• Company Updates
36 Kr launches equity crowdfunding platform
By Liu Yiyi ( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2015-06-17

Online technology media platform and entrepreneurship service provider 36 Kr announced an equity crowdfunding platform on June 15. 36 Kr became the third company to launch equity crowdfunding in June.

Comparing with similar platforms, 36 Kr focuses on formats and product innovation, according to CEO Liu Chengcheng.

Apart from the "leading investment plus following investment" format, 36 Kr will become a pioneer in promoting existing equity crowdfunding products. In other words, 36 Kr will encourage founders or major shareholders of rapidly growing start-ups transfer a small amount of initial shares to investors on the platform.

The innovative format will make the platform stand out among its competitors. The administration and equity structure of the start-ups will not be changed.

36 Kr's equity crowdfunding platform has a high-end leading investment group, involving a top investment institution association consisted by 15 members including Matrix Partners China and Sequoia Capital, as well as a top leading investor league containing 60 professional investors. Nearly 1,000 investors sign in to 36 Kr everyday.

Compared with amazing investor associations, Liu says a steady flow of high-quality projects is the essence of a successful crowdfunding platform.

Therefore, the company will rely on its advantages in different business groups including the 36Kr technology media, incubator Kr Space, and financing platform rong.36kr.com to establish a complete entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The business groups will provide services such as "full process reports", "presentation of product developer community level projects", "off-line incubation", and "on-line financing" to guarantee continuous premium projects.

On the other hand, the 36 Kr equity crowdfunding platform announced cooperation with Alibaba Group's Ant Financial in online payment.

In the future, 36 Kr's equity crowdfunding platform and Ant Financial will further explore channel integration, product development, and technology.

Alipay will provide strong technological systems and access to wireless terminal flows. 36 Kr will share Alipay's strong advantages in financial services

The public may have doubts that the cooperation might cannibalize Ant Dake, Ant Financial's equity crowdfunding platform.

Han Xinyi, vice president of Ant Financial, remarked that the company is more focused on its features as a platform. Therefore, Ant Financial sticks to the principle of open and mutual benefits when providing services to users.

36 Kr plays a screening role based on its proficiency in entrepreneurship service. In contrast, Ant Financial provides financial services including clearing and account settlements. Both 36 Kr's accumulation and development and Ant Financial's capability in finance are perfectly presented during the cooperation. Both sides enjoy mutual benefits, according to Han.

Han also said that the Ant Dake platform is under preparation right now. Thanks to cooperation with 36 Kr, Ant Financial will find more partners in the future.