Featured Headlines

June 16, 2015 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The New York Times Dealbook section published an article yesterday about Goldman Sachs entering the peer to peer, or marketplace lending space. This was really old news as Quartz had covered it soon after Harit Talwar announced his departure from Discover in April.  Shelly Banjo… Read More

June 16, 2015 @ 9:30 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  When navigating the increasingly popular path of real estate crowdfunding, Jilliene Helman is among the leaders at the front of the group. Named to Forbes’ 2015 30 Under 30 list, Jilliene is the CEO and founder of Realty Mogul, a fast-growing real estate crowdfunding platform that has invested over… Read More

June 15, 2015 @ 11:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Leading peer to peer lending site LendInvest has received a £22 million investment from Chinese internet firm Beijing Kunlun. This is according to an article in the FT but was also referenced in a Board Meeting release from earlier this week. Christian Faes, co-founder and… Read More

June 15, 2015 @ 10:21 am By Therese Torris  |  

How does equity crowdfunding co-exist with business angel networks and seed investment clubs? Does it enable networks to attract new members, or, on the contrary, does it lure existing members away from the networks? Numbers from France Angels, the French Federation of business angels, seem… Read More

June 13, 2015 @ 3:32 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Glimmering just ahead, summer offers the hope of beach days, picnics, hikes, ice cream until it hurts and, if the petsitter is available, travel. The minor (major) hassles of transportation–airplane delays or cancellations, a sea of brake lights–will be worth it. Certainly. But if one could reduce… Read More

June 12, 2015 @ 10:58 am By JD Alois  |  

“It’s Time to Rethink Ownership.” RocketClub Allows Anyone to Earn Shares in Startups. RocketClub, a new spin on crowdfunding, launched their platform today.  The concept is simple: the crowd uses new products and services and in exchange for their feedback and participation, they earn shares in promising… Read More

June 11, 2015 @ 5:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today they had settled with a crowdfunding campaign creator after they determined that backer money  had been spent on personal expenses.  This was the very first FTC legal action against a crowdfunding campaign but it strikes an ominous note for all… Read More

June 11, 2015 @ 2:42 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

As you may remember, in an earlier post entitled “Investor Protection Issue – Why You May Want To Reconsider How “Secure” You Feel About Your Real Estate Crowdfunding Investment,” I took issue with the fact that the majority, if not all, currently offered Real Estate… Read More

June 10, 2015 @ 2:39 pm By Stephen Sheinbaum  |  

  Trends in the Use of Technology in Alternative Finance Calendar makers divide the general world’s timeline into “Common Era” and “before the Common Era”. For financial technology, the timeline should be divided into “Before PayPal” and the sea change which has happened since. When… Read More

June 9, 2015 @ 11:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfunder UK has just launched a new concept in crowdfunding on their platform: Community Shares. A type of hybrid mix between charity and ownership, investors in these organizations own part of an entity they believe in supporting. Community shares are only possible for co-operative societies and community… Read More

June 9, 2015 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Several publicly traded companies have sent a letter to Representatives Scott  Garrett and Carolyn Maloney addressing the hot topic of venture exchanges.  The subject of venture exchanges has been making the rounds on Capital Hill, and at the SEC, as policy makers search for the best path to create liquidity… Read More

June 9, 2015 @ 11:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Marketplace lender LoanHero has closed a seed funding round in the amount of $1.7 million.  According to the company, the investment was led by “a New York-based investment partnership focused on early stage FinTech start-ups and included multiple local and national angel investors”.  LoanHero also… Read More

June 9, 2015 @ 3:01 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Early last week the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rolled out a multi-million dollar ad campaign promoting its online research tool called “BrokerCheck.” BrokerCheck is free online database intended to provide the investing public with an east way to research brokers and investment advisers before… Read More

June 8, 2015 @ 7:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Wimbeldon Champion Andy Murray has joined UK based equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs to assist with health, sport and wearable technology.  According to a company spokesperson, Murray has enterred into a long term partnership agreement where he will advise the firm in areas of strategic interest…. Read More

June 8, 2015 @ 2:35 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Depending on the ultimate goal, just maintaining a company’s current position can be success enough — a bit like treading water to keep from drowning. But the trouble comes when the company loses momentum. The latest update for tech blog ReadWrite has taken a “darker turn,” writes TechCrunch, en route to the… Read More

June 7, 2015 @ 3:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

The current definition of an accredited investor is something that has been in use for decades.  Basically the rule defines who may invest in certain private placement securities offers. In general you need to be earning over $200,000 a year ($300,000 if married) or alternatively have… Read More

June 5, 2015 @ 9:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Senator Elizabeth Warren, an outspoken critic of all things associated with Wall Street, launched a blistering frontal assault against the current Chair of the SEC – Mary Jo White. It should be noted that Mary Jo White was selected by President Barack Obama to reinvigorate… Read More

June 5, 2015 @ 9:06 am By JD Alois  |  

There have been plenty of ridiculous crowdfunding campaigns. Most just go away as backers avoid specious claims and silly products.  Occasionally one will get funded (think Potato Salad). While most are not frauds – occasional scams do slip through the vetting process of the various platforms…. Read More

June 4, 2015 @ 11:53 am By Georgia Quinn  |  

A CATO Institute event on the status of capital markets in the US provided a bright spot to an otherwise bleak and rainy day in New York City. Amidst the libertarian rhetoric and literature, two speakers stood out with certain observations and proposed remedies to… Read More

June 3, 2015 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a highly regulated industry, such as finance, there will never be a perfect set of rules. The diversity of opinion and perspective by nature engenders a constant debate between what is right – and what is wrong.  The internet finance industry has evolved quite… Read More