WILLEMSTAD – During the first two weeks of operations, 97 startups have applied for listing on the Startup Stock Exchange (www.Startup.SX). The applicants are located in 34 countries on 6 Continents and represent 16 different business sectors.
India tops the list of countries with most applicants (16), followed by Nigeria (12). Other countries with more than 5 applicants are: Argentina (9), Brazil (6) and Australia (6).
The business sectors with the most applicants are E-commerce/Web Tools (13.4%) and Social Media/Loyalty Systems (13.4%). Registrations also include established sectors like Financial Services (10.3%), Travel (6.2%) and Consumer Goods (6.2%).
“I’m very excited about the diversity of sectors from companies applying”, says Ian Haet, CEO and Co-Founder of SSX. “We have startups in traditional sectors like Technology and E-Commerce, but also companies in the Arts, Education, Automotive, Healthcare and Lifestyle. This diversity of applicants indicates that the market understands that SSX is a marketplace open to startups from all sectors and all regions of the world.”
The Startup Stock Exchange is a regulated global marketplace for startup investing and funding. Companies publically offer their shares and investors purchase those shares. SSX solves the problem of startups worldwide not having access to investors, and vice-versa investors not having access to vetted companies.
“The numbers we are releasing today, are related to our first two weeks of operations”, says Mr. Haet. “We receive new applications every day. SSX is going to be an exciting marketplace with companies in all sectors and from all countries. Based on our first two weeks, we’re confident that the amount of public listings SSX will have at the end of year one will be 52 companies.”
The region with the most applications is Latin America 21.6%), followed by Europe (17.5%), India (16.5%), Africa (14.4%), South East Asia/ Australia (13.4%), the Caribbean (8.2%) and the MENA-region (4.1%).
“We are very satisfied with the amount of companies that have registered and the geographical distribution”, says Mr. Haet. “These are all from word of mouth and media coverage, we have not commenced our marketing campaigns in any regions. So these are startups who have heard about us, looked at our website, and decided SSX is an option for them. There is a huge funding requirement for startups worldwide. There is a need to receive that funding on a regulated marketplace where startups have access to a global pool of investors. SSX caters to those needs, and companies worldwide understand the benefits.”
To attract additional startups, SSX will commence targeted marketing campaigns later this month in Latin America, Africa, India, South East Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. “We estimate that until now only 1% of the startups worldwide have had access to funding”, says Mr. Haet. “Startups located outside of Silicon Valley don’t know where to turn for capital. They simply don’t have access to a broad group of investors. Globally, each region has its specific needs and wants. With our targeted campaigns we want to make sure that startups in each region understand that we cater to their needs.”
