General News

December 30, 2016 @ 11:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Regulation A+, created by Title IV of the JOBS Act, has been lauded by many as a missing step in the capital ladder for smaller firms in need of funding. The updated securities exemption became effective on June 19, 2015, and since that time a… Read More

December 30, 2016 @ 9:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Former SEC Commissioner Daniel Gallagher visited the studios of CNBC yesterday to share his perspective on the SEC under the Trump administration.  Gallagher is one of the names being bandied about as the Republican pick for the SEC Chair.  Another possibility is another former Commissioner… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 11:32 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Tapestry Networks and Ernst & Young (EY) published a report this month focused on global revolutionary changes that will affect the financial services sector.  The full version of the report is below. The report is a result of the October 5-6, 2016 Financial Services Leadership Summit in… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 5:19 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

With only eight days remaining on its Companisto crowdfunding campaign, the sleek electric scooter Kumpan company has secured over 836,610€ from over 1137 investors, easily clearing the company’s 500K€ stretch goal for 2.76 % share offered. Indeed, a week after the official launch of the campaign, Kumpan’s investment… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 8:37 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Indian mobile wallet platform MobiKwik announced that it had signed the millionth merchant on its payment network, registering 1,000 percent growth since the demonetization of high value currency notes. The company recently partnered with Amul and NASVI to facilitate acceptability and adoption of digital mode of payments. “We are committed… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 8:19 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Cofounded by Fermin Bueno and Andres Fontao who also cofounded Startupbootcamp FinTech LATAM, Finnovisita sees itself as an impact organization that accelerates fintech entrepreneurship in Spanish speaking countries, builds bridges between startups and financial institutions and facilitates the transformation of advanced financial services and the… Read More

December 28, 2016 @ 10:37 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“It’s our goal as a foundation to support this entrepreneurial spirit and encourage more people to start their own business. This is how the startups of tomorrow are created.” The combined fundraising efforts of the Berlin-headquartered German Children and Youth Foundation (Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung) and Companisto for… Read More

December 28, 2016 @ 10:03 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Indian mobile wallet platform FreeCharge announced its partnership with the online marketplace pioneer eBay India via Billdesk and Faasos, one of the country’s leading food on demand businesses.  The Billdesk partnership allows FreeCharge and eBay customers access to over 100 million product listings, for which they… Read More

December 28, 2016 @ 9:39 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Be on guard. The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) has published a list of new websites offering binary options trading, for which no authorized investment services provider could be clearly identified. A binary option, or asset-or-nothing option, is type of option in which the payoff is… Read More

December 28, 2016 @ 7:23 am By Scott Andersen  |  

FINRA recently completed a settlement expelling from FINRA membership UFP, LLC, a registered funding portal that operated under uFundingPortal.com.   The matter marks both early and decisive action by FINRA against a registered funding portal operating under Regulation Crowdfunding.  It establishes that FINRA takes seriously… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 6:20 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Backed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation grant, the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) initiative aims to bring together investors and entrepreneurs to work on research and design projects focused on technology that advance European interests domestically and internationally. The Horizon 2020… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 5:07 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Less than one year after Indiegogo success Lazer Team hit theaters, director and producer, Matt Hullum announced filming for Lazer Team 2 is set to begin spring 2017 in Texas. The film received over $2.3 million during its crowdfunding campaign in 2014 and raised an additional $1 million in theatrical release… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

  Michael Markowski is making a bold prediction stating Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) will be the first company to breach the $1 trillion mark in valuation.  It is only this year that Microsoft topped $1 trillion in total lifetime revenues.  Microsoft is in the race for securing… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 5:01 am By Emma Peck  |  

2016 brought with it many positive developments for startups in terms of capital access and tax policy. Investment crowdfunding finally went live, a number of bills to facilitate capital formation passed the House, and the startup community galvanized around a tax bill that would make… Read More

December 26, 2016 @ 6:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Echo Laboratories, a startup microscope maker, has closed a $2 million funding round led by Tech Coast Angels (TCA). The round was completed in less than two months and was said to be the Angel network’s largest funding round for the year.  Tech Coast Angels… Read More

December 26, 2016 @ 5:48 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Do you often get phone calls and mailers from your college alma mater asking for donations?  I do, and as a recent grad, I wonder how much help I really contribute with my puny annual $5-10 donation.  Enter crowdfunding among alumni for high school and… Read More

December 23, 2016 @ 6:57 am By JD Alois  |  

AIM (Alternative Investment Market), a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has released their end of year numbers. Accoring to AIM, they have had a pretty good year: New AIM companies in 2016 up 39% post-IPO 38 IPOs raised record average of £30m Market… Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 5:02 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Earlier this week, CEO of online lender SoFi, Mike Cagney, sat down with Caroline Hyde on “Bloomberg Technology” to discuss the platform’s plans for 2017 along with revealing details about the lender’s competitors. SoFi, which was founded in 2011, currently offers various types of lending options…. Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 2:04 pm By Thomas LeTrent and Aaron Schwartz  |  

Market credibility and an emphasis on better transparency will be two key factors for marketplace lending in 2017. 2017 will be a pivotal year for the marketplace lending (MPL) space as the market will seek stabilization in both confidence and venture funding, following a challenging… Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 1:37 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Earlier this week, famous brewing company BrewDog announced it projected a £70 million turnover during the 2016 fiscal year. This news comes just a few weeks after the brewery launched its mini bond on Crowdcube, which is currently nearing £7.6 million thanks to more than 2100 investors…. Read More