Crowdfunding is a method of funding a project or organisation by pooling the money of individual investors. It can provide a number of benefits beyond the financial including marketing, audience engagement and feedback. Crowdfunding allows good companies which don't fit the pattern required by conventional financiers, to break through and attract cash. There are a number of types of crowdfunding but the 3 main categories are:

• Reward or donation based crowdfunding – these are not investments
• Loan crowdfunding (often referred to as peer-to-peer loans or debt crowdfunding)
• Equity crowdfunding

Want to know more?

Please visit the UK Crowdfunding Association – ShareIn are one of the founding members.

NESTA have written a comprehensive introduction to crowdfunding. You can read it here.

Equity crowdfunding is the process whereby individuals or the "crowd" invest in an unlisted company (a company that is not listed on a stock market) in exchange for shares in that company.

Equity crowdfunding is a great way to match companies who need funding with individuals who wish to invest. Investors become shareholders and have partial ownership of a company. Individuals get a share in the future success of a company they believe in. If the company fails investors can lose some, or all, of their investment.

Debt crowdfunding is the process whereby individuals or the "crowd" loan money to a business at an agreed interest rate over a set period of time.  The crowd can be issued with a bond in return for their investment.

Yes – crowdfunding is a regulated activity in the UK and each country across the world has specific regulations regarding the adoption of equity crowdfunding.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK issued a Policy statement (14/4) The FCA's regulatory approach to crowdfunding over the internet, and the promotion of nonreadily realisable securities by other media, in March 2014.

ShareIn Limited are the company that PANACEA investments are working with to deliver their debt and equity crowdfund. ShareIn are authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 603332).

When you invest or top up your wallet, funds should be transferred to 'ShareIn Ltd'. ShareIn Ltd holds client monies in segregated accounts. ShareIn Limited (Firm Reference Number 603332) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The transfer details will be available at the time of investing.

Investing in early stage companies such as PANACEA involves risks, including loss of all your capital, illiquidity, lack of dividends and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. This type of investment is only for investors who understand these risks.

A full risk warning can be found here.

You can lose all the money you invested but nothing more.

People resident in the United Kingdom who are either a "Certified High Net Worth Individual" or "Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor" (as these terms are defined in The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended)).

You must not participate in the New Fundraise or make any other investments via the Company's website if you do not meet any of these criteria and you must not complete the online registration process as an 'INVESTOR'.

No. PANACEA investments would like to keep their list of investors private.

For a significant investment, we would be more than happy to enter into separate discussions as to whether we can accommodate this. It will be dependent on your particular circumstances and the regulatory framework in your country of residence. Please contact us at [email protected] if this interests you.

PANACEA offers a number of methods to allow you to pay for your investment.  

Investors have the option to:

• Fund the wallet linked to your account in advance and then use monies in this wallet to pay for your investment
• Let us know you will be sending payment by bank transfer after you have placed your order

In order to invest via this platform you must be categorised as a "client" for regulatory purposes. All investors are required to successfully complete the "Appropriateness Test". All UK individual investors are treated as retail clients.

All UK investors using this platform are eligible to file a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Investors may be able to claim compensation under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme in cases where they believe they have been mis-sold. However, there is no FSCS cover for investments into the debt or equity products of PANACEA.

Different regulations apply in different regions and before being able to invest you will asked to confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements in your particular region.

You can cancel your investment offer at any point before the funds are transferred by emailing [email protected] .

There are no fees for making an investment in PANACEA investments.

PANACEA investments pay the fundraising costs associated with this funding round.

If you would like to invest via a SIPP, SSAS or IFISA then please contact PANACEA investments directly by emailing [email protected] or calling 0800 033 7679 for further information on the process. Please note that if you are unsure about the information provided or what action you should take you should seek advice from a qualified independent and authorised financial adviser.

We will review any possible conflicts of interest that could harm investors and manage or eliminate these conflicts if and when they arise. 

One of your rights under data protection law is the right of access to the personal data that we hold about you. The process of requesting your data is called a Subject Access Request (SAR).

