Crowdberry AI Overview on 09/2025

Crowdberry Overview 🎯

Crowdberry is a licensed Czech–Slovak equity crowdfunding platform (ECSP-regulated) launched in Bratislava in 2015. It enables retail investors to co-invest via equity or debt in vetted local SMEs and real estate projects. Major partners include Tatra Private Banking (founding partner) and, since Oct 2024, Slovenská sporiteľňa (Erste) as a strategic minority owner. The platform touts professional due diligence and transparent documentation, targeting above-market returns (e.g. 15–25%+ for young firms). Key risks include startup and default risk, illiquidity (no guaranteed exit, projects often multi-year), and potential total loss if a company fails.

Crowdberry Products & Investments 📈

Crowdberry offers equity and loan investments in Czech and Slovak companies and real estate. Investors choose individual campaigns: either buying shares (equity) or lending capital (secured/unsecured loans) to a project. Returns come from business exits or dividends (for equity) and interest (for loans). For example, secured loans have yielded 6–16% p.a., while real-estate and growth equity deals often target double-digit gains. Each offering is structured via an SPV or contract; e.g. a 2024 deal let investors co-own warehouses with long leases, which later sold for ~20% p.a. gains. Campaigns cover diverse sectors (tech, e-commerce, healthcare, green energy, etc.) and real-estate (logistics parks, care homes, residential). Investment terms vary (typically 3–5+ years). Minimum investment is modest – about €1,000 on many loans or small equity deals (some campaigns may require higher). As with all crowdfunding, the risks are high: projects can default or fail, investments lock up capital, and returns are not guaranteed.

Crowdberry Company & Team 🏢

Crowdberry was founded in 2015 by Daniel Gašpar (Managing Partner) and co-partners Michal Nešpor, Michal Ondrišek and others, originally with Tatra Bank private-banking. Today its management team includes Gašpar, Peter Bečár (head of CZ office), Nešpor and Ondrišek, each with decades of finance/VC experience. The company is a Slovak s.r.o. with strategic stakes by Slovenská sporiteľňa (Erste Group). It operates under the Crowdberry brand alongside related funds: Crowdberry Investment Management (a VC fund), Crowdberry Property Investors (a Czech CNB-licensed real-estate fund) and others. Crowdberry is fully regulated: it holds a European Crowdinvesting (ECSP) license from the Slovak National Bank (NBS) and is passported into the Czech Republic under ČNB oversight. All activities are supervised by NBS (Slovakia) and ČNB (Czechia), and Crowdberry emphasizes compliance with EU crowdfunding rules.

Crowdberry Volumes & Results 🔢

The platform has grown rapidly. By end-2021 it facilitated 42 funded projects with ~€60 million under management. By late 2024 it reported financing “more than 1.6 billion Kč” (~€63M) into 35 companies. A late-2024 update cites 35 firms funded, €63M total investments. Crowdberry now serves ~10–12 thousand registered investors. (For context, the registered investor count grew from ~4,700 in 2021 to ~11,000+ by early 2025.) Across its group (platform + funds) it manages ~3 billion CZK (~€120M) in assets. Average investor returns have been strong on successful deals: e.g. two Slovak logistics projects funded in 2020/21 generated ~20% p.a. (investors nearly doubled €1.5M in ~3.5 years). The Crowdberry-run real-estate fund CB Property Investors also ranks top-performing, averaging 15%+ returns p.a. Defaults/Losses: The notable case is Čezeta Motors (CZ e-motorcycle startup): after 2018–19 fundraising, it went bankrupt in 2022 when further funding failed. Loss rates overall aren’t publicly disclosed, but the Čezeta case highlights that total loss is possible on failed startups.

Crowdberry Risk Management 🔍

Crowdberry applies strict selection. Its team claims to have screened ~1,200 proposals and funded only ~62 projects (~5% acceptance). Each deal is reviewed by an investment committee of finance/Venture experts. Due diligence covers financials, market, legal and collateral assessment. Structured protections are built in (e.g. notarial deeds, investor-preference clauses). For example, real-estate deals used “liquidity preference” to ensure investors recoup capital first. Crowdberry has internal scoring: loan deals are secured by assets or receivables (e.g. the Pohoda festival loan offered a notarized claim). The platform avoids very early startups (it focuses on established SMEs or later-stage startups) to mitigate venture risk. Sector/geography filters: projects must be in CZ/SK (no overseas) and often meet investor-friendly profiles. After funding, companies must report regularly and Crowdberry arranges updates (webinars, meetings). The team actively supports portfolio firms (networking, strategy help), aiming to protect investor interests. Despite this, all investments carry high risk of illiquidity and business failure.

