Crowdcube, the world’s first and largest equity crowdfunding platform, is celebrating more than £500 million in pledged investment on the platform.

The half billion in funds pledged to businesses has resulted in more than 700 successful raises, for startups to sizeable scale-ups including fintech unicorn Revolut, digital, mobile-only bank Monzo and BrewDog, the British multinational brewery.

One common trait among the growing number of scale-up raises is increased participation by venture capital firms. Six VCs including Balderton and Index Ventures took part in the Revolut raise, Passion Capital contributed to Monzo’s raise, and Draper Esprit participated in a raise for POD Point, the UK leaders in electric vehicle charging.

The majority of pledged investment via Crowdcube’s platform – 60% – comes from high net worth and sophisticated investors, who typically invest larger sums. The platform has also opened up opportunities to everyday investors that have been able to invest in startup, early and growth-stage businesses more easily than ever before. Crowdcube also appeals to investors of all ages; since Crowdcube was founded in 2011, there have been over 40,000 investments worth £21m from the under-30s, and over 25,000 investments worth nearly £60m from those over 60.