January 7, 2018 @ 8:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Anytime I am around a securities attorney (which is quite often) inevitably the 33 Act or the 40 Act comes up in conversation. For normal people (non-attorneys) this legal speak can be confusing, riven by acronyms and stifled by dogma. Yet much of the regulatory… Read More

November 26, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Patrick A. Reardon  |  

On September 13, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies held its final meeting.  The SEC will replace this Advisory Committee with the new statutorily established Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. At this meeting, the Advisory Committee adopted… Read More

September 8, 2016 @ 12:00 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

In connection with a private offering of securities the issuer will provide potential investors with some form of disclosure document. Regardless of what type of offering it is (e.g. Rule 506, Title III, Intrastate, or other private offering), the intent of this disclosure document is… Read More

July 13, 2016 @ 2:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed rules today to streamline and simplify certain disclosure requirements to “eliminate redundant, overlapping, outdated, or superseded provisions.” SEC Chair Mary Jo White commented on the proposal; “The proposed amendments address outdated and redundant disclosure requirements while continuing to require… Read More

April 15, 2014 @ 10:43 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Intrastate crowdfunding exemptions are on the rise as legislators continue to exhibit interest in allowing small businesses to raise money online. However, several questions remain regarding how to effectively advertise these offerings without running afoul of securities regulations. According to an article in the National… Read More

March 14, 2014 @ 11:54 am By Charles Luzar  |  

In a blog post published yesterday, PayPal Chief Risk Officer Tomer Barel announced a set of changes regarding how PayPal will approach crowdfunding as a payment provider. Consider this excerpt, emphasis ours… Together with the crowdfunding sites, we identify if campaigns are strictly fundraising or… Read More

January 19, 2014 @ 2:21 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

I’ve started businesses in Washington. I’ve raised money here and hired folks here. My testimony focused on my entrepreneurial story. I talked about the various businesses I have started, ran, and sold. I talked about my experience raising angel and institutional capital in Seattle very… Read More

May 9, 2013 @ 9:59 am By CrowdCheck  |  

Everyone in the startup world knows a good pivot story, right? The wedding planner site that became a peer