Featured Headlines

May 19, 2015 @ 9:36 am By Mor Assia  |  

With a compound annual growth rate of 88% since 2011, crowdfunding, particularly equity crowdfunding, is taking off. The decentralization of finance gives individuals more choice and control as to where they invest their money, and simultaneously offers startups access to new sources of capital. So… Read More

May 18, 2015 @ 7:40 am By JD Alois  |  

Angels Den is raising capital for a new niche crowdfunding site, WhiskyInvestDirect. The live investment offer for the new funding portal wants to capitalize on a consumable that has seen an average annual return of 5% since 1980. WhiskyInvestDirect was founded by Paul Tustain and Rupert… Read More

May 17, 2015 @ 10:19 pm By Barry James  |  

Is this a defining moment? For many I suspect it will be – although to judge by the comments, some of them who clearly think that the trust that the banks squandered long ago is still in place, other who clearly see the old order… Read More

May 16, 2015 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

There is a lot of discussion going on the merits of participating in BrewDog’s most recent Equity for Punks crowdfunding round.  The 4th go at raising capital from the crowd, this one is the most ambitious to date seeking a raise of £25 million from… Read More

May 15, 2015 @ 10:58 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“The [SyndicateRoom] model was a result of my experience. I was working with business angels when equity crowdfunding appeared. I loved the idea of a wider group getting access to investment in early stage companies, but I didn’t like how it was being done, and… Read More

May 14, 2015 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

One of the most vocal advocates for small business and rational rule making is leaving the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Daniel Gallagher, an SEC Commissioner for the past four years, has reportedly told multiple people he is ready to move on after a vocal tenure… Read More

May 13, 2015 @ 12:05 am By Barry James  |  

EU Poised to Tax Crowdfunding Campaigns Potentially Killing Off Source of SME Funding Will Crowdfunders from the US and across the world be caught in the crossfire as the EU quietly prepares to declare war on the Internet’s behemoths? The European Union is considering the… Read More

May 12, 2015 @ 7:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Iconoclastic brewery, and financial innovators, BrewDog easily raised £5 million in just 20 days making the point that equity crowdfunding is an effective path to raise capital. The established independent brewery, based in Scotland, is looking to raise £25 million in total as part of its… Read More

May 11, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Web search results for “Claire Cockerton” will have her bio featured on one of Europe’s largest technology accelerators, financial services conferences or a listing of women in fintech (to name a few) – providing a snapshot of what her LinkedIn profile confirms: Claire is a serial entrepreneur and… Read More

May 8, 2015 @ 12:27 pm By Chen Hung-Yi  |  

  Crowdfunding is estimated to be commencing this May (2015) in Taiwan. To encourage the development of start-ups and SMEs, the financial authority in Taiwan, which is called Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), will provide a regulatory structure for crowdfunding. Since the Security Act in Taiwan requires the… Read More

May 7, 2015 @ 12:00 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Normally when I write about updates on intrastate crowdfunding legislation it’s simply to let readers know that one, two, maybe even as many as three states have either enacted or proposed new legislation. Not this time, however, as the first quarter of 2015 has brought… Read More

May 6, 2015 @ 9:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Orchard describes its beginning as a small circle of friends, driven by the same interests, with a desire to make a difference in the alternative lending space.  But what was once a bit of a hobby is now a pretty enormous and incredible business. I… Read More

May 6, 2015 @ 10:05 am By JD Alois  |  

Zopa, the first peer to peer lender in the UK, has partnered up with another innovative firm UBER. The now (almost) ubiquitous ridesharing / cab replacement company is entering into a new service.  UBER and Zopa have created a new marketplace that will assist UBER drivers… Read More

May 5, 2015 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The subject of venture exchanges, or secondary markets for small cap companies, is a hot topic right now.  Sparked in part by the signing of the JOBS Act, and the new securities exemptions now coming into play, investing in SMEs is better for everyone if… Read More

May 4, 2015 @ 9:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past March, UBER competitor Lyft closed a Series E funding round that delivered $530 million in capital to the young company and a hefty $2.5 billion valuation.  This funding round was led by Japanese firm Rakuten, but earlier rounds (and perhaps this one) included big… Read More

May 4, 2015 @ 7:47 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Crowdfunding is coming of age. Crowdfunding is at turn point from being “alternative” towards being “normal”. This is a good development as it should unlock more funding as more people, who might still consider crowdfunding a bit exotic, will join. In addition, normalisation indicates that… Read More

May 1, 2015 @ 11:18 am By JD Alois  |  

MIT Sloan Assistant Professor Christian Catalini has targeted his research on the economics of innovation, entrepreneurial finance and crowdfunding.  Catalini is part of an elite few academicians who are analyzing the emergent investment crowdfunding space, so when he shares his findings, and associated perspective, it is… Read More

April 30, 2015 @ 10:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

  SyndicateRoom, a leading UK based investment crowdfunding platform, has been preparing for a self crowdfunding round in the amount of £1.2 million.  Apparently there is a lot of interest in backing the funding portal as company representatives have shared the crowdfunding round is 2X… Read More

April 30, 2015 @ 10:25 am By James A. Jones  |  

A fintech-focused SDIRA newcomer who embraces technology will likely obsolete present-day providers Don’t get me wrong. Self-Directed IRAs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They allow us to dramatically diversify our retirement portfolios with the asset classes typically reserved for the wealthy: real estate,… Read More

April 29, 2015 @ 8:24 am By Therese Torris  |  

Serial entrepreneurs are a rare species. Even rarer are serial co-founders like Vincent Ricordeau, Ombline le Lasseur and Adrien Aumont. In 2009, the three French entrepreneurs co-founded rewards-based crowdfunding platform KissKissBankBank with a mission to “free creativity”. Since then, the platform has collected more than… Read More