The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC), has posted the agenda for its second meeting of 2023.
SBCFAC will hold three separate panels, the first being a primer of the operations of the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance (CorpFin).
The second will discuss VC funds that support early-stage private firms. A focus will include the lack of diversity “at the check-writing stage.”
The final session is regarding “alternative funding options for small businesses. The discussion is expected to review “ways for these small companies seeking patient capital to support and grow their businesses through pathways other than traditional equity investments.”
There is no mention of securities crowdfunding options.
While the last iteration of the Committee provided balanced guidance to the Commission, few, if any, of the recommendations were pursued beyond lip service. In a parting letter, the Committee politely shared its frustration with the lack of progress.
The SBCFAC meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, from 10 AM to 3 PM. The meeting will be live-streamed on the SEC’s website.
The agenda is shared below.
SBCFAC Agenda
10:00: Call to Order; Introductory Remarks by Commissioners
10:15: Remarks from Erik Gerding, Director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance
The Division of Corporation Finance (CF) will discuss its role in the SEC’s mission (including CF’s structure and main functions) and highlight certain current CF rulemaking initiatives relevant to small businesses and their investors.
10:30: Who is investing in the funds that support early-stage companies, and are there ways to encourage more investment in those companies?
Smaller VC funds and emerging fund managers play a key role in supporting companies that seek smaller, early-stage financing, and also are more likely to invest in diverse founders. Yet the capital going to smaller funds and emerging fund managers is a declining sliver of the overall pie. The Committee will hear from a speaker on investment strategies (including investment size considerations) and factors that affect decision-making and will then explore the influence that LPs have on capital flow. As part of this discussion, the Committee will explore the lack of diversity at the checkwriter stage and whether there are ways to incentivize change.
Speaker
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- Kwesi Quaye, Partner, Fairview Capital Partners, Inc
12:15 Lunch Break
1:00 Alternative Funding Options for Small Businesses
Many smaller companies do not have – and may never have – the growth curve model that VC funds generally seek. These same companies may also struggle to access bank financing and lack a viable friends and family network. The Committee will discuss ways for these small companies seeking patient capital to support and grow their businesses through pathways other than traditional equity investments.
Speaker
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- Karl Fooks, Outreach Manager, Office of Domestic Finance, U.S. Department of the Treasury
3:00 Wrap-up and Adjournment