Opinion

February 26, 2015 @ 9:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Kickstarter CEO and co-founder Yancey Strickler chimed in on the FCC ruling today that now classifies the internet as a public utility.  Advocates of net neutrality celebrated the victory as many viewed it as guaranteeing open and equal access to the world wide web. Strickler… Read More

February 26, 2015 @ 12:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Union published a “green paper” on Building a Capital Markets Union for the broader European community.  The ambitious goals are laudable but the challenge is high. While in the United States, and other countries around the globe, SME’s are the engine of growth…. Read More

February 26, 2015 @ 9:15 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England has released its most recent data on the Funding for Lending program, an initiative that is supposed to compel banks to lend to business.  According to the BOE figures, lending is in decline; “Net lending by FLS Extension participants to all… Read More

February 25, 2015 @ 9:51 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

“Nobody wants to fail,” said the chief executive and founder of Fail Forward, Ashley Good, in a New York Times story on failure in Silicon Valley, published last fall. “It’s awful. You will never hear me say to celebrate failure.” But, Good, added, “failing intelligently is an increasingly… Read More

February 24, 2015 @ 11:27 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

Is the JOBS Act Title II ecosystem being built around the art of the “con” by some Internet funding platforms and companies raising money on these platforms?  The answer seems to be yes, judging by investment advice provided by Morningstar, FINRA, psychologists, and business world… Read More

February 23, 2015 @ 10:09 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Early in 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) announced its intention to conduct an examination of certain registered broker-dealers and investment advisers in order to assess the general vulnerability of the securities industry, as a whole, to cyber-attacks…. Read More

February 20, 2015 @ 3:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

While SEC Chair presented a state of SEC type presentation, Commissioner Aguilar has jumped in and put some more meat on the bones.  Speaking at the annual Practicing Law Institute gathering, Aguilar set forth his perceived goals for the SEC for 2015. While touching base… Read More

February 20, 2015 @ 11:33 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Chair Mary Jo White addressed the Practicing Law Institute in DC this morning and it appears that most of the big shots at the SEC are sharing their wisdom as well today. Following opening remarks by Andrew Ceresny, the Director of SEC Enforcement and Keith… Read More

February 19, 2015 @ 10:00 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

  In July 2013 the SEC implemented Title II of the JOBS Act of 2012 through Rule 506(c) of Regulation D, which for the first time in over 80 years allowed companies to engage in general solicitation of investors in an unregistered private placement so… Read More

February 18, 2015 @ 10:08 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Interested in innovation, both in the finance industry and in the broader economy, Robert Wardrop began his career at Procter & Gamble before moving on to the Anschutz Investment Company and later to DAM Capital. The seasoned entrepreneur presently serves as a Non Executive Director at… Read More

February 17, 2015 @ 7:16 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Christin Friedrich serves as the Managing Director of Innovestment GmbH, a crowdfunding venture which began four years ago.  After studying Public Management and Governance at Zeppelin University, Friedrich sought creative solutions and innovative business ideas in several international projects, including a tourism startup in Iceland  and group for young… Read More

February 16, 2015 @ 5:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Last week Crowdfund Insider published a write up on the regulatory review completed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom. At that time Crowdfund Insider quoted the FCA document that summed things up: “We have seen the crowdfunding market continue to grow rapidly. We recognise that it is… Read More

February 13, 2015 @ 10:03 am By Anna Duning  |  

Crowdfunding platforms just became the latest target for patent trolls – entities that purchase patents, not to produce any goods or services, but to threaten and file infringement suits and attempt to collect licensing fees. Take the case of AlphaCap Ventures, LLC, a company that… Read More

February 11, 2015 @ 8:29 pm By Dara Albright  |  

It’s that time of the week where Crowd Investors Corner serves up another due diligence tip in hopes of helping a new breed of retail investors, known as investumers, make more informed investment decisions. Today’s suggestion is sprinkled with fun as it entails channeling one’s inner… Read More

February 11, 2015 @ 7:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

  David Haber is the co-founder, CEO and visionary behind Bond Street, an online lender that empowers small businesses by providing financing in a simple, transparent and fair way. Haber leads Bond Street’s overall company vision, strategy, fundraising and business development functions. Through Bond Street, Haber aims to… Read More

February 6, 2015 @ 9:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week Crowdfund Insider published a write up on the regulatory review completed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom. At that time we quoted the FCA document that summed things up by saying; “We have seen the crowdfunding market continue to grow… Read More

February 6, 2015 @ 8:15 am By Sacha Bright  |  

Reading the FT’s recent (29th January) piece by Tracy Alloway and Emma Dunkley entitled ‘Rebranded P2P revolutionaries form ties with traditional lenders’, my initial reaction was to be rather saddened that some of the biggest names in the alternative lending market of which we’re a… Read More

February 5, 2015 @ 8:43 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Marcus New, the Founder and Chief Entrepreneur of InvestX, is an experienced entrepreneur; he founded and served as chairman (and previously the CEO) of Stockhouse, Canada’s leading financial community and a global hub for affluent investors, with up to 1 million unique monthly visitors. Prior to… Read More

February 4, 2015 @ 9:52 am By Barry James  |  

I’m no lawyer but if it were about a firm or an individual I think it would probably be a libel to re-characterise the content of yesterday’s FCA report and their comments on Equity Crowdfunding as either a ‘rebuke’ or a ‘crackdown’. This is deeply… Read More

February 4, 2015 @ 8:58 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

One month into 2015 and we’ve seen a lot of predictions being made.  But what is much harder to predict than exponential growth, is a selection of crowdfunding platforms that will be the winners of 2015! What are the platforms that we’ll have to watch… Read More