While half of investors and entrepreneurs would vote to stay in the EU, 47 per cent of investors and 43 per cent of entrepreneurs would vote to leave. Nearly one in 10 entrepreneurs said that they had no preference either way, compared to just 2 per cent of investors.
In a separate poll, Seedrs asked respondents what impact Britain leaving the EU would have on the UK startup environment. Almost two thirds said it would have a negative effect, while 16 per cent said it would be positive. More than one in five said they were unsure what impact it would have.
Jeff Lynn, CEO of Seedrs, said: “The very even split between the in and out vote shows what a complicated issue this is. It’s clear that this has become a debate lacking real information and that we are instead hearing soundbites from both sides. There is a need to present people with real information to help them make an informed decision in June.”
Along with the CEOs of a substantial number of other UK tech businesses, Jeff has put his name behind the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign. He explains: “As a business Seedrs is in favour of Britain remaining in the European Union. We are a pan-European platform with London at our core, and we believe that we and our users stand to benefit from the open market that comes with Britain’s continued EU membership; in contrast, leaving the EU creates a number of very real risks for the British business community.”
Last month, Seedrs announced that it has had more than £100 million invested on its platform since launching in July 2012 and, according to research firm Beauhurst, is the most active seed-stage equity investor in the UK.
