Despite the sunny weather we’ve all been spending most of our time indoors. By ourselves, maybe a partner or a roommate and hopefully a stocked refrigerator, these can be lonely times. Social distancing is challenging, but could also be rewarding. Would you believe us if we tell you your self quarantine can actually empower communities?
Good news: there’s no need for you to go outside to make an impact. There are tons of things you can do from the comfort of your home. So put on your pajamas, pour yourself a beverage of choice and raise your glass. Here’s to solidarity!
Your precious ring depreciates dramatically the minute you walk out of the shop. Jewelry, amongst cars and phones, are goods that drop most in value. Diamond rings especially can collapse in price from $1000 to $50. Even when you have a certificate that verifies the diamond’s authenticity, diamond rings are only worth investing in when you buy them at the right price. It’s most likely that the price you pay is a false price, as high street jewelers usually have profit margins of 300%, excluding VAT.
Written by Koen The on 16 March 2020
Hello everyone, I just wanted to send you a brief note on the status of us here at Lendahand as it relates to the Coronavirus. As I am sure you are aware, the Coronavirus pandemic has escalated rapidly...
Written by Lucas Weaver on 16 March 2020
We’d like to introduce you to Georgian Credit: a microfinance organization established in 2006. By funding projects from Georgian Credit, you’ll empower hard-working entrepreneurs across Georgia.
Written by Thomas Plaatsman on 6 February 2020
We’re excited to announce our newest partner: Symbiotics. With over 425 institutions financed in 83 countries across the globe, Symbiotics is a leader in the world of impact investing. By partnering with us, Symbiotics hopes to add an innovative source of funding to its portfolio of institutional investors. We’re their first crowdfunding platform, allowing retail investors to directly select the companies they wish to invest in. Find out why we're joining forces.
Written by Lucas Weaver on 3 March 2020
It’s a tempting comparison to make: why leave extra money in your savings account earning 0% interest when you could invest it with Lendahand and earn around 3% in return? While the comparison may be tempting, I’m here to tell you why it’s actually like comparing apples and oranges.
Fighting poverty worldwide and making money out of it – seems quite contradicting, doesn’t it? In the past seven years, we’ve learned that it’s possible. In order to understand how this works, let’s first have a look at how poverty arises and how it stays in tact.
"Equality between men and women is not only a human right, it’s also the basis for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world”. We couldn’t agree more with the United Nations. Because women are still disadvantaged compared to men, the UN has made gender equality Sustainable Development Goal #5. By 2030, men and women must have equal rights such as education, health care and jobs. Find out how you can help to achieve this goal.
Written by Lily Zhou on 14 February 2020
Last month I wrote about my visit to our solar partner upOwa in Cameroon. Their solar home systems literally empower people. Even people in remote places get access to clean energy. Today I’ll take you to one of these places. Travel along to Sa’a and get to know the Bobofils family.
Written by Thomas Plaatsman on 23 January 2020
Our team is always trying to find ways to increase our product offering while still maintaining the high standards of our investment portfolio. Co-financing is an exciting opportunity for us to do just that.
Welcoming a rescue dog into your life actually has a lot in common with crowdfunding a better world. In both scenarios, it’s best to contemplate before committing to such an investment. Of course, it’s easy to get over excited because of all available furry friends and exciting projects. Make sure to ask yourself these six questions before picking one.
The following story is written by Ella van Kranenburg: As one of the supervisory board members of Lendahand, I wanted to witness where crowd invested money ends up. That’s why I joined Lendahand’s Peter Heijen and Thomas Plaatsman together with a few investors on a short, intense and educational field trip to Zambia. Rest assured, both the investors and I bought our own tickets.
Written by Lily Zhou on 16 December 2019
Enjoying a cold beer, relaxing with Netflix or simply turning on a lamp. What is normal to us, is a dream to many folks. More than a billion people across the world don’t have reliable access to energy. And of those 600 million people live in Africa. upOwa, partner of Lendahand, makes a big difference in Cameroon with their solar home systems. I visited upOwa and found out the impact of your investment.
Written by Lily Zhou on 12 December 2019
On December 11, 2019, at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP25, in Madrid, Lendahand together with 500 other companies publicly committed to accelerate the reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions to reach a 1.5 degree trajectory leading to net zero by the year 2030—20 years ahead of the 2050 targets set in the Paris Agreement.
Written by Lucas Weaver on 22 November 2019
Recently, a group of our investors paid their own way to travel to Zambia and visit a few of our projects, guided by Lendahand Founder Peter Heijen and Investment Manager Thomas Plaatsman. We wanted to bring you a few of their stories so you can share in their experience. The following is a guest post written by Heini Withagen.
Written by Lily Zhou on 21 November 2019
The end of the year is the time to think of new goals and new resolutions. Perhaps you also have things you intend to do more - or absolutely no more - next year. Quit smoking, run a marathon, be nicer for the people around you or stand up for yourself more? Great goals that can help you become an even better version of yourself.
Written by Koen The on 11 November 2019
Read this blog post to find out how inflation negatively impacts your financial returns and what you can do about it.
Written by Lily Zhou on 11 November 2019
Last Thursday, In the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam, Lendahand was once again honored to take home the IEX Gouden Stier Award for Best Crowdfunding Platform of the Netherlands.
