LexShares Launches New Legal Crowdfunding Platform: Investors Buy Stakes in Lawsuits

November 19, 2014 @ 3:18 pm By Erin Hobey

LexShares, a crowdfunding platform founded by Jay Greenberg and his business partner Max Volsky, launched today. Investors buy a stake in the outcome of a lawsuit by giving businesses the cash they need to operate while their cases go forward.

“There’s really an education gap,” said Greenberg to the Boston Globe, “Investors don’t know this is an asset class they can invest in, attorneys aren’t sure how it works, and plaintiffs don’t realize it’s available.”

LexShares seeks to fund plaintiffs in commercial lawsuits for a share of the potential settlement; the legal startup’s staff of six vets suits before posting them, and only government-accredited investors can buy “stock” in a lawsuit.

“Peachtree and Lawcash and about 30 other companies who do personal injury and slip-and-falls, that’s one segment of the market. That’s not what we do,” said Greenberg. “We’re looking to fund a commercial lawsuit with $10 to $40 million in claim value.”

According to the Boston Globe, demand has been brisk, Greenberg said. LexShare’s first offering, described as a product liability case against a Fortune 500 company seeking $250,000, secured 100% funding. The target return for investors on each suit is 50 percent — high, perhaps, but commensurate with the risk involved, Greenberg said.

New York- based LexShares conducted a seed round led by the Boston-based Atlas Venture for an undisclosed amount.

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