SUMMARY
Team :
- President and co-founder = Laure Verhaeghe
- General director and co-founder = Amaury Blais
Lendosphere is a French crowdfunding platform dedicated to renewable energy projects, operated by a company of the same name.
Lendosphere facilitates loans from private individuals to businesses developing renewable energy production facilities. Offering interest rates between 4% and 8%, the platform encourages public participation in sometimes controversial local projects. It generates revenue by charging a 4% commission on the total amount borrowed.
Partner companies range from major players like EDF Renewables to smaller firms such as Valorem and InnoVent. In 2015, Lendosphere became the first platform to offer enhanced interest rates for residents living near a project, starting with the Santerre wind farm.
Founded in 2014 by Laure Verhaeghe and Amaury Blais, Lendosphere adapted to regulatory changes in 2016 by applying for the Crowdfunding Advisor (CIP) status in addition to its existing role as a crowdfunding intermediary. It received authorization in 2017 to issue the Green Growth Crowdfunding label. In 2018, the platform partnered with the Toulouse-based company Wiseed to streamline processes for project developers.
Pros
- 50 euros entry investment
- 3 to 4 new project per month
- Very good user experience with a well-developed platform
- Local and durable project whilst keeping a large variety of different project
Cons
- Project are long term above 5 years
- The project are mainly based in the same areas
- Investment is blocked for 12 to 72 months
- Risk of capital loss