Ctrl Alt raises £2.2M to broaden investment offerings, enabling platforms to include fractionalized assets like real estate and renewables.
In a funding round intended to enable fintechs and investment platforms to expand their investment offerings beyond stocks and bonds to investments in fractionalized assets like real estate and renewable energy, Ctrl Alt, the B2B solutions provider for alternative assets, has raised £2.2 million.
Leading the investment round were Middlegame Ventures and Forward Partners, with a number of renowned angel investors and follow-on funds also participating. Among them were Marc Cohen, Omid Ashtari, Syndicate Room, 365.fintech, Enterprise Ireland, and Alex Macdonald.
Founded in 2020 by Matt Ong, a former employee of Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, Ctrl Alt provides white label and API services as well as products that enable investment platforms to access alternative assets within their platform and brand. It claims that by offering additional investment options in addition to equities and bonds, this move could help financial services maintain their competitiveness.
“The super-rich and institutional investors have traditionally had access to investing in things like property and green energy and more due to a culture of exclusivity, extremely stringent entry requirements, and antiquated procedures,” CEO Ong stated. “Any investment strategy should prioritise having a diversified portfolio, and it is wrong that alternative assets—which are generally strong investments—remain in the traditional financial system.”
For asset owners, Ctrl Alt makes the capital acquisition procedure easier. The organisation effectively manages the investing side of things with the help of specific products and a team of financial and technological professionals. According to Ong, this strategy will help a wider range of assets reach the market.
Forecasts
The Private Equity Database forecasted a significant 13.3% annual growth in assets under management (AUM) in 2022. According to their forecasts, total alternative assets under management (AUM) would rise significantly and is expected to reach a considerable $23.3 trillion by the end of 2027. This data is consistent with research conducted by Independent Financial Advisors, which showed that 97% of portfolios had started to raise their allocations to alternative investments in the previous year.
Additionally, Ctrl Alt’s insights are in line with how the investing world is changing, especially for millennial and Gen Z investors. According to a Bank of America study from 2022, there has been a noticeable shift in attitudes among this group.
It also showed that 75% of investors between the ages of 21 and 42 no longer believe that bonds and stocks are the only ways to generate returns that are higher than average. As a result of their increasing need for portfolio diversity, eighty percent of this demographic is also focusing on alternative investment possibilities.
“At Forward, we see a massive opportunity to democratise access to financial investments for eligible investors who have hitherto been locked out of these markets due to large tickets, administrative complexity, and a lack of access,” said Megha Prakash, senior investor at Forward Partners.
The promise of Ctrl Alt is to increase accessibility to a wide variety of investments. Matt is an excellent founder to take on this opportunity because of his extensive experience working in the regulated field, his strong history in financial product structuring, and his native digital background. We are thrilled to be supporting Matt.
