AI-Powered Analysis: Sowefund Platform

Sowefund Platform Overview 🚀

Sowefund is a French equity crowdfunding platform that lets retail investors co-invest alongside venture capital funds and business angels in innovative startups.

Founded in 2014, it focuses on tech and impact-driven companies in France, giving everyday investors access to private equity deals traditionally reserved for professionals.

Investors can benefit from significant tax incentives (income tax reductions up to 50% of the investment) for supporting French SMEs and startups.

Key advantages of Sowefund include a rigorous deal selection (only ~1% of reviewed startups are accepted) and the chance to invest under the same terms as lead investors.

Major risks involve the high failure rate of startups, potential total loss of capital, and very low liquidity – investments are locked in until an exit event and may never yield returns.

Sowefund emphasizes that these private equity investments are long-term and risky, so investors should diversify and invest only amounts they can afford to lose.

Sowefund Investment Product Details 💼

Investment Type: Sowefund offers equity investments in unlisted startups – investors receive shares (or convertible bonds in some cases) rather than fixed-income loans.

Returns: Returns are generated through capital gains if a startup grows and achieves an exit (e.g. acquisition or IPO), since startups typically pay no dividends. There is no fixed “interest” – successful investments might multiply in value, while failures can drop to zero.

Structure: In most campaigns, Sowefund creates a dedicated holding company (SPV) to pool investors’ funds, which then takes an equity stake in the target startup. This holding structure streamlines the cap table and is co-invested alongside lead investors like VC funds or angel groups. (In some cases, investors buy shares directly in the startup without an SPV.)

Geographic Focus: The platform primarily funds French startups, though it received a European Crowdfunding Service Provider license in 2023 allowing expansion across the EU. Typical sectors include fintech, biotech, greentech, SaaS, and other innovative fields, with target stages from seed to Series B.

Investment Terms: The minimum investment is usually €100 per deal, making it accessible to retail investors. There is no formal maximum, but large investments may require additional verification due to regulations. Expected holding periods are 5–7 years or more (startups need time to mature), and investments are illiquid – no guaranteed secondary market to cash out early.

Major Risks: Default/failure risk (if the startup fails, capital is lost), illiquidity (no easy resale of shares), long horizon (indefinite lock-in until exit), and dilution (future funding rounds can dilute your ownership). Sowefund prominently warns that investing in young companies entails high risk of total capital loss and recommends diversifying one’s portfolio to mitigate risks.

Sowefund Company Background and Ownership 🏢

Founding & Ownership: Sowefund is operated by SOWEFUND SAS, a Paris-based company (19 rue du 4 Septembre, 75002 Paris) incorporated in 2013–2014. It was co-founded in 2014 by Benjamin Wattinne and Georges Viglietti with the mission to democratize startup investing in France. Both co-founders remain actively involved – Wattinne serves as CEO, and they continued to lead the platform after a recent acquisition.

In October 2023, Founders Future, a prominent French venture capital firm led by Marc Menasé, acquired Sowefund (terms undisclosed). Founders Future is now the majority owner, bringing in additional capital and expertise, though Sowefund continues to operate independently under the same brand.

Team & Partnerships: The company’s team is ~20–25 people (2024) including venture analysts, marketing, and investor relations managers. Notably, Sowefund has industry partners and endorsements: it’s a member of the Financement Participatif France association and of France Angels, and has support from Bpifrance and La French Tech (as shown by partner logos on its site).

Legal & Regulatory: Sowefund is registered as a Conseiller en Investissements Participatifs (CIP) regulated by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France, under ORIAS registration № 14002811. In 2023 it obtained approval as a Prestataire de Services de Financement Participatif (PSFP) – the new EU-wide crowdfunding license – from the AMF (license number FP-2023-09). This PSFP status means Sowefund complies with European Crowdfunding Regulation and can passport its services across EU countries. Additionally, Sowefund is an agent of payment institution Lemon Way, with registration at the French ACPR (ID 73490) to handle investors’ funds securely in escrow.

The corporate structure is a single SAS entity (share capital €68,570), and each investment SPV is created on a per-deal basis. No major subsidiaries are noted beyond the core platform.

Summary: Sowefund’s strong regulatory oversight (AMF and ACPR) and backing by a VC firm lend credibility, but ultimate success depends on the startups funded.

