OTC Markets Group (OTCQX:OTCM) will be hosting a “mini-conference” entitled Capital Raising 2.0 to discuss the process of raising capital and potentially going public under the JOBS Act exemptions. The event held at the OTC Markets office will present an introduction to crowdfunding portals and the options for secondary trading.
Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of the Digital Currency Group and Founder of SecondMarket, will be interviewed in a “fireside chat” by OTC Markets CEO R. Cromwell Coulson. The topic will be Silbert’s Bitcoin Investment Trusts (OTCQX:GBTC) and how Silbert raised capital under Title II of the JOBS Act and then commenced trading on the OTCQX. Silbert will also share his perspective on digital currency and emerging blockchain technology. There will also be a panel discussion featuring crowdfunding experts from BANQ, FundAmerica, HealthiosXChange, SeedInvest, OfferBoard and the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Topics will include the various forms of equity crowdfunding including Title II accredited crowdfunding, Reg A+ and the forthcoming Title III or Reg CF that will commence in May.
OTC Markets has positioned itself as a natural next step for smaller companies raising capital under the new securities exemptions. A growing number of companies are seeking to provide liquidity for shareholders by listing on the OTC Markets platform.
Recently Elio Motors completed an equity crowdfunding offer using Reg A+ to raise growth capital. Soon after the funding round closed, Elio listed its shares on the OTCQX. The process was later described as “how Wall Street was meant to work” highlighting the decline in IPOs as today most promising young companies avoid going public as long as possible due to excessive cost. Updated exemptions under the JOBS Act may have the potential to reinvigorate the IPO market.
Additional information on the conference, scheduled to take place on April 6 at 4:30PM, is available by contacting Josette Menge at OTC Markets at (212) 220-2204 or josette@otcmarkets.com. A similar event is in the works to take place this May in Los Angeles.