Managed by CMR - the UK’s leading funding + management support organisation for smaller companies, FundEX is a revolutionary new stockmarket giving companies and entrepreneurs unprecedented access to a global investor base.

FundEX is also the only stock market giving companies and entrepreneurs the facility to video-present plans and ideas to investors.

Uniquely, there is no cost to companies or investors for using FundEX apart from a minor initial admin cost and a small success-only fee (of 2% reducing to 0.25%).

FundEX operates globally through the internet – www.fundex.co.uk – and is open to all companies, entrepreneurs and investors wherever they are.  In many parts of the world FundEX is the only source for business equity capital for smaller companies.

In the UK FundEX is positioned below the PLUS market and is specifically geared to companies and investors who want to avoid the high costs normally associated with raising capital.  Raising £2 million on PLUS costs around £200,000 of which about £70,000 is upfront.  To raise £2 million on FundEX costs only £20,000 with zero upfront.

FundEX is an open system – freely available to companies, professional advisers and other financing organisations.  Registered investors are notified immediately a proposition meeting their stated preferences is placed.  All investor interest is passed directly to the relevant company or adviser.  FundEX already incorporates a matched-deal facility for investors to buy/sell shares.  In the future FundEX will incorporate a facility showing the share price at which listed companies will accept further investment and a similar facility for investors wishing to sell shares. 

FundEX meets UK FSMA requirements – it is specifically for sophisticated investors and growing companies.  FundEX significantly reduces the cost of raising capital for companies.  For investors who will lose roughly the first 10% of their investment because of listing costs on Ofex and other markets, looking for opportunities on FundEX makes a great deal of sense. 

FundEX is managed by CMR (Cavendish Management Resources) with offices in London, Glasgow and Dublin.  CMR was established in 1984 and is now the UK's leading organisation for SME funding and management support.  In the UK & Ireland it has over 450 director-level senior executives working through fourteen regional centres.

CMR's Managing Director, Mike Downey, says that FundEX as the UK's 4th stockmarket has the very important role of providing smaller companies with access to sources of capital without the excessive costs normally associated with raising money.  Also, the availability of video makes the communication of ideas and plans so much easier and more effective.  We would like to think this is one of the most creative and useful developments to have happened in the capital markets for smaller companies. 

Part of the reason the UK has such high fund-raising costs is the regulatory burden designed for the protection of investors.  Fortunately the UK Government recognised that there are many investors who are sufficiently wise, sophisticated and capable of making their own enquires and decisions.  Such investors can now simply self-certify that they meet FSMA sophisticated/HNW requirements (forms can be downloaded from the FundEX website).

For both companies and investors, using FundEX makes a great deal of sense.  Most UK companies using FundEX will be able to give investors access to the usual UK tax breaks for smaller companies.

On an international level, Downey says that many countries, outside of the UK and USA, simply do not have a developed capital market for smaller companies.  FundEX fills that gap - we regularly get approached by overseas companies looking for funding help and I expect that to grow considerably in the future.  We also get very many new investors from all over the world logging onto FundEX.

How FundEX works:

1) Company/entrepreneur or their professional adviser inputs proposition directly into FundEX at www.fundex.co.uk with uploaded video clip as appropriate.  For advice on video clips click here.

2) Investors are notified whenever a suitable proposition meeting their specification is received.  They can also search FundEX at anytime.  Professionally-produced propositions (by CMR or other reputable firms) are shown at the top of all listing with the firm’s logo – this is to help investors who prefer to only review such opportunities.

3) When an investor is interested they click on the website - this sends a confidential email to the company/adviser putting both in touch.  If a deal results the company pays a small % success fee (2% reducing to 0.25%).  All parties are responsible for taking their own professional advice and due diligence.  FundEX makes no charge to investors.