest equity platform not only introduces entrepreneurs to a broad set of possible early-stage investors, it also provides training and support options, making it more of an incubator in operation. The companies that are selected to participate are also able to sell their products through JD.com’s e-commerce platform.
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There are 11 firms that have raised funding through the new platform. Among them are Thunderobot, Fastwheel and WeBuzz, which focus on gaming laptops, personal transportation devices and social media, respectively.
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Richard Liu, founder and chief executive officer of JD.com, said, “As the leader in Chinese e-commerce, JD.com is ideally positioned to create a premium platform to give China’s early-stage companies access to resources and seed capital from a broad range of investors. With the advantages of JD.com’s national brand, resources and commitment to supporting early-stage companies, we are confident that JD.com will become the leading platform for equity crowdfunding in China. We look forward to creating innovation and value for investors, consumers and start-ups.”
The equity crowdfunding model provides for each investment project to be led by an investment manager who is from a venture capital firm or a company with similar experience. The individual works with the firms to ensure “transparent” communications with investors, JD.com said. VCs who are part of JD’s ecosystem include Capital Today, ZhenFund and Sequoia Capital. JD does take a small equity stake in the firms that successfully raise funding through JD Equity.