Sowefund Volumes and Performance Metrics 📊

Funding Volume: Since 2014, Sowefund has facilitated over €100 million in total investments into startups (as of early 2024). The latest figures indicate more than €120 million raised by 2025, reflecting rapid growth in the past two years.

Number of Projects: The platform has financed approximately 120 startup funding rounds by late 2023, and over 140 rounds by 2025. (Some companies raised multiple rounds via Sowefund.)

Investor Base: Sowefund boasts a community of 140,000+ registered retail investors (as of 2023), which grew to around 160,000 investors by 2025 – one of the largest investor communities in French crowdfunding.

Typical Deal Size: Funding rounds on Sowefund range widely; a “target ticket” is often between €500k and €5M per campaign. The average raise has been in the €0.5–1.0M range historically, but some recent campaigns have exceeded €2–4M (e.g. Mon Petit Placement in 2024).

Company Performance: Outcomes are inherently long-term. By 2024 only a few (roughly 3) of the funded startups had achieved a full exit for investors. One notable exit was renewable energy provider Ekwateur, which raised €2.3M via Sowefund and later secured a €30M investment that allowed crowd investors to exit with a +115% gross gain (≈2.15× their investment in ~5 years). However, many other investments are still ongoing with no liquidity events yet, and some startups have unfortunately failed (leading to total loss for those investors – exact default counts aren’t publicly disclosed).

Investor Returns: Because most investments are unrealized, aggregate returns are not published, and Sowefund has not provided overall performance data to investors. The platform advertises that private equity historically can yield high long-term returns (e.g. ~14.5% annualized over 20 years for this asset class), but actual results vary greatly.

Platform Financials: On a positive note, Sowefund’s own business became profitable in 2022, indicating sustainable operations. It has around 20–25 employees and is backed by Founders Future’s resources for further growth.

Sowefund’s Risk Management and Due Diligence 🔍

Project Selection: Sowefund employs a highly selective screening process – reportedly only about 1% of the startups reviewed are ultimately listed on the platform. The team, comprised of venture capital experts, conducts thorough due diligence on each candidate: reviewing the business model, team, market, financials, and growth potential. There is often an investment committee or expert panel that evaluates submissions, ensuring that only promising ventures are presented to investors.

A hallmark of Sowefund’s model is co-investment: they prefer startups that have lead investors (VC funds, angel networks) on board, so retail investors invest alongside professionals who have validated the deal. This approach provides an extra layer of vetting, as institutional investors conduct their own due diligence.

Risk Scoring: While Sowefund doesn’t publicly issue a simple “risk score” for each project (unlike some P2P loan platforms), they do categorize deals by stage and type, and provide detailed documentation. Investors must pass an appropriateness test and review risk warnings before investing.

Sector and Geography Filters: The platform focuses on French companies in sectors such as tech, sustainable development, and innovation; it generally avoids extremely speculative domains outside its expertise. By policy, Sowefund does not allow its own staff to invest in deals to avoid conflicts of interest.

Due Diligence & Compliance: As a regulated CIP/PSFP, Sowefund complies with AMF rules – this includes verifying each company’s information, ensuring a balanced presentation (no misleading claims), and providing investors with key documents (business plan, shareholder agreements, etc.). Every campaign features an Information Memorandum or detailed pitch that investors should review.

Monitoring: Post-funding, Sowefund maintains an ongoing relationship with startups. Companies that raised funds are obliged to provide updates and financial reports to their new shareholders. Sowefund facilitates this by administering the shareholder holding company and relaying communications. Investors often receive regular updates on milestones and can sometimes interact with founders (e.g. webinars, Q&As). The platform has even helped create communities of investors for certain startups (for example, 600 Sowefund investors of one company were organized in a WhatsApp group to follow its progress).

Reporting and Oversight: Sowefund must report any major issues to regulators and has a complaints handling procedure in place. They also adhere to a conflict of interest policy to ensure fair treatment of investors and issuers.

Summary: Sowefund’s risk management relies on front-end deal filtering (only high-quality startups get through) and backend support (monitoring and guiding companies after funding), but investors should still perform their own due diligence. The inherent risk of startup investing remains very high despite these precautions.

Sowefund Platform Features and Functionality 🖥️

Deal Listings: The website offers detailed pages for each funding opportunity, including the startup’s pitch, financials, team background, and often a discussion forum or Q&A section. Investors can review documents (e.g. business plan, shareholder pact) and see who the lead investors are.

