Featured Headlines

February 4, 2013 @ 7:50 am By JD Alois  |  

UK based equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube has finally become authorised and regulated by the British Financial Services Association (FSA).  The original application for authorization was submitted in 2011. This event makes Crowdcube the first authorized crowdfunding platform to allow investors to become direct shareholders in UK… 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 @ 12:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Equity crowdfunding is still in a holding pattern, hovering over the regulatory process in Washington DC. The merits of crowdfunding continue to become more self evident as progress is made in the UK and around the world. One subject about equity crowdfunding which has only… Read More

January 30, 2013 @ 8:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Clayton Christensen is a business thought leader who is standing on the shoulders of some of the great economists of our times.  Schumpeter, a Professor of  Economics at Harvard, focused on the importance of entrepreneurism to modern economics.  But it is Christensen who applied Schumpeters… Read More

January 28, 2013 @ 7:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ontario Chambers of Commerce release report regarding the business climate in Ontario.  Incorporated into the report, as reported in the Ottawa Citizen,  is a list of recommendations for improving business in the Canadian province – listing crowdfunding as one of the objectives.  This report is… Read More

January 27, 2013 @ 11:07 am By JD Alois  |  

From the World Economic Forum being held Davos, Switzerland, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) discusses the benefits of crowdfunding.  Representative McHenry is the Chair of the House  Financial Services sub committee which has oversight impacting the surrounding legislation.  McHenry has been a vocal supporter of the… Read More

January 26, 2013 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Announced on Friday on the Kickstarter blog, the crowdfunding site continues to evolve by incorporating hashtags into the Kickstarter campaigns to aid with project discovery. As participation Kickstarter grows and the number of projects being funded by their crowdfunding site the team has noticed some… 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 23, 2013 @ 8:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Recently a superlative document was published by the Milken Institute which reflected upon the current state of crowdfunding domestically within the United States but also drawing on parallels abroad.  This missive was authored  by Messrs.  Chris Brummer, a law professor at Georgetown University and Daniel Gorfine,… Read More

January 22, 2013 @ 8:30 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Earlier this month we caught wind of the story of Hanfree, Seth Quest and Neil Singh as first reported by Eric Markowitz in Inc. It is supposedly the first time a Kickstarter backer had sued a project creator, and it eventually led to our story… Read More

January 18, 2013 @ 10:56 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published an article outlining a ten-fold increase in crowdfunding-related domain names in the past year. The main takeaway was in how many were determined to need further scrutiny… In a year-end trawl of the Internet, the association of securities regulators… Read More

January 16, 2013 @ 8:49 am By Charles Luzar  |  

This article is part three in a series on entrepreneurship and access to capital. I recently talked to Richard Seline, Principal of Global NextGen Advisors, who just spoke at the Crowdfund Texas conference. He also offers support to the entrepreneurial community through his organization, Competitive Texas. I recently watched a documentary called… Read More

January 16, 2013 @ 7:59 am By JD Alois  |  

In Deloitte’s (Canada) annual release of predictions for 2013 crowdfunding gets noticed.  The Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Team is predicting that crowdfunding will raise $3 Billion by the end of 2013 despite some risks.  A 100% increase over 2011. They note that in Ontario,… Read More

January 13, 2013 @ 11:51 am By Charles Luzar  |  

This article is part two in a series on entrepreneurship and access to capital. I recently talked to Richard Seline, Principal of Global NextGen Advisors, who just spoke at the Crowdfund Texas conference. He also offers support to the entrepreneurial community through his organization, Competitive Texas. As crowdfunding rules are… Read More

January 12, 2013 @ 4:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

File this under recently discovered.  The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has published a document inquiring; Are You An Informed Investor?  Crowdfunding.  It would appear the NASAA is not a fan of the Jobs Act – at least certain segments of it. Certainly a benign… Read More

January 11, 2013 @ 1:23 am By Charles Luzar  |  

This article is part one in a series on entrepreneurship and access to capital with a focus on the state of Texas. I recently talked to Richard Seline, Principal of Global NextGen Advisors, who just spoke at the Crowdfund Texas conference. He also offers support… Read More

January 10, 2013 @ 2:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

WASHINGTON– The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today issued a voluntary Interim Form for Funding Portals designed for prospective crowdfunding portals under the JOBS Act. Those intending to become a funding portal may voluntarily submit information regarding their business on the interim form. The information… Read More

January 10, 2013 @ 8:12 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has released a statement indicating that a focus on Entrepreneurship, including crowdfunding, is an increasing priority in driving economic growth. During the economic crisis EU member countries have struggled to various degrees in their attempts to create job. Dramatic structural reform must… Read More

January 9, 2013 @ 3:00 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Crowdfund Texas featured a panel focused on forecasting crowdfunding’s success. The panel featured plenty of optimism, but was also peppered with words of warning for an industry in a holding pattern as rules and regulations move glacially toward completion. Dara Albright of the NowStreet Journal… Read More

January 9, 2013 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

America’s Next-Generation Social Investment Platform — Building Bridges between Entrepreneurs and a Larger Population of Investors. See the live Storify feed here.  Speakers at this event will include:  Sherwood Neiss – Crowdfund Capital Advisors, Candace Klien – SomoLend / Bad Girl Ventures, Doug Ellenoff – Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP Brian Knight… Read More