Crowdberry Platform Functionality ⚙️

Crowdberry’s web platform lets investors browse and invest in campaigns. It currently offers manual selection only (no automated portfolio or robo-invest feature was found). A secondary trading market is under development: ECSP rules now allow share transfers, and Crowdberry has piloted a secondary market (expected soon). Investors can diversify manually by choosing from segmented campaigns (Real Estate, Companies, Startups). The user dashboard (in Czech, Slovak or English) shows each investor’s active projects, contract docs and returns. Regular analytics and due-diligence reports are published for each deal. There are no third-party insurances or guarantees on investments (risk is borne by investors). The platform supports EUR and CZK funding and provides all investment documentation in the chosen language. Overall, it is feature-complete but relies on investors’ due diligence; its main tools are detailed project docs, webinars, and advisory team contact (e.g. FAQ sessions).

Crowdberry Fees & Pricing 💰

Crowdberry charges no up-front or exit fees for investors. The platform is free to join and invest on. Its revenue comes from success fees: it takes a share of the funds raised and a performance fee on profits. Specifically, investors pay 12% of net profit (beyond their capital) as a management fee for the SPV. Companies pay a campaign fee (typically a % of capital raised) and possibly due-diligence costs – exact fundraiser fees aren’t public but are similar to other equity platforms. All fees are clearly stated in each offering’s terms. The fee model is fairly transparent: clients have cited a well-explained fee structure (though complex SPV arrangements are involved). Overall, investor costs are mainly the performance fee; there are no hidden membership or usage charges.

Negative publicity about Crowdberry ⚠️

We found no regulatory sanctions or fraud allegations. However, project failures do occur. The most prominent is Čezeta Motors: after Crowdberry investors had funded an initial EV project (2018–19), the company went bankrupt in 2022 when follow-on funding fell through. Crowdberry’s managers (Gašpar) officially intervened in court to protect investors’ interests, but investors ultimately lost their 6.5M CZK bridge loan. This case underscores real risk: some crowdinvested firms may fail. Aside from this, there are no public disputes or delays reported in media. On investor forums, users praise the thorough contracts but note high risk. Some skeptical comments mention high minimums (one forum user said €10k, though official min is €1k). No news articles report complaints or penalties. In sum, aside from ordinary startup failures (flagged by the Čezeta case), Crowdberry has a clean regulatory record – it markets itself as “NBS/ČNB regulated”.

Crowdberry Success Stories 🏆

Crowdberry has backed many well-known local brands. Top portfolio companies include sneaker seller Footshop, fitness brand GymBeam, boat rental Boataround, cycling apparel Isadore, biotech DNA ERA, and waste-tech Sensoneo. Notable exits: a 2024 sale of two Slovak logistics parks returned €2.7M on a €1.5M investment (~20% p.a.). Private investors also earned over €1.5M on exits of industrial parks (Nitra, Trnava) that funded seniors’ care and parks. Footshop’s 2022 sale to a SPAC gave investors back cash plus equity in the new company. Award-wise, three Crowdberry-backed firms (MultiplexDX, DNA ERA, nettle.ai) ranked in Deloitte’s 2022 Fast 50 CEE for revenue growth. Industry recognition includes the platform being highlighted by finance media (e.g. a 2024 Czech article notes its €1.6bn funding track record). A major milestone: joining with Slovenská sporiteľňa (Oct 2024). Finally, Crowdberry’s own real-estate fund is currently ranked the top Czech property fund, delivering >15% returns. These successes (with dates) showcase Crowdberry’s track record of profitable exits and strong portfolio growth.

Is Crowdberry safe and regulated?

✅ Yes. It is officially licensed under EU crowdinvesting rules by the Slovak National Bank and passported to the Czech Republic. The platform performs KYC/AML checks and verifies each investor via an ECSP questionnaire.

What returns to expect?

💹 Returns vary by deal. Loan campaigns have offered 6–16% p.a. interest. Equity campaigns often target 15–25% p.a. (even higher for very young start-ups). In practice, some real estate exits yielded ~20% p.a. for investors. Note: these are targets, not guaranteed; actual outcomes depend on company success.

What are the main risks?

⚠️ Risks include credit risk (borrowers may default), equity risk (startups can fail or require future funding), and market risk (economic downturn hurts SMEs). Also liquidity risk (funds locked for years) and currency risk (investing in CZK vs. EUR). There is no guarantee or insurance on returns – worst case is losing your entire investment. Always review each project’s Risk Disclaimer carefully.