Opinion

November 12, 2016 @ 3:00 pm By Kathleen Minogue  |  

If crowdfunding as a means to improve access to capital for entrepreneurs, small business owners and creatives turns out only to be an ideology, it will be the result of a lack of effective education. By my definition, crowdfunding is human beings connected and empowered… Read More

November 11, 2016 @ 12:33 pm By Jason Best & Sherwood Neiss  |  

How Donald Trump Can Leverage Crowdfunding Under Reg CF to Double GDP Growth President-elect Trump made it a hallmark of his campaign to double GDP growth. According to Karen Kerrigan, President of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council; “His agenda of lowering taxes, simplifying the… Read More

November 11, 2016 @ 11:20 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

With its equity crowdfunding campaign set to close on Seedrs in less than a week, London-based fintech startup CityFALCON has raised more than £205,000 from 180 investors. CityFALCON has received awards from Twitter, Ontario, UBS, SB. The company stated it on a mission to redefine how… Read More

November 10, 2016 @ 11:30 am By Amy Wan  |  

Many people feel deeply hurt from the outcome of the Presidential election. Here’s a kinder, simpler explanation as to why. This week, we saw a completely unexpected outcome in the Presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. As the punditry and chattering classes scramble… Read More

November 9, 2016 @ 5:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Soon the dust will will settle and the collective surprise of a Donald Trump Presidency will sink in and the United States will move forward. On top of a populist Trump administration, the Republican Party will control both houses of Congress. This is a combination… Read More

November 8, 2016 @ 7:51 am By JD Alois  |  

In their second installmant of “Where They Are Now?”, alternative finance research firm AltFi has published an update on the status of crowdfunded companies since 2011. According to AltFi’s report; “A high proportion of crowdfunded companies remain active – 73.60% of the capital raised in… Read More

November 8, 2016 @ 7:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Investment crowdfunding platform Crowdcube has called on the industry to create a common set of rules and principles to measure platform performance and the returns generated by crowdfunded companies. The statement comes on the heals of a report by AltFi on the status of companies… Read More

November 3, 2016 @ 12:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Victoria Silchenko has been a staunch propopent of the benefits of crowdfunding and alternative finance since day one. The founder of Metropole Capital Group and the Global Alternative Funding Forum, an annual event that brings together many prominent names in the Fintech sector, Silchenko has charted… Read More

November 2, 2016 @ 12:00 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Julia Groves, Downing Partner and Head of Crowdfunding, is a respected pioneer and force behind many successful digital businesses and fintech groups. Since founding ba.com for British Airways in 1994, she has instigated disruptive customer-led propositions across online retail, renewable energy and financial services market sectors. She… Read More

November 1, 2016 @ 1:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is one of a dozen or so federal agencies that has regulatory oversight on financial institutions. Financial innovation or Fintech is challenging long-held processes and firms and the OCC is attempting to update and adjust to… Read More

October 31, 2016 @ 9:00 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

On October 26, 2016, the SEC’s three Commissioners convened at their headquarters to adopt new rules intended to modernize what had historically been a little used path of raising capital for startups, early stage businesses and community-based enterprises: the so called intrastate exemption. It had… Read More

October 30, 2016 @ 6:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ron Suber has been pounding the table as of late on the benefits of marketplace lending and the future potential of Fintech in a series of presentations. His future is, of course, tightly intertwined with an industry that has taken a beating in past months…. Read More

October 28, 2016 @ 12:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

    The CrowdfundingHub has published a report on the rise of equity crowdfunding across Europe. The  document provides a snapshot perspective on sector growth noting that more evolved markets have gained investor trust but risks remain. Pointing to data provided by the Cambridge Centre… Read More

October 27, 2016 @ 8:16 am By Erin Hobey  |  

  Pittsburgh-based Small Change was approved as a Reg CF funding portal by FINRA, an approval the platform believes to be a first for a real estate funding portal.  Small Change is a real estate crowdfunding platform launched by urban evangelist Eve Picker targeting “transformational” real estate projects by connecting developers with investors. How?… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 8:00 am By Joe Green and John Coyle  |  

A Reply on the Use of SAFEs in Crowdfunding On September 22nd, Crowdfund Insider published a post summarizing the arguments presented in our new essay entitled “Crowdfunding and the Not-So-Safe SAFE“ (forthcoming in Virginia Law Review Online). Our essay raises a number of concerns about… Read More

October 24, 2016 @ 1:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bruce Davis is a founder and Joint Managing Director at Abundance, a peer to peer investing platform focused on renewable energy projects. He is also part of the original team that launched Zopa – the very first peer to peer lending platform to set up… Read More

October 24, 2016 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) has been a standout driver of both economic growth and job creation. A recent paper published (PDF download) by Hardman & Co – a firm that provides research on EIS eligible companies, highlights these benefits. While EIS has been a catalyst… Read More

October 23, 2016 @ 6:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Investing in early stage companies is a risky venture. The advent of internet finance has made it easier than ever before to gain access to purchasing securities in startups.  Correspondingly, the debate regarding risk versus return has always been a very hot topic. Recently Crowdfund… Read More

October 23, 2016 @ 12:59 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Almost a year ago, the SEC proposed certain amendments to the current Rule 147 which were intended to help foster, and increase the viability of, Intrastate crowdfunding. While little has been heard about these amendments since their release (except from Intrastate proponents like me of… Read More

October 21, 2016 @ 12:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

As everyone knows by now (or at least they should), small and medium-sized businesses are vital for economic growth and prosperity. SMEs are the job creators in the UK – and around the world. The Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) has worked diligently to promote… Read More