How to ask for a SAR

If you want a copy of the personal data we hold (or simply want confirmation as to whether or not we process data about you), you must make a request, either in writing or verbally. Our contact details are here.

Please include the following in your SAR:

• Your full name, postal address, email address and telephone number
• The statement “I the undersigned and the person identified above hereby request that PANACEA (1) inform me of the personal data held about me OR (2) provide me with a copy of the personal data PANACEA hold about me.”
• [If request made in writing] Signature and date

What you can expect from us

Before releasing personal data we may have to take steps to confirm your identity. This could include requiring a piece of photo identification or answering a number of security questions related to your account.

Once we verify your identity, we will log your request, and we will search all databases to find any personal data we currently hold.

We will provide an electronic copy of your personal data within a month of your request.

Please be aware that there are circumstances in which the law allows us to extend the response time or charge an administrative fee. In either case, we will inform you by email within one month of receiving your request.

What you can do once you receive the data we hold

Once you receive the data we hold, you have the right to ask for data to be corrected or erased.

Please be aware that we may not always be able to erase personal data we may hold about you. If your personal data relates to an investment you have made, financial services regulation requires us to keep certain information on file for a period of 5 years.

In the event you have a complaint about the way we have handled your personal data or your SAR, you can count on us to take your complaint seriously.

If you feel your data protection rights have been violated and you do not feel you have had a satisfactory response from us , you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

We want to give you superb customer service but sometimes things might go wrong. We can usually resolve most issues straightaway, so please email us on [email protected] or call us on 0800 033 7679 to tell us how we can help.

What you'll need to tell us so that we can help you:

• Your personal details,
• What's gone wrong and
• What you want us to do to put things right.

We'll be in touch with you as soon as we can and let you know what will happen next. We'll try to resolve your complaint within 3 working days. For more complex issues it's likely that we will need longer to look into what's happened and we may ask you for further information to help us reach a decision. We'll give you regular updates. And once we've dealt with your complaint, we'll go back and see what we can learn from your experience.

If you're unhappy with the outcome UK Residents can ask the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to carry out an independent review of your complaint. In any event, you have the right to ask the FOS to review your complaint if we've been unable to resolve it within 8 weeks.

The FOS can help UK residents with most complaints if you are:

• A consumer
• A business employing fewer than 10 persons that has an annual turnover that doesn't exceed €2 million
• If you are unsure whether the FOS will consider your complaint, please contact them directly for advice. The service the FOS provides is free and impartial and contacting them at any stage of your complaint will not affect your legal rights. The contact details for the FOS are:

The Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR

Their phone numbers are +44 (0)300 123 9123 or +44 (0)800 023 4567.

You can send an email to: [email protected]

“Best execution” rules, which exist to make certain types of costs and processes more transparent to investors, will not apply to your investments on our platform, and we need to explain why that is. When you apply to purchase a bond or share on our investment platform, your application will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once an investment offer is closed, investments are issued directly by the company to the investor. These investments are not traded on a market of any kind.

So what does this have to do with “best execution” rules?

• “Best execution” means achieving the best possible result for customers when carrying out their orders via an execution venue.
• An “execution venue” refers to a facility that brings multiple parties together for buying and  selling. This could be a regulated market, a multi-lateral trading facility (MTF), organised trading facility (OTF) or other entities that perform this role.

Because your transaction on our crowdfunding platform will not be carried out by an intermediary, third party or execution venue as defined above, nor do we provide a facility allowing you to resell your investment through an MTF, best execution rules do not apply

Payments of interest to individual investors will be made after deducting tax equivalent to the UK basic rate of Income Tax (currently 20%) which we pay to HM Revenue & Customs. The exception to this requirement is where interest is paid to investors who hold bonds within an IFISA, in which case interest can be paid without deduction of tax. However, it remains your responsibility to declare any interest paid and account for any additional tax that may be due to the appropriate tax authorities.

Payments of interest to corporate investors will be made without deduction of tax.

Secured lending on property is not risk-free. There is a risk that if the underlying borrower defaults, or if there is a delay in realising the asset, then the security may not be sold for enough to cover the loan or may result in delayed repayment of investors’ money.