February 14, 2013 @ 6:29 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

WHAT: The U.S. Small Business Administration will host a series of webinars in recognition of the seventh annual National Entrepreneurship Week.  The emphasis will be on how the next generation of small business owners can leverage crowdfunding as an alternative finance option to start and… Read More

February 14, 2013 @ 6:15 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

February 13, 2013 @ 7:14 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Primal Pit Paste, a safe and effective, all-natural deodorant that actually works, is preparing to build upon their online sales success by introducing their products into national distribution through grocery stores and pharmacies nationwide. In order to fund the manufacturing necessary for the expansion, Primal… Read More

February 13, 2013 @ 7:11 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

The International Franchise Association (IFA) lends its support to Title III in the following letter submitted to the SEC:

February 12, 2013 @ 10:00 am By Charles Luzar  |  

SeedInvest co-founders Ryan Feit and James Han always knew they wanted to start a business, even as they both found themselves working in New York private equity firms. That entrepreneurial drive took them back to Wharton to pursue their MBAs. While at Wharton, Feit read… Read More

February 11, 2013 @ 7:00 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Promises Made An individual identifying himself as Michael Waller of Syracuse, NY launched a Kickstarter campaign in the summer of 2012. The project was called the “MD-Pen,” or “minimal and durable pen.” It is an aluminum housing compatible with many off-the-shelf pen cartridges. Pre-orders were offered… Read More

February 9, 2013 @ 4:20 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

UPDATE: The bill has been deferred A bill has been introduced by a group of Republican legislators in Hawaii aims to create a state-sponsored platform for crowdfunding projects. From billtrack50.com… Introduced Chamber: Lower Introduced Session: 2013 Regular Session Bill Summary:Creates a state crowdfunding website, which allows members… Read More

February 7, 2013 @ 9:10 am By Charles Luzar  |  

The SEC has a mandate to protect investors while facilitating access to capital. The crowdfunding industry has a mandate to facilitate access to capital while protecting investors. In theory, the goals of the SEC and the crowdfunding industry align. Industry participants know that there will… Read More

February 6, 2013 @ 5:51 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Hat tip to the CfPA for posting this!

February 6, 2013 @ 5:38 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Crowdfunding has become increasingly popular in the United States, especially since the passage of the JOBS Act.  With the anticipation of equity crowdfunding and growth of perk-based crowdfunding, in general, the number of registered websites containing the word “crowdfund” has increased by a tenfold, reaching… Read More

February 6, 2013 @ 5:25 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

February 6, 2013 @ 11:34 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Hat tip to @CareerFuel for pointing this out! Click here to see the original post.

February 6, 2013 @ 7:40 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Teespring is taking a crowdfunded approach to t-shirt preorders. Using their online designer, project creators can create a t-shirt to their liking. Once created, a crowdfunding campaign for the shirt is launched. If the campaign is successful, Teespring fulfills the orders and the project creator… Read More

February 6, 2013 @ 6:45 am By Charles Luzar  |  

One of the interesting points that emerged from last week’s Sunshine Act meeting of the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies was the following recommendation: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should facilitate and encourage the creation of a separate U.S. equity market… Read More

February 1, 2013 @ 6:43 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

The second recommendation is of note… THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should facilitate and encourage the creation of a separate U.S. equity market or markets for small and emerging companies, in which investor participation would be limited to sophisticated investors,… Read More

January 31, 2013 @ 2:13 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Earlier this week FINRA invited prospective Crowdfunding portals to voluntarily file an interim funding portal form. The Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CFIRA) and sister organization the Crowdfunding Professional Association(CfPA) have conducted a thorough review of the FINRA Registration Process Inquiry form for Crowdfunding Portals, and are optimistic about the progress that is being… Read More

January 31, 2013 @ 5:41 am By Charles Luzar  |  

As a follow-up to my article last week about fixing how we categorize crowdfunding platforms, here is a clip of StartSomeGood founder Tom Dawkins questioning whether crowdfunding is really the right term at all considering where the funds tend to come from. Is it really… Read More

January 24, 2013 @ 11:09 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

  MARY JO WHITE TO LEAD SEC: CROWDFUNDING IMPLICATIONS? (Crowdsourcing.org) “When it comes to prosecuting white collar criminals, she’s got an outstanding track record,” Douglas Ellenoff, of Ellenoff Grossman and Schole LLP, told Crowdsourcing.org. “She’s really an interesting and credible pick for the president, as… Read More

January 24, 2013 @ 8:48 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Multiple news sources are reporting that President Obama will nominate former US Attorney Mary Jo White to chair the SEC later today. From USA Today… During the Bill Clinton administration, White served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. She specialized in… Read More

January 23, 2013 @ 9:14 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Tweeted from the Chartered Financial Analysts event in Chicago… OH: “The SEC is charged with protecting investors, not running a lottery.” @ CFA Chicago event #crowdfunding — Rod Rakic (@rodrakic) January 23, 2013