Spreds AI Overview on 09/2025

Spreds Platform Overview 🚀💡

Spreds is a Belgian crowdfunding platform (founded 2011) for equity and debt investments in startups, scale-ups, renewable projects and local ventures. It operates a regulated structure (authorized by Belgium’s FSMA under EU Crowdfunding rules since Sept 2022) and even offers Belgian investors a tax-shelter incentive (25–45% tax reduction on qualifying startup investments). The model pools crowd funds via a special vehicle (“Spreds Finance” SA) to subscribe to company share issuances or loans. Key advantages include professional co-investors (VCs/angels joining campaigns), pre‐vetted opportunities and user-friendly online tools. Main risks are the usual crowdfunding ones: business failure (total loss of invested capital), lack of liquidity (no organized secondary market), and changes in tax or securities regulations. Spreds repeatedly cautions investors about “serious risks, including partial or total loss of capital.”

Spreds Investment Products 📊💰

Spreds offers two product types:

Equity Crowdfunding (Shares): You buy shares (via “participation notes”) in private companies. Returns come from future dividends or capital gains if the company is sold or IPO’s. No guaranteed yield is offered.

Debt Crowdfunding (Loans/Notes): You lend money to businesses and earn contractual interest. The platform advertises fixed rates (e.g. 5–15% per annum on examples), but actual returns depend on repayment of principal＋interest.

Investments are legally structured as notes issued by Spreds Finance (SA, BE). All investments are in EUR, and open to EU residents (min. investment €100). Spreds tends to fund rounds of €50k–€1M. There is no fixed maturity: loan terms vary by deal (some 3–5 years), equity notes are indefinite until an exit. Investors should expect to hold for 5–8 years on average before exit events. Key investment metrics (as of recent offers) show IRR targets typically in the low-to-mid teens (e.g. ~9–12% cited on some rounds), but actual returns are highly uncertain. All typical crowdfunding risks apply: project default, illiquidity (no buyback), and a risk of complete capital loss.

Spreds Company Background & Structure 🏢🔍

Spreds (formerly MyMicroInvest) was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Brussels. Founders: Charles-Albert de Radzitzky (CEO & Co-founder) and Gilles van der Meerschen (Co-founder) lead the company, along with a small management team. Spreds is privately held (no public shareholding); its capital investments are funneled through Spreds Finance SA (RPM Nivelles 0538.839.354). The company uses a ‘compartmentalised’ legal structure (spécial purpose vehicle) to pool each crowdfunding round. Spreds is FSMA-authorized: it holds an EU Crowdfunding Service Provider license (Reg (EU) 2020/1503), and complies with Belgium’s Crowdfunding Law (18 Dec 2016). The FSMA website confirms Spreds’ registration (BE enterprise #0837.496.614) and notes it was authorized on 26 Sep 2022. Spreds also operates Spreds.pro, a SaaS toolkit for investor/board management (200+ clients, 50k+ users). It does not have banking backing or guarantee insurance; the team emphasizes FSMA oversight but also repeatedly warns of investment risk.

Spreds Company Volume & Recent Results 📈💶

By mid-2025, Spreds had facilitated over €70 million of funding across roughly 150 campaigns, backed by ~41,000 investors. The platform itself does not publicly report default rates or loss metrics. However, Spreds’ own analysis (Jan 2025) indicates that of all funded companies, about 30% have fully exited the portfolio – among these, roughly 40% yielded a profit while 60% ended in loss (often total loss of capital). The remaining 70% of companies are still “live”: ~25% in financial distress (liquidation/restructuring) and ~75% operating normally. Spreds does not disclose overdue loan statistics. Average returns for investors are not guaranteed; actual realized returns will vary widely and depend on portfolio diversity and tax advantages. (Note: Belgian investors benefit from the tax-shelter, effectively recovering 25–45% of invested capital, which boosts net returns.)

Spreds Risk Management & Due Diligence 🔎⚠️

Spreds claims a rigorous vetting process. Only about 3% of all project applications are accepted for crowdfunding. Early screening filters out non-serious or fraudulent ventures; roughly 20% of campaigns fail to reach minimum funding and are cancelled as part of this “natural selection.” Approved campaigns often involve professional co-investors (venture funds, angels) to validate deals and provide oversight. Spreds encourages investor diversification (via its “Tracers” pooled funds) and highlights the Belgian tax shelter as a risk buffer. In 2025 it introduced a company “Scorecard” system to quantitatively rate startups. While Spreds provides detailed company info (financials, business plans) online, investors bear all the risk: no buyback or insurance is offered. Investors are repeatedly reminded of risks at each stage. Spreds conducts on-going project monitoring (investor dashboards and updates), but performance depends solely on the underlying businesses. Sector/geography filters: they invest broadly in EU/Belgian SMEs and renewable projects, but exclude clearly illegal/monetarily risky ventures. In short, Spreds aims for due diligence rigor, but as their CEO notes, even skilled analysis cannot eliminate startup risk.

