Opinion

December 27, 2014 @ 7:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Australian Member of Parliament and Secretary to the Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher published an interesting missive earlier this month on the importance of crowdfunding and why politicians should care.  Published in the Journal of Banking and Finance Law and Practice the statement is clear… Read More

December 26, 2014 @ 4:00 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Seeking to help her terminally ill sister battle an extremely rare cancer, Louisiana resident Ann Marie Haynie has launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe called Love for Liza Fund. According to the campaign, Liza discovered she had Synovial Sarcoma, which is found in the joints of the arm, neck… Read More

December 26, 2014 @ 6:00 am By Josh Kalish  |  

The lifeblood of online investment platforms is investment.  That’s not to take anything away from the brilliant and dedicated entrepreneurs who bravely dance on the cutting edge of industry.  But let’s face it, an idea without funding will flicker and then burn out like a… Read More

December 24, 2014 @ 6:57 am By Anna Duning  |  

With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act—or the JOBS Act—was signed into law on April 5, 2012, and for entrepreneurs and startup investors, the bill was easily one of the most promising pieces of new legislation to come out of Congress in… Read More

December 23, 2014 @ 8:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The European Alternative Finance Benchmarking Survey deadline has been extended until 6 January 2015. In late November  The University of Cambridge teamed up with EY, the global professional services organization, and launched the European Alternative Finance Benchmarking Survey with the support of major European industry associations. As readers may know, this is the largest… Read More

December 22, 2014 @ 8:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Based in NYC,  Ingress Capital believes “you shouldn’t have to be a Silicon Valley insider to invest in the growth companies of tomorrow.” With its team’s combination of diverse operating experience including  startup founder, executives, and securities professionals, Ingress networks within the Consumer Technology, Media &… Read More

December 20, 2014 @ 2:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

It is that time of year for predictions.  Usually they are good read and of course no one remembers them 12 months later unless you happen to get one right and then you remind everyone. Regardless, we love them as do the readers.  So this… Read More

December 19, 2014 @ 9:41 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The University of Cambridge teamed up with EY, the global professional services organization, and launched the European Alternative Finance Benchmarking Survey with the support of major European industry associations in November. As readers may know, this is the largest study to date on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and other forms of… Read More

December 19, 2014 @ 7:39 am By JD Alois  |  

  The highly respected innovation charity Nesta, has published its annual list of predictions for 2015.  We all know that predictions are easily given and quickly forgotten.  More fun than fact that hopefully gives a good read while providing some perspective.  This year the soothsayers… Read More

December 18, 2014 @ 4:10 pm By Dara Albright  |  

Inspired by Orchard Platform’s recently released “Lendscape” – which brilliantly underscores the expanding peer/marketplace lending ecosystem and its movement of capital – I decided to construct a similar flowchart depicting the progression of the equity side of the crowdfinance industry. The “Equitysphere” below encapsulates the… Read More

December 18, 2014 @ 10:26 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

The crowdfunding industry in 2014 has experienced immense growth. In the last three years crowdfunding has tripled according to Clearity, and according to NESTA the growth percentage even was an amazing 400%. The expectations of a $10 billion crowdfunding industry are hardly a month away… Read More

December 17, 2014 @ 9:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today at the offices of the SEC the Advisory Committee on Small & Emerging Companies held their first meeting in quite some time.  The appointed pro-bono group is convened at the invitation of SEC Chair Mary Jo White. This diverse gathering of professionals is… Read More

December 17, 2014 @ 3:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube CMO and co-founder Luke Lang has distributed a list of predictions for 2015.  These largely apply to the market in the United Kingdom but the there is much overlap as the themes have merit around the globe.  First and foremost is the simple fact… Read More

December 17, 2014 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

At the recent Small Business Forum at the SEC held this past November one of the hot topics of discussion was the definition of an “Accredited Investor”.  As it stands today, an accredited investor is a wealthy sort that earns over $200,000 per year or… Read More

December 17, 2014 @ 8:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

In late November  The University of Cambridge teamed up with EY, the global professional services organization, and launched the European Alternative Finance Benchmarking Survey with the support of major European industry associations. As readers may know, this is the largest study to date on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and other forms… Read More

December 16, 2014 @ 7:30 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

As 2014 comes to a close, this is the time of year when all good journalists look back at the year’s events, and then look forward – typically with a list of bold predictions for the year ahead.  For those of you focused on small… Read More

December 15, 2014 @ 11:05 am By Anna Duning  |  

Today, Engine sent a letter signed by more than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, and members of the startup community to the Securities Commission to tell the agency it’s time it fulfills its statutory obligation and finalize rules to make the JOBS Act a reality. You can… Read More

December 15, 2014 @ 8:14 am By Georgia Quinn  |  

With all of the talk around venture exchanges and the much needed secondary market for private companies, one company has gone a long way in providing such liquidity for smaller, growth and other companies that do not fit the mold of a national securities exchange…. Read More

December 14, 2014 @ 11:01 pm By Dara Albright  |  

Marking another watershed moment for crowdfinance, the initial public offering of Lending Club (NYSE: LC), the world’s largest online P2P (“peer-to-peer “) marketplace connecting borrowers with lenders, was priced on Wednesday at $15 per share (a $5.4 billion valuation) – far above its pre-roadshow expected… Read More

December 13, 2014 @ 4:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Treasury officially announced the inclusion of peer to peer loans in Individual Savings Accounts (ISA’s) back in October 2014. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne included the announcement in the 2014 Budget presentation.  ISA’s were adjusted in July of 2014 slightly increasing the… Read More