Opinion

October 10, 2014 @ 8:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Paul Niederer and his investment crowdfunding platform, The Australian Small Scale Offerings Board (ASSOB), started doing equity crowdfunding before the term was even coined.  The entire global crowdfunding industry has looked towards Australia for their experience garnered from years of actual practice.  ASSOB has raised… Read More

October 5, 2014 @ 3:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

As retail investment crowdfunding has stalled in regulatory limbo at the federal level, many states have moved foreword with homegrown initiatives to bring investment crowdfunding to companies operating within their state borders.  The old media maven Chicago Tribune has shown they are interested in bringing the… Read More

October 3, 2014 @ 12:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ron Miller, CEO and founder of StartEngine, launched a personal campaign to push the SEC forward with final rules on Title III of the JOBS Act, retail crowdfunding.  His own comment letter published on the SEC site was posted on July 25th, 2014.  Since that… Read More

September 30, 2014 @ 7:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Seedrs recently chalked up another first by offering shares of Chapel Down in an equity crowdfunding campaign on their platform.  Chapel Down is a publicly traded company listed on the ISDX growth market in the UK.  The funding closes on October 1st but stands at… Read More

September 29, 2014 @ 2:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Beauhurst recently posted a comment about the successfully equity crowdfunding raise of easyProperty on Crowdcube.  After Private Equity Guru Jon Moulton” questioned the valuation of the not yet live platform quoted at £67 million it appears that research firm Beauhurst dug a bit further to do a… Read More

September 27, 2014 @ 9:28 am By JD Alois  |  

In a comment letter addressed to SEC Chair Mary Jo White, 24 members of Congress have demanded the SEC keep state “Blue Sky Review” preemption as part of Title IV of the JOBS Act, commonly referred to Regulation A+.  The Congressmen also requested removal of… Read More

September 25, 2014 @ 11:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month Harvard Business School published a case study on the real estate crowdfunding platform Prodigy Network and its founder Rodrigo Niño.  Authors Karim Lakhani, Katja Hutter and Greta Priar, reviewed the dramatic rise of Prodigy Network and the vision of Niño that “crowdfunding will… Read More

September 25, 2014 @ 9:29 am By Mouna Aouri Langendorf  |  

The Synergy and Crowdfunding Forum organized by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) exemplified the keen interest in equity crowdfunding as over 550 individuals showed up to participate in the two day event held in Kuala Lumpur.  The group included over 250 entrepreneurs, over 50 investors plus a… Read More

September 24, 2014 @ 9:49 am By Jason Futko  |  

There is a lot of media focus on crowdfunding, but sometimes the types of crowdfunding are not properly distinguished. You hear a lot about the Kickstarter’s and Indiegogo’s of the world and people are confusing these with actual investments in companies. To understand debt (lending)… Read More

September 24, 2014 @ 8:09 am By Rania Nasis, MD  |  

  The medical achievements of the last century will be dwarfed by the achievements of this century. Advances in technology will help make the practice of medicine better, faster, (and eventually) cheaper. Patients stand to benefit the most from this, and as everyone one of… Read More

September 23, 2014 @ 11:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Paul Niederer, a crowdfunding trailblazer, has been a consistent champion of the power and potential of investment crowdfunding.  The Australian Small Scale Offerings Board or ASSOB – has been regularly referenced for its knowhow and success in raising capital for small companies.  ASSOB has raised… Read More

September 23, 2014 @ 9:04 am By JD Alois  |  

Oh how time flies.  On September 23, 2013 the over 80 year old ban on general solicitation (advertising / promotion) for certain private placement offers was lifted.  This was enacted by Title II of the JOBS Act and a profound change for our securities industry…. Read More

September 21, 2014 @ 3:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

This campaign has striking similarities to the story of Brian Aitken.  He spent time in jail due to falling afoul of New Jersey’s extremely unrealistic gun laws.  Aitken went on to do a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help publish a book about his challenging… Read More

September 21, 2014 @ 2:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

This is a story that happens way too frequently.  Cool concept captures wave of crowdfunding success, crushing funding goal only to experience repeated delivery delays as backers wait and grumble. Lacking options to get a refund on their contribution they gather on the campaign comment… Read More

September 20, 2014 @ 6:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Apple Pay was announced by CEO Tim Cook with much fanfare during his break out “one more thing” presentation delivering new iPhones and the much anticipated Apple Watch.  Apple Pay is no where near as sexy as new hardware but it exemplifies the expanding reach… Read More

September 19, 2014 @ 10:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Capgemini recently posed the question;  “To what extent is crowdfunding a problem for our traditional bank manager? And what, if any, pressure does this bring to our big banks?” We think this is an astute question to ask – especially in the UK where peer… Read More

September 18, 2014 @ 11:49 am By JD Alois  |  

The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec)  published earlier this month “The Startup Manifesto” outlining their vision of a UK economy powered by innovation and technology.  Founded by tech entrepreneurial types, Coadec wants the UK to be the best place in the world to launch and… Read More

September 18, 2014 @ 8:50 am By JD Alois  |  

This is an interesting infographic designed by the creative team over at SeedInvest.  It depicts the importance of angel investing and gives the viewer some numbers to work with.  SeedInvest has been one of the leaders in the battle to save angel investing.  Paradoxically there… Read More

September 17, 2014 @ 5:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today (September 17th), during a presentation delivered at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, SEC Commissioner Daniel Gallagher gave a thoughtful, concise and concerned speech regarding the incredibly important needs of small business in the United States.  Recognizing that “small business is the lifeblood… Read More

September 15, 2014 @ 11:11 am By Erin Hobey  |  

As reported by Tim Wallace at City A.M., celebrity business leaders may be using crowdfunding websites to exploit retail investors, the outspoken private equity guru Jon Moulton claims today. Moulton singles out easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou as one example of a name using his position to foist… Read More