General News

December 13, 2012 @ 3:11 am By WSJ.com  |  

Small-business groups, crowdfunding sites, brokerage firms, securities lawyers and other stakeholders weighed in on equity crowdfunding on the Financial Industry Regulation Authority’s website between July and August, during an open comment period. The posts range from entrepreneurs’ pleas to keep regulations light, in order to free up… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 1:03 am By Investment News  |  

As it installs a new chairman on Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission has succeeded in doing something that’s rare in Washington these days – generating bipartisan agreement. Both Democrats and Republicans are now calling on the agency to speed up rule-making legislation – known… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 10:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

In an article published today on WSJ.com (Subscription), the author highlights the woes of a small businessman – in dire need of capital to expand with nowhere to go. Scott Schroeder owns a small electronics assembly business in Oregon.  His business experienced a recent surge… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 7:33 pm By GigaOm  |  

Crowdfunding platforms across the web invite supporters to pledge money to all kinds of projects and businesses, but Pave, a New York startup launching Wednesday, wants its backers to invest in people. As student debt climbs and new crowd investment models proliferate, Pave’s founders say their site… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 6:30 pm By Sage  |  

The idea behind online crowdfunding – a group of people coming together to collectively raise money for one big idea – has roots that are not grounded in technology, but rather in communities, reports The Vancouver Observer. WalkAmerica events have been taking place since the early… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 4:03 pm By Mark Mohler, Crowdfunding Law  |  

It seems as though every major news story is now followed by a crowdfunding story attempting to ride those coattails.  The Hostess bankruptcy is a good example. I’m obviously a big believer in crowdfunding.  I am a believer in what it is now and I am… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 2:58 pm By Bryce J. Renninger, Indiewire  |  

When Indiewire went to its film festival programmers to ask what they wanted filmmakers to know about how programmers use crowdfunding sites, they all wanted to make one thing clear:  programmers make sure that every film that passes over their desks gets seen by someone,… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 6:10 am By JD Alois  |  

In an article on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Blog – called the Impatient Optimists –  the erstwhile “Bill and Melinda” have selected the 5 “Tech Savy”ways to give this Holiday Season.  And as we all know – no Holiday Season could be complete… Read More

December 11, 2012 @ 6:41 pm By WTSP  |  

St. Petersburg, Florida — Two-month-old Jude weighed just under two pounds when he was born months before his due date at All Children’s Hospital. His mom, Traci Andrews, calls him a miracle. “We didn’t have supplies at home, we didn’t have anything,” she says. “We… Read More

December 11, 2012 @ 4:50 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList, recently sat down with PandoDaily founder Sarah Lacy for a PandoMonthly fireside chat.  It is an intriguing view into the complexities of entrepreneurship in the context of today’s market. Naval shares his opinion that the process of starting a business… Read More

December 11, 2012 @ 1:42 pm By Victoria Silchenko  |  

What is the five-letter word sure to strike fear into the hearts of investors everywhere? Fraud. But what I can’t understand is why this particular f-word keeps being associated with equity crowdfunding. Sure, the involvement of large crowds statistically does increase the probability of a… Read More

December 11, 2012 @ 11:02 am By Monica Ginsburg  |  

T Hephner, president of Healthy U Snacks, has more calls for his vending machines stocked with energy bars and other good-for-you snacks than he can handle. “We get requests for our services every day and we don’t have the manpower to respond,” says Mr. Hephner,… Read More

December 11, 2012 @ 1:24 am By Charles Luzar  |  

One heck of a fact. Kickstarter now provides 5x as much funding as the Nat’l Endowment for the Arts. (Danny Rimer) #FTStanford2012 — Chris Yeh (@chrisyeh) December 6, 2012  

December 11, 2012 @ 1:18 am By Christine Wong  |  

The main organization lobbying to legalize equity crowdfunding in Canada is teaming up with a major U.S. group to bolster its efforts. Invest CrowdFund Canada (ICC) announced today it is formally partnering with the U.S.-based Crowdfunding Professionals Association (CfPA). The new partnership – referred to… Read More

December 10, 2012 @ 7:45 am By Dealbook  |  

LONDON – RIT Capital Partners, the investment firm chaired by Jacob Rothschild, said on Monday that it had acquired a stake in a British crowdfunding company, Zopa. The investment, which was made through the venture capital vehicle Augmentum Capital, is a bet on growing demand… Read More

December 10, 2012 @ 7:01 am By CNBC  |  

Of the two thousand Hostess Brands documents filed in the last year with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, it’s one of the most recent ones — a handwritten, five-page letter on loose-leaf notebook paper — that stands out the most. In document #1890, Don Sheridan of… Read More

December 10, 2012 @ 6:02 am By Screen Daily  |  

Christmas has come early this year for Germany’s producers as national and regional funds paid out a total of more than €12m production support to such filmmakers as Fatih Akin, Feo Aladag, Rosa von Praunheim and Simon Verhoeven in their last funding sessions for 2012…. Read More

December 10, 2012 @ 4:46 am By NPR  |  

Big-hearted Americans always rush to give money after a disaster. Just how much and how fast is often determined by technology. After the earthquake in Haiti, texting small donations, for example, became a new standard practice. This time around, Hurricane Sandy has shown crowdfunding websites… Read More

December 9, 2012 @ 4:14 pm By The Australian Society of Entrepreneurs  |  

In predicting the new SEC Chairman Elisse Walter‘s impact on Title III Crowdfunding exemption perhaps the most relevant insight Walter has provided is contained in a 2009 article regarding her position on the regulation of Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisors (EB Walter, ‘Regulating Broker–Dealers and Investment… Read More

December 9, 2012 @ 12:05 pm By Red Herring  |  

When equity-based Crowdfund investing first came on the scene earlier this year, there was talk of how it might possibly “crowd out” venture capitalists. While historically venture capital firms and angel investors have been the dominant force in early stage financing for startups, Crowdfund investing, legalized by… Read More