Investment Process: Everything is done online – investors fund their Sowefund/Lemon Way wallet via bank transfer or credit card and then subscribe to shares through the platform. The funds are held in escrow until the campaign target is met.

Dashboard: Each user has an investor dashboard to track their portfolio – showing the companies they’ve invested in, amounts, dates, and performance (though valuations are usually static at cost until an exit). The dashboard also stores important documents like confirmation of share ownership, annual reports from startups, and tax statements for deductions.

Auto-Invest: Auto-invest functionality is not offered on Sowefund (unlike some peer-to-peer lending platforms). Given the unique nature of each startup, investors must manually select deals. This allows careful consideration of each investment (which is advisable due to risk).

Secondary Market: As of 2025, Sowefund does not have a formal secondary market for trading shares. Your investment is essentially locked until the startup provides an exit (though under new EU regulations, a bulletin board for resales may be implemented in the future). Investors should thus be prepared to hold for years.

Tools for Diversification: In lieu of auto-invest, Sowefund has introduced curated investment “allocations” (portfolios) for wealth managers and experienced investors – for example, in late 2024 it launched three tax-advantaged bundles of startups for financial advisors (CGPs) and their clients. These bundles help investors spread funds across multiple companies with a single deployment, improving diversification.

Investor Education: The platform puts an emphasis on educating investors through resources and tools. They publish an Investor Guide (updated 2024) covering how startup investing works and what to consider. Regular webinars, workshops, and even one-on-one calls (“10 minutes with an expert”) are offered to explain private equity investing and tax benefits.

Language and Support: The platform is primarily in French (reflecting its core user base), but key staff speak English and with the new EU license, they may add more languages in the future. Customer support is available via phone and email, and according to user reviews the team is generally responsive and willing to answer questions.

Other Features: Sowefund provides tax reporting documents each year for investors who claimed income tax reductions (providing the official forms for the 18–25% “IR-PME” tax credit on the amount invested). It also supports integration with the French PEA/PEA-PME investment accounts – many deals are labeled PEA-eligible, meaning investors can hold those shares in their tax-free stock savings plan.

The platform does not offer any return guarantees or insurance on investments – every project carries full entrepreneurial risk (no buyback guarantees). However, one indirect protection is that funds are processed through Lemon Way (an accredited payment institution), ensuring that investor money is safely escrowed and returned if a campaign doesn’t succeed.

Summary: Overall, Sowefund’s platform is geared towards transparency and engagement – it not only facilitates transactions but also fosters a community feel (e.g., investors sometimes become brand ambassadors for the startups). For example, startups have reported that Sowefund investors help promote their products and provide feedback, adding non-financial value.

Sowefund Fees and Pricing Transparency 💶

For Investors: Sowefund’s model is largely fee-free at the point of investment for retail investors – there are no upfront or annual account fees charged to investors on the platform. Opening an account and investing in a campaign costs nothing directly. However, Sowefund applies a performance fee (carry) on successful investments: when there is an exit or payout that returns more than the original investment, Sowefund takes 19.5% of the net profit as a success fee. This carried interest is only charged if the investor’s principal has been fully returned (i.e. only on gains beyond the original amount).

For example, if you invested €10,000 and later sold your shares for €20,000, the €10k profit would incur about €1,950 fee to Sowefund (roughly 19.5%), and you’d keep ~€18,050. This incentivizes Sowefund to list quality deals, as they only get this fee when investors profit. Importantly, if a startup fails or doesn’t generate a gain, investors pay no success fee (they only lose their capital in that case). Some users have noted that this performance fee wasn’t obvious to them initially, so investors should be aware of it upfront (it’s disclosed in the legal documentation and investment agreements).

Apart from the carry on profits, there are no hidden charges like transaction fees or management fees billed to investors – all platform operating costs are covered by fees to the funded companies.

For Fundraising Companies: Sowefund’s revenue comes from fees charged to startups that raise funds on the platform. These include a listing/preparation fee of about €15,000–€20,000 (to cover due diligence, legal and marketing work for the campaign). If the fundraising is successful, Sowefund earns a success commission up to ~9% of the amount raised (exact percentage varies by deal size and type).

