Politics, Legal & Regulation

April 29, 2013 @ 5:09 pm By VentureBeat  |  

Crowdfunding has once again become a hot topic in the financial world, given the recent one-year anniversary of the JOBS Act on April 5. The JOBS Act legalized equity- and debt-based crowdfunding in the U.S. However the SEC has missed congressionally mandated deadlines to complete… Read More

April 29, 2013 @ 3:55 pm By BandT  |  

A group of 23 young Aussie entrepreneurs have launched a crowdfunding campaign to support their mission to get to the G20 Summit in Moscow in June. Shot by local production company Sambo Media, the film makes the most of the Sydney Harbour backdrop and shows… Read More

April 29, 2013 @ 9:39 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Bloomberg is reporting that newly minted SEC Chairman Mary Jo White is pushing to lift the ban on general solicitation. From the article… White, who became SEC chairman on April 10, has suggested the commission pass the existing plan without major changes and add additional protections later,… Read More

April 28, 2013 @ 1:21 pm By Milken Institute  |  

Over the past year, we here at the Milken Institute have explored and analyzed how the JOBS Act might open up new avenues for American companies – most notably job-creating startups and small businesses – to gain access to capital. At the same time, our work has… Read More

April 27, 2013 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

According to a post on Invest Georgia, equity crowdfunding is already legal in the state of Georgia via the Invest Georgia Exemption which was enacted in December 2011. As stated on the post; Georgia-based, private companies can sell equity (shares of stock or debt) to Georgia based… Read More

April 27, 2013 @ 2:04 am By Variety  |  

Speaking at an MPAA, Microsoft and Time event called the Creativity Conference Friday, former President Bill Clinton talked up crowdfunding as a potentially important avenue for filmmakers and others to “make more messages that we want to go viral.” Clinton, delivering the keynote address, singled… Read More

April 26, 2013 @ 8:54 pm By BusinessWeeek  |  

The SEC announced a lawsuit on Thursday against a business in Spokane Valley, Wash., accused of defrauding 21 investors of about $400,000. The agency’s news release leads with charges that the company fooled investors “with claims to raise billions of investment capital under the Jumpstart… Read More

April 25, 2013 @ 7:29 am By Twintangibles  |  

It’s been three weeks since the publication of the Consultation Document on the Regulation on Crowdfunding by the Italian Financial Authority CONSOB. Three weeks full of discussions, praise and criticism of the regulation. I have had the opportunity to discuss it with many people from various sectors and I… Read More

April 24, 2013 @ 5:55 pm By Washington Post  |  

Small businesses looking for a windfall of investor money from crowdfunding may find that it’s more of a bust. President Barack Obama and members of Congress have touted a law that makes crowdfunding, a method of soliciting money over the Internet, as a way for… Read More

April 20, 2013 @ 3:00 pm By Mondaq  |  

On March 26, 2013, the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets issued a no-action letter indicating that it would not recommend enforcement action under Section 15(a)(1) of the Exchange Act if a venture capital fund adviser and its management company (collectively, the “fund”) operated a… Read More

April 19, 2013 @ 10:30 am By Charles Luzar  |  

The White House has launched a program seeking crowdfunding entrepreneurs to recognize as “Champions of Change.” This May, the White House Office of Public Engagement will host a Champions of Change event for entrepreneurs who exemplify the promise of crowdfunding to fuel the growth of… Read More

April 18, 2013 @ 7:54 am By Charles Luzar  |  

I look forward to talking tomorrow. I have 2 worries – one is that if these guys (CFA, et al) feel this strongly, it seems like we should give them a comment period. Its not really asking for much… The other is that I don’t want… Read More

April 17, 2013 @ 9:35 am By Charles Luzar  |  

In a few hours, Elisse Walter will sit in front of members of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee to answer questions on why key elements of the JOBS Act are still in limbo more than a year after the Act was signed into law…. Read More

April 16, 2013 @ 7:33 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Yesterday the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CfIRA), an industry group representing crowdfunding intermediaries, submitted a letter to the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations urging those frustrated with inaction to apply pressure to those who have the power to enact change. This letter precedes tomorrow’s… Read More

April 15, 2013 @ 5:30 pm By Laywers Weekly  |  

Ontario looked upon as key to setting pace When the U.S. Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act was passed last year, it included a “crowdfunding exemption” that opened the door to using social media and other Internet tools to raise capital. And while other jurisdictions, such… Read More

April 15, 2013 @ 7:35 am By Charles Luzar  |  

The Senator spoke about the potential of securities crowdfunding, which would allow startup companies to make equity offerings to investors through websites and raise up to $1 million per year from investors online. The JOBS Act, which was passed in April 2012, established a legal… Read More

April 15, 2013 @ 6:59 am By PointofLaw  |  

After celebrating the first anniversary of the passage of the JOBS Act, the SEC still has not adopted regulations to implement the law as required. (Background post). Congress is taking notice, as the House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations last week held… Read More

April 11, 2013 @ 3:53 pm By MarketWatch  |  

Republican lawmakers on Thursday blasted top officials at the nation’s securities watchdog over delays in the agency’s implementation of key aspects of a law approved a year ago to help small businesses accumulate capital. “I’m getting a lot of verbal moon-walking but I’m not getting… Read More

April 11, 2013 @ 12:21 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Today the US House of Representatives Committee on Small Business held a meeting today in an effort to provide an update on the implementation of the JOBS Act. Two panels were invited to testify on the record. The first panel included Lona Nallengara and John Ramsay of… Read More

April 11, 2013 @ 12:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

North Carolina Introduces Bill to Legalize Crowdfunding in North Carolina. As the parlor game surrounding the question as to when the SEC will release their thoughts on regulating crowdfunding, some states are looking to move forward without the guidance of our federal government. In North… Read More