Seedrs
Seedrs, now operating as Republic Europe, is one of Europe's largest equity-crowdfunding platforms, founded in London in 2012. It lets everyday investors buy shares in private startups, and has channelled more than £2 billion (about $2.6 billion) into European companies. Its water footprint is narrow: the Leviathan database tracks just two water companies, both crowdfunded before 2021.
Compiled by Antoine Walter, (don't) Waste Water, from official filings and direct intelligence in Leviathan.
The take
Seedrs launched in 2012 as one of the first platforms to let ordinary people buy equity in early-stage companies, an idea its founders Jeff Lynn and Carlos Silva built in London under the watch of Britain's Financial Conduct Authority. Investors pool their money through a nominee structure, with Seedrs holding the shares on their behalf, so that thousands of small cheques can act as a single shareholder in a young company. In 2022 the US platform Republic bought the business for a reported £86.5 million, and it now trades as Republic Europe.
Seedrs has almost no water to speak of, and what little there is arrived through the crowd rather than a strategy. The Leviathan database tracks two water companies funded on the platform, both before 2021: Hydro Wind Energy, whose QuenchSea is a hand-powered device that turns seawater into drinking water without electricity, and Zypho, a Portuguese maker of drain heat exchangers that recapture the warmth otherwise lost down a shower plughole. Neither was a fund manager's pick; both were campaigns that retail backers chose to support.
Seedrs is best understood by a water newcomer as a distribution channel for capital. It is where early water hardware meets the retail crowd, the place a clever desalination gadget can raise its first real money from the public before any specialist water fund takes notice. Whether more water names appear here will come down to which founders choose to run campaigns, because Seedrs backs whatever its members are willing to fund.
Water Commitment Score
Compiled from official filings, third-party records, and direct intelligence from investors and founders, in Leviathan · recomputed monthly · as of Jun 2026.
Portfolio · 2 water companies
Invests alongside
Highlighted = profiled on (don't) Waste Water.
Frequently asked
- What does Seedrs invest in?
- Seedrs is an equity-crowdfunding platform, so it does not pick investments itself; it hosts campaigns across every sector and lets its members decide where to put their money. Companies range from consumer brands to fintech and clean technology. Water is a tiny slice: the Leviathan database tracks two water companies funded through the platform.
- Who runs Seedrs?
- Seedrs is led by chief executive Jeff Kelisky, who has run the business since 2017 and now also heads parent company Republic's global retail division. Seedrs was founded in 2012 by Jeff Lynn and Carlos Silva, and since 2022 has operated as Republic Europe following its acquisition by the US platform Republic.
- Is Seedrs the same as Republic Europe?
- Seedrs and Republic Europe are the same business. Republic, a US private-investment platform, acquired Seedrs in 2022 for a reported £86.5 million and rebranded the European operation as Republic Europe. The Seedrs name and its FCA-regulated nominee structure remain in use, so older campaigns and shareholdings still carry it.
- Where is Seedrs based?
- Seedrs is headquartered in London, with a second office in Dublin, and is authorised by Britain's Financial Conduct Authority, with its Irish arm regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Operating as Republic Europe, it serves investors across the United Kingdom and the European Union.
- How many water deals has Seedrs done?
- Seedrs has hosted two water companies that the Leviathan database tracks, across two funding rounds, the most recent in 2020. (don't) Waste Water rates its water commitment Occasional. The two are Hydro Wind Energy, behind the QuenchSea desalination device, and drain-heat-recovery startup Zypho.