UK investors and entrepreneurs ‘split on Brexit’, says Seedrs
o Online poll of UK investors and entrepreneurs finds even split between in and out vote on Brexit
o Around half of investors (51%) and entrepreneurs (48%) would vote to stay in the EU
o Two thirds believe that leaving the EU would have a negative impact on the startup environment
o Seedrs backs Brexit ‘in’ campaign
With just over three months to go before the June referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union, new research from Seedrs finds that the Brexit jury is still out for entrepreneurs and early stage investors.
While half of investors (51%) and entrepreneurs (48%) would vote to stay in the EU, 47% of investors and 43% of entrepreneurs would vote to leave. Nearly one in 10 entrepreneurs (9%) said that they had no preference either way, compared to just 2% of investors.
In a separate poll, Seedrs asked respondents what impact Britain leaving the EU would have on the UK startup environment. Almost two thirds (63%) said it would have a negative effect, while 16% said it would be positive. More than one in five (21%) said they were unsure what impact it would have.
Jeff Lynn, CEO of Seedrs, said: “The very even split between the in and out vote shows what a complicated issue this is. It’s clear that this has become a debate lacking real information and that we are instead hearing soundbites from both sides. There is a need to present people with real information to help them make an informed decision in June.”
Along with the CEOs of a substantial number of other UK tech businesses, Jeff has put his name behind the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign. He explains: “As a business Seedrs is in favour of Britain remaining in the European Union. We are a pan-European platform with London at our core, and we believe that we and our users stand to benefit from the open market that comes with Britain’s continued EU membership; in contrast, leaving the EU creates a number of very real risks for the British business community.”
Last month, Seedrs announced that it has had more than 100 million invested on its platform since launching in July 2012 and, according to research firm Beauhurst, is the most active seed-stage equity investor in the UK.
Research in March with 270 members of the Seedrs Community