For example, on a €1 million raise, the startup might pay around €90,000 to Sowefund as a fee for “haut de bilan” advisory and placement services. Additionally, because Sowefund often creates a holding company for the investors, the startup pays an ongoing administration fee of €2,500 per year + €5 per investor/year (with a minimum €5,000/year) to cover the maintenance of the SPV and investor relations. This ensures Sowefund facilitates communications, annual general meetings, and any needed paperwork between the company and hundreds of new shareholders.

Transparency: Sowefund’s fee structure is fairly typical for the industry and is publicly mentioned in its legal notices. However, it’s not prominently advertised in marketing materials. The platform tends to emphasize the tax breaks and potential returns, so new investors should read the terms to understand fees. On Trustpilot, some users complained of “frais cachés” (hidden fees) upon exit, indicating they were surprised by the carry fee. Sowefund has responded that these fees are part of the standard model (and indeed nearly all equity crowdfunding platforms charge the company and/or take a carry).

In terms of fairness, Sowefund only profits meaningfully when investors profit, aside from the fixed fees companies pay. The pricing model is aligned with venture investing practices, but retail investors should be mindful of the performance fee impact on their net returns (roughly one-fifth of upside goes to the platform).

Summary: Overall, Sowefund’s pricing is transparent to those who seek out the information – detailed in the investor agreement and the site’s legal section – but it’s always good for investors to familiarize themselves with both the costs and the risk disclaimers before investing.

Negative Publicity about Sowefund ⚠️

Sowefund generally has a positive reputation in the French startup ecosystem, but there have been some negative reviews and criticisms noted by investors on public forums.

Trustpilot Rating: On Trustpilot, Sowefund holds an average rating around 3.0/5 (categorized as “Moyen”, or moderate) based on 40+ reviews. Notably, the feedback is polarized – about 62% of reviewers gave 5 stars, while around 34% gave 1 star, with very few in between.

Common Complaints: A recurring criticism is the lack of clarity on returns and follow-up. One investor from June 2025 lamented that after 10 years of operation, Sowefund could not provide any statistics on actual ROI or performance of investments, which made it difficult to evaluate success (“they should be able to give examples… but no answer to multiple emails asking for figures”). This highlights the frustration some have with the long horizons – many projects have not exited, and the platform hasn’t published aggregate results, leaving investors in the dark about how portfolios are faring.

Another complaint concerns communication during exits or problems. For instance, a 1-star review in May 2025 described a “déplorable experience” during the closing of an investment: the user said Sowefund’s communication was “catastrophic,” alleging that the platform announced on a Friday at 6 pm a piece of bad news (possibly a loss or a change in terms) with little warning. That review also mentioned feeling misled about fees: “Amateurs et frais cachés non précisés lors de l’investissement… taux ridicule sur l’investissement pour une part non liquide” – calling the team amateurish and complaining that hidden fees resulted in a disappointing net return on an illiquid investment.

Sowefund did reply to many negative reviews (they’ve responded to ~71% of negative comments, typically within 2 weeks), explaining their side and pointing to risk disclosures.

Comparisons: In the broader context, some French crowdfunding platforms have had similar or worse reputational challenges. For example, WiSEED (another pioneer) has a Trustpilot 2.5/5 with many more reviews, whereas others like Tudigo score 4+. Sowefund’s mid-range score suggests it’s not the worst, but clearly not the best in terms of public sentiment.

No Major Scandals: Importantly, there have been no known regulatory sanctions or legal disputes publicly involving Sowefund. The platform is in good standing with regulators (AMF/ACPR), and there haven’t been press-covered frauds or controversies like misuse of funds. The criticisms are mostly about performance and communication, inherent issues in early-stage investing. Some blog discussions highlight that many startup crowdfunding investments fail or take a long time – e.g., a Reddit forum user opined that “90% of investments on these platforms are bad investments,” though this is a subjective view.

Notable Issues: One noteworthy event involved Binge Audio, a media startup funded via Sowefund, which was later acquired by another company. Sowefund had to manage the sale on behalf of its crowd investors, and according to commentary on a blog (Zero Bullshit), it “solicited the shareholders during the buyout by Paradiso Media.” While details are sparse, this suggests Sowefund coordinated an exit for those investors – no wrongdoing implied, but it shows the complexity in such situations.

Key Takeaways: The red flags for potential investors are mainly the illiquidity and uncertainty of returns – some early investors express regret or impatience due to lack of exits. Prospective users should temper expectations and understand that even after a decade, it’s normal not to have profits yet (startups can take 5–10 years to exit, if ever). Sowefund could improve by publishing more performance updates or case studies of outcomes (beyond success story marketing).

