Online investment is not renowned for its transparency. There is very little track record available (despite AltFi's best efforts to find it) and no one is really keeping score. Things might become clearer in the months and years ahead but the industry needs to make a concerted effort to keep investors better informed - it won't happen by itself.

At Growthdeck we intend to give users all the information that is available to our professional investment team, right through the lifetime of a fund-raising business. And we want to provide the tools that make interpreting that information straightforward and rewarding. If crowdfunding is honestly about bringing investors into direct contact with exciting, growth businesses, then there has to be trust - and that trust is based on transparency. It's beneficial to everyone - an informed investor is more likely to make sound investment decisions; a business that has realistic projections is more likely to achieve or over-achieve; and a transparent platform should attract the serious investors.

Underpinning that transparency is the need to be realistic about a business's outlook. After all, not every company is a world-beater. There is a growing tendency in equity crowdfunding circles to over-inflate a company's projections and consequently its valuation. This doesn't really help anyone. It might give the business a better chance of raising more funds, but in the long run, that business should be judged on its projections. Meanwhile, investors are more likely to see a shortfall in their investment's valuation and the platform itself will face the reputational impact of multiple failures.  

Realistic valuations are arrived at through proper due diligence and genuine industry experience. Growthdeck's investment team is staffed by private equity professionals and our expert panel has decades of experience building successful businesses in a variety of industry sectors. We will also appoint non-execs to our fund-raising businesses to help them deliver on strategy and projections - the progress of which will be communicated regularly to investors through the platform. The whole process is geared towards creating a transparent partnership between the platform, investors and investees.

Of course, track records take time to build and our reputation will be formed gradually from continued quality service. But Growthdeck wants to be around and thriving in 10 years time, so we are creating a platform that investors and businesses can come to rely on and trust.

Note: Your capital is at risk if you invest through Growthdeck. Please read our full risk warning.