With a remarkable 500% growth in crowdfunding for its B2B projects in just one quarter, the Belgian-French startup is now opening its capital to the general public, aiming to raise several million euros through its proprietary fundraising platform.

The enthusiastic response from clients and European investors to this unique subscription-based furniture service enables Enky not only to double its team  but also to launch a new line of refurbished second-hand furniture restored directly in its Paris and London workshops.

It all seems to make perfect sense: when you manage, after a global crisis, to reinvent how organisations furnish their spaces – preserving cash flow while helping them meet regulatory, environmental, and social obligations – you should also be able to envision an entirely new way to fuel your ambitions. Enky is inviting investors to be part of the journey via equity crowdfunding on its own platform. 

“My experience in fintech and the success story of Edebex played a big role in envisioning and implementing this new feat,” explains Aïssa Laroussi, co-founder and CEO of Enky. “We wanted to be worthy of the immense trust so many individuals place in us by investing their savings in our projects, and offer them the chance to take it a step further.“

Enky is in a unique position to use its own platform to engage with the community directly. Becoming a shareholder is now as simple as visiting their online platform, where, with full legality and transparency, anyone can invest with a minimum stake of just 1,000 pounds. The same simplicity applies when it’s time to sell shares down the line.

“Opening our capital directly to individual investors reaffirms, much like our business model, our pioneering role in an innovative system that other startups might look to in the future,” notes Shari Dewannemacker, Enky’s Sales & Marketing Director. “One figure speaks volumes: the circular economy currently represents a trillion dollars and will grow by 13% annually, reaching 25 trillion by 2050 (see reference below). Our alternative investment offerings are, therefore, an incredible opportunity for those seeking both purpose and financial returns.”

Stricter ESG-CSR regulations on one hand, and shifting mindsets on the other, have led to second-hand B2B furniture sales growing at three times the rate of new goods sales (see reference below). This trend is even more pronounced in the professional furniture sector, where owners, tenants, architects, and project managers are increasingly focused on reducing their carbon footprint by adopting circular sourcing practices.

“The demand is undeniable, while the supply of second-hand stock has skyrocketed following years of excessive waste,” concludes Aïssa Laroussi. “This is why we’ve launched a new service offering refurbished professional furniture on a subscription basis, with the option for clients to either purchase or have Enky repurchase the pieces. This unique solution is sustainable, versatile, flexible, and cost-effective – made even more appealing by the fact that each second-hand piece will be inspected, restored if needed, or even updated to current styles by a new team of specialists at our workshops outside Paris and London.”

References:

Circularity growth:

https://www.sphericalinsights.com/reports/circular-economy-market

https://www.marknteladvisors.com/research-library/global-circular-economy-market.html

Second hand growth: 
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/second-hand-furniture-market-report

For more information: www.enky.com