Positive Reviews: On the other hand, positive reviews praise the platform’s team and support. For example, a user in Oct 2024 gave 5 stars citing that the team was always available, which inspired confidence throughout the process. Another long-time user (6 years) in Sept 2024 said they accessed solid, innovative projects and that the team was responsive to questions.

Summary: There is no indication of fraud or insolvency issues at Sowefund, but the user experience can vary. The biggest negative highlighted is that many investments have yet to pay off, and some investors feel information flow could be better. Potential investors should approach with realistic expectations and make sure they understand the fee structure and the long-term commitment to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Sowefund Success Stories and Achievements 🏅

Despite the challenges of startup investing, Sowefund has facilitated several high-profile success stories that it showcases to demonstrate the potential upside. Here are a few notable examples:

Ekwateur (Exit with 2.15× Return): Ekwateur, a green energy provider founded in 2015, raised €2.3M on Sowefund across two crowdfunding rounds. The crowd funding allowed over 1,500 individual investors to become shareholders. Five years later, in 2020, Ekwateur secured a €30M series B investment led by Ansonia Holdings (Singapore), which provided an exit opportunity. Sowefund investors were bought out at a +115% gross profit (approximately 2.15× their investment). This is one of the rare but encouraging examples where crowd investors realized a solid return.

Mon Petit Placement (Record-breaking Raise 2024): Mon Petit Placement is a Lyon-based fintech (founded 2017) that makes investing accessible to millennials. In 2024, after raising VC funding, they decided to open the round to their users via Sowefund. The campaign was a huge success – the funding goal was met in 1 hour, eventually raising €4.2M from 2,700 investors. This was one of the largest community crowdfunding rounds in France. It exemplifies Sowefund’s ability to mobilize a large crowd quickly, and also shows established startups using crowdfunding to engage their community.

Campsider (Community Growth): Campsider, a marketplace for second-hand sports equipment (founded 2020), raised €2.5M on Sowefund in Oct 2023 – the round was 150% oversubscribed and brought in 600 new investor-shareholders. Within a year post-fundraising, Campsider’s revenue tripled, and the 600 crowd investors became brand ambassadors (the company even formed a WhatsApp group with them). This “crowd equity” effect helped boost Campsider’s notoriety and sales. It’s a case where beyond the money, the crowd’s engagement accelerated the startup’s growth (a real marketing and network effect bonus).

La Marque en Moins (Scaling with Impact): La Marque en Moins, an eco-friendly consumer goods brand (founded 2019), raised €2M via Sowefund in 2023, in partnership with impact fund 50 Partners. They doubled their initial target and brought on ~1,000 new shareholders. A year later, the company’s growth exceeded 100%, attributing part of this success to their “super-ambassador” investors who advocate the brand. This showcases how Sowefund can help mission-driven startups not only financially but also by building a loyal customer-investor base.

Other Notable Companies: Sowefund was an early backer (alongside VCs) of startups like Lunii (children’s audio storytelling device), Agriloops (shrimp farming agritech), Axioma (biotech agri-solutions), and Taster (virtual restaurant brand), all of which have grown significantly after raising funds. Sowefund’s new parent, Founders Future, has a track record with hits like Lydia (fintech app) and Yuka (food scanner app). While those two were funded by Founders Future directly (not through Sowefund), the alliance means Sowefund investors might get access to similar quality deals. In fact, since joining forces in 2023, Sowefund and Founders Future have signaled plans to create the “go-to platform” for co-investment in France, combining the professional fund’s pipeline with the crowd platform. This could lead to more success stories in the coming years.

Awards and Recognition: Sowefund is often cited as a pioneer of equity crowdfunding in France. It has been recognized by Finance Innovation (a French fintech cluster) and adheres to the industry’s deontological charter via the French crowdfunding association. The platform is also labeled as a “Plateforme de financement participatif régulée par les autorités françaises” – essentially a seal of approval that it meets regulatory standards. While no specific awards were listed, the fact that Sowefund survived and grew through the early years of crowdfunding (where some competitors like SmartAngels or Unilend disappeared) is a testament to its success. In 2023, the acquisition by Founders Future itself can be seen as a milestone achievement, indicating the platform’s value in the ecosystem.

