Playing armchair venture capitalist has never been easier. For investors registered with MicroVentures, an eight-person crowdfunding outfit based in San Francisco, opportunities to invest in young tech startups arrive via e-mail. A link takes you to an eight-page summary of each company, laying out management bios, market size, competition and financials. You can also sign up for a webinar with the startup’s CEO. Or call up a MicroVentures broker who can speak for the company and relay questions to the founders. If you’re ready to commit, type in the amount you want to invest–usual minimum: $5,000–and click. The money sits in escrow until the deal closes.
This may well be the future for helping accredited investors–with $200,000-plus in annual income or a net worth exceeding $1 million–get an equity stake in up-and-comers. This sort of crowdfunding is getting ever more crowded. RockThePost (a Forbes.com contributor), AngelList, WeFunder and others offer platforms to attract small grubstakes in prevetted opportunities. You no longer need to rely on a savvy angel network to learn of deals–or to wait for the SEC finally to settle the rules for equity crowdfunding.
