Invest with Uback
Strength in numbers. On their own, investors rarely get access to the best startups, even in their own country. Together, Uback’s Backers form an investor pool these companies can no longer ignore.
The principle
Uback pools demand. You choose what you want to invest in, and your intention joins those of other Backers with the same target: a pool. When a pool is big enough, Uback passes it to the country’s Fundraising Desk, which takes this demand to the companies.
Two kinds of target
- A specific company, whether or not it has agreed.
- A sector in an area: worldwide, a region or a country, for example robotics in Europe. A sector can be broad (fintech) or narrow (mobile wallets). Never a country or a region alone.
Pools fit inside one another
- Counting goes up: an intention on robotics in Germany also counts in robotics in Europe and worldwide, and in its parent sector.
- Deals go down: an intention on robotics worldwide can be offered a deal in Germany, but an intention on robotics in Germany is only offered deals in Germany.
A pool is big enough when it reaches its critical mass: a floor amount estimated by AI for each pool.
Uback does not sell securities and does not collect any funds. It brings intentions together. The investment itself, if it happens, is offered by a partner desk, under its own responsibility.
Four steps
- You declare an intention. On a specific company, or on a sector worldwide, in a region or in a country, with a ticket. On a sector, you can also name a preferred company within it (your intention stays in the sector pool: the preference is a signal passed on with the pool).
- Critical mass is reached. Intentions add up in the pool. When its combined amount reaches critical mass, a floor amount estimated by the AI for each pool, the pool is passed to the country’s Fundraising Desk.
- The Fundraising Desk structures. It contacts the company, presents the Backers’ demand and checks whether expectations match: amount, valuation, rights. When the company agrees to talk with the partner, a deal process opens.
- Closing. If an agreement is possible, the partner presents the transaction directly to the Backers concerned. Each one freely decides whether to take part. Small tickets are pooled in a common vehicle set up by the partner.
Who can declare an intention
Declarations are reserved for professionals:
- corporates investing on their own account, directly or through a corporate venture unit;
- investment funds and family offices, and their management companies;
- business angels acting through a holding company, who certify that they have already invested at least USD 25,000 in non-listed companies.
Minimum ticket: USD 25,000. Individuals cannot open an account in their own name, and U.S. persons are excluded at this stage. See the Terms for Backers.
Investing for a corporate? See Corporate venture.
What you declare
- A target. A specific company, whether or not it has agreed; or a sector within a scope: worldwide, a region or a country. Never a country or a region alone. On a sector, the partner may present several companies to you.
- A ticket, from $25k to $100M.
- An intention, not a commitment. Declaring does not oblige you to invest. The final decision is always yours. Your intention stays movable until you sign a commitment proposed by a partner desk (a letter of intent or a contract).
Why an intention is paid
Free first, paid to confirm. Every pool starts with free Interests, on up to 5 pools at a time per Backer, to measure demand. When a pool’s Interests reach its threshold, Backers are invited to confirm them as paid Intentions. Only paid Intentions count toward critical mass and are passed to the Fundraising Desk: a free declaration means little to a startup, payment proves the demand is serious.
The price depends on the country and the ticket. It will be shown when declarations open in each country. It is neither a deposit nor an investment, and it is non-refundable.
Backing a specific company
You can back any ranked company, or any company on the Radar, whether or not it has agreed. Backing does not mean that the company is raising funds or that a shareholder is selling shares, and it is not a commitment to invest. It tells the company, through a partner desk, that investors are ready to come in. Any deal is handled by a partner desk: the country’s Fundraising Desk for a funding round, the Secondary Sales Desk assigned to the company for a sale by an existing shareholder.
If the company does not follow up. When the pool on a company reaches critical mass and the company does not follow up, Uback invites its Backers to move their intentions to a competitor or a similar company.
Shareholder or founder? Contact us
An intention valid for life, movable until you commit
Your intention is valid for life, with no expiry date.
You can move an intention at any time to another company or another sector, in any scope, even once a deal process has opened. It then leaves its pool and joins the new one. The partner may suggest a move; the decision remains yours.
An intention is frozen only if you sign a commitment proposed by the partner desk for a transaction: a letter of intent or a contract. The desk then freezes it on Uback while the deal is completed. Once the deal is signed, the intention is past: it has done its job, and to join another pool you declare a new one. If the deal does not go ahead, the desk releases it and you can move it again.
Counters
Each company and each sector, in each scope, shows the number of Backers and the combined amount of its pool. The identity of Backers is never published.
Why only companies that have already raised funds
Uback only ranks companies that have raised at least $1M in equity. Professional investors are therefore already on the cap table and have negotiated a shareholders’ agreement. Backers who come in after them do not start from a blank page.
The partner desks
Uback works with two kinds of licensed partners. In each country, a single Fundraising Desk handles funding rounds; it is introduced on the country page. Sales of existing shares are handled by a Secondary Sales Desk, assigned by Uback company by company. See how the two desks work.
A desk only receives your contact details with your consent, and only when your pool is passed to it.
Risks
Investing in a non-listed company carries a risk of losing all the capital invested. The shares are illiquid: it may be impossible to sell them for several years. Only invest money you can afford to lose.
What Uback does not do
- Uback does not guarantee that a transaction will take place.
- Uback does not negotiate, advise or hold any mandate.
- Uback does not collect any funds intended for investment.
- Uback does not sell or pass your data to anyone other than the partner desk concerned.
Where are we?
Uback has just launched. In each country, investment intentions will open as soon as the country’s Fundraising Desk is signed.