StepLadder is a London-based fintech company, helps first-time buyers to raise money through collaborative finance and education.
The company which has raised £3,000,000 with backing from Seedcamp and the BBVA Anthemis Venture is now offering the public the opportunity to join their mission and become investors from as little as £10, through a crowdfunding platform, Seedrs.
Also, the UK Government’s recent announcement of a 5% deposit scheme was welcome news as many worried about how to get on the property ladder.
How does it work?
Using a financial model known as a ‘Rotating Credit and Savings Association’ (ROSCA) – popular in many nations worldwide – StepLadder places its members into small groups called ‘circles’.
Here, each member will contribute an identical amount of money ranging from £25 to £1,000 each month.
The contributions will then be collected into a central pot, before being awarded to one of the circle’s members by a random draw.
The process is repeated every month, where Members lend and borrow from one another through P2P lending until all the circle’s members have received their deposit money.
40%+ quarterly growth
Founded by Lucy Mullins, and Matthew Addison, the business is on an upward trajectory with 40%+ quarterly growth (25 x growth since 2019) and over £750,000 already awarded to Members.
They are also making homeownership more inclusive with 70%+ of their Members coming from a BAME background.
Matthew Addison, CEO, and Co-Founder of StepLadder said: “Home-buying is a broken system. At StepLadder, we want to fix that and help more people achieve the dream of owning their first home. I’ve seen first hand how these community money circles can help people achieve their goals faster, so it makes sense to apply them to this generational challenge”.
Lucy Mullins, COO, and Co-Founder of StepLadder said: “We’re excited to be able to invite the public to join this crowdfund and become part of a community who want to make an impact. Investment in StepLadder was previously only available to professional investors but now anybody excited to help fix the broken home buying system and help a generation of first-time buyers on to the property ladder can get involved”