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Tennis champion Sir Andy Murray backs British tech startups
By Michelle Johnson | 29 March 2018 | Sport, Wealth
The Wimbledon and Olympic tennis champion has invested into two early-stage financial startups, Investly and Landbay
* Sir Andy Murray has invested into two early-stage British fintech startups, Investly and Landbay [Image courtesy of Seedrs]
Tennis star Sir Andy Murray is well known for his savvy strategies and perfect form on the court, but the latest announcement from online investment company Seedrs, a leading equity crowdfunding platform, has proved the former world number one is also a champion in business thanks to his latest investments.
The Scottish star has invested into two early-stage British fintech startups, Investly and Landbay. The first is a pan-European marketplace for invoice financing aimed at SMEs, and the rate of businesses signing on to the platform has already grown Investly's turnover at an average of 98% since January 2017. Landbay, which first received backing from Murray two years ago, is a mortgage marketplace lender direct-matching retail and institutional investors’ money into buy-to-let mortgages, and has already surpassed £100m of mortgages funded to date.
“I have long been interested in backing companies that offer tech solutions and both Investly and Landbay do that," said Murray. "I can really see the value in Investly for small businesses – the early days of a business can be really tough so helping them with cash flow makes sense to me and will hopefully enable more small businesses to succeed. I am excited to be maintaining my shareholding in Landbay, as the company’s growth and achievements so far has been extremely impressive."
The new additions to Murray's investment portfolio means he now has more than 30 ambitious British businesses on the equity crowdfunding platform. The savvy sportsman, who is a Wimbledon and Olympic champion and became the youngest Brit to receive a knighthood in 2017, also owns luxury hotel resort Cromlix, in Perthshire.
“We’re delighted to see Andy growing his early-stage investment portfolio on Seedrs," said the company's CEO Jeff Kelisky. "He is a great example of an investor who is thoughtful in diversifying across a number of sectors and stages. We look forward to supporting his investment strategy and seeing what he backs next."
Other investments in Murray's diverse portfolio include Goodbox, a charitable tech firm working with Church of England cathedrals and museums, and Zoomdoc, a healthcare firm that allows patients to instantly book a GP to arrive at any location within an hour.