Spreds Platform Features & Functionality 🛠️🖥️

The Spreds website and app (mobile app available) support English, Dutch and French. Investors access a dashboard showing portfolio, deal pipelines and tax-shelter info. Key features include: Auto-Invest (tool to automatically allocate funds by criteria) and “Tracers” (managed mini-funds that invest in a basket of startups to diversify risk). Tracers simplify diversified investing (e.g. thematic or tax-shelter portfolios). Spreds also offers education (blog, webinars) and periodic in-depth analyses (e.g. success-rate reports). Secondary market: Spreds does not organize any formal secondary market. Shares/notes may be sold privately by agreement (via Spreds’ transfer contract), but there is no guaranteed liquidity or buyback program. All transactions and data are SSL-secured as per their “Safe & secure” claims. The platform charges in EUR only. It advertises real-time stats (funding progress, etc.) and sends investor statements for tax purposes.

Spreds Platform Fees & Pricing 💲📊

Investor fees: Spreds charges a subscription fee on equity deals. The standard rate is ~5% of each investment (e.g. investing €1,000 costs €1,050). Founders’ friends or “network” rounds pay 3%. Investments via Tracers incur ~4% fee (plus a €100 initial subscription). For debt/loans, there is no explicit platform fee – the quoted interest is net of Spreds’ cut. (Premium investors (>€10k/yr) effectively pay 4% on mid-size investments and 3% above €100k.) Spreds also charges a performance fee: 20% of gains above a 5% annual hurdle (applies to net returns).

Fundraiser fees: Companies typically pay fixed listing or legal costs and a success commission to Spreds, but specifics aren’t publicly detailed here. Spreds claims transparency by listing fees in each campaign’s T&C and FAQ. Overall, the fee structure is transparent: subscribers see fees before investing, and a detailed “Pricing” section is available on the site (though actual fee details are mostly publicized in French/Dutch).

Negative Publicity & Criticisms ⚠️📉

Spreds has faced some investor complaints online. On Trustpilot (2024) it scores 2.8/5, with all reviews one-star. A common gripe: “Impossible to resell the stocks I’ve bought” due to no secondary market. One investor reported money “stuck” for 6+ years and felt FSMA had approved misleading terms. Spreds’ management acknowledges such frustration but stresses that risk disclosure is given upfront. No official regulatory sanctions or warnings against Spreds are public, and FSMA accreditation stands. However, investors should note the liquidity risk: Spreds itself says you can only sell your participation by finding a private buyer (with Spreds providing a contract). Aside from liquidity, critics also warn that crowdfunding projects often fail (industry-wide ~60% of startups yield little or no return). Review sites and forums rarely mention Spreds-specific scandals, but they do highlight the general crowdfunding pitfalls of capital risk and platform limitations. No major controversies (fraud or solvency issues) have surfaced in media.

Spreds Success Stories & Milestones 🏆🎉

Despite the risks, Spreds has funded several notable companies. Successful ex-portfolio examples include biotech Univercells (vaccine tech), payment security firm Digiteal, animal-imaging Elysia, hydro-microturbine maker Turbulent and smart composting Greenzy. It has also backed renewable-energy loans with giants like Engie Electrabel, Eneco and EDP Renewables. In 2018 Spreds co-founded “JungleBells” with Euronext Brussels – an initiative that by Dec 2019 had supported 15 fundraising rounds for Belgian scale-ups (even lining up one IPO candidate). Key milestones: founded 2011; rebranded from MyMicroInvest in 2018; FSMA/EU registration obtained Sep 2022. The platform claims accolades as “Belgian leader” in startup crowdfunding and frequently highlights the “#FundedFamily” of founders and investors who have raised capital via Spreds.

Is Spreds safe and regulated?

Yes, Spreds is FSMA-authorized (Belgium’s financial regulator) under the EU Crowdfunding Regulation. It uses audited legal structures (notes and SPVs) and SSL security. That said, no investment is “safe” – Spreds repeatedly warns of high risk of capital loss.

What returns can I expect?

There is no guaranteed return. Potential returns range widely: equity deals may aim for double-digit IRRs, while loans might offer fixed 5–15% interest on paper. Actual returns depend on portfolio performance and many investments fail. Belgian tax shelters (25–45% credit) can boost net returns, but investors should assume zero or negative real returns in many cases.

What are the main risks?

Key risks include: Project failure (complete loss of a startup); Illiquidity (inability to exit early); Regulatory/tax changes (benefits like Tax Shelter may be altered); and Platform risk (Spreds itself could suffer reputational or operational issues, though it is regulated). Crowdfunding risks like fraud are mitigated by Spreds’ vetting, but cannot be eliminated. Always diversify your portfolio and invest only what you can afford to lose.