In summary, Sowefund’s track record includes over 140 funded businesses with many still on their journey. A few have provided positive exits or dramatic growth post-crowdfunding, validating the model. However, investors should note that these success stories are the exceptions so far – the majority of investments are still waiting for their chapter to be written. Sowefund transparently showcases these wins to remind investors of the potential rewards of patience and smart startup selection.

Is Sowefund safe and regulated?

Yes. Sowefund is a fully regulated platform in France. It was accredited as a Crowdfunding Investment Advisor (CIP) by the AMF and is listed with ORIAS (reg. no. 14002811). In 2023, it also became a European Crowdfunding Service Provider, allowing it to operate under EU-wide rules. Being regulated means Sowefund must follow strict investor protection guidelines (clear risk warnings, due diligence on projects, segregated client funds, etc.). The platform itself has a good track record of security – investor funds are handled by Lemon Way (an EU licensed payment institution) for escrow. However, “safe” does not mean your investments are safe – the investments are high-risk. Regulation can ensure the platform isn’t a scam and processes are fair, but it cannot guarantee the success of the startups you invest in. Always invest carefully, knowing you could lose your money despite the platform’s best efforts.

What returns can I expect on Sowefund?

There is no guaranteed return – returns vary widely deal by deal. Early-stage equity is a high-risk, high-potential asset class. Some investments might fail (–100% loss), a few might break even or give modest returns, and a rare few could multiply in value (e.g. 2x, 5x or more, if the startup is very successful). Sowefund cites that private equity historically has delivered ~14.5% average annual returns over 20 years, but this is not a promise for any given investment. In fact, as of 2025 many Sowefund projects are still in progress with no exit yet, so realized returns are scarce. Only 3 exits have been reported so far – for example, investors in Ekwateur roughly doubled their money after 5 years, whereas other startups have failed resulting in total loss. Because outcomes are so variable, you should expect that most of your startup picks may not yield positive returns, but the hope is one or two big winners can make the whole portfolio profitable (this is the classic VC model). Be prepared for a long period with no returns (no dividends, no liquidity) and understand that any returns will likely come as a one-time payoff if the company exits. In short, expect potential high returns but with a very real possibility of zero – only invest money you can afford to tie up and possibly lose.

What are the main risks of investing via Sowefund?

The risks are substantial – essentially the same as investing in any startup:

• High chance of failure: Startups are inherently risky. Many will go bankrupt or shut down, meaning you could lose your entire investment in those cases. There is no compensation scheme for equity losses – if a company you invested in fails, your capital is gone (this happens with some projects on every platform).

• Illiquidity: As discussed, you can’t easily sell your shares. You should expect to have zero liquidity until (and unless) an exit happens. Even if the startup is doing okay, there’s no guarantee of a market for your stake.

• No dividends: Most startups do not pay dividends in the early years (they reinvest any profits to grow). So don’t expect income during holding; your return, if any, will likely come only at the end via a sale of shares.

• Dilution: If the startup raises more capital later, it might issue new shares. Your percentage ownership can dilute, meaning if you don’t have pro-rata rights (usually retail investors don’t), your stake’s share of the pie gets smaller. Dilution can be mitigated if the company’s value grows proportionally, but it can affect voting power and upside.

• Valuation risk: The valuation at which you invest might be high (startups can be overvalued in hype times). If it’s too high, even a decent company may not give you a return because it never grows beyond that valuation. There’s a risk of overpaying for equity in an early round.

• Platform risk: While Sowefund itself is regulated and has been operating for years, there’s some platform risk (what if Sowefund ceased operations?). In such case, shareholder records would still exist via the holdings and company registers, but services might be disrupted. However, this risk is mitigated by regulations – if Sowefund went out of business, AMF/ORIAS would ensure an orderly transfer of its duties.

• Economic risk: Broader market conditions can affect startup success. During downturns, exits dry up and more startups fail. This can lengthen your holding period further or reduce chances of any return.

Sowefund clearly reminds users of these risks – its website notes “investing in young companies carries significant risk of total capital loss and lack of liquidity”. There are no guarantees. It’s crucial to only invest an amount that, if worst-case it went to zero, it wouldn’t derail your finances. The platform advises diversification: invest smaller tickets in many startups rather than a large amount in one, to improve odds that one big winner offsets the losers. In summary, the main risks are losing money and not being able to get money out – investors should approach Sowefund as a high-risk venture investment platform rather than a savings or short-term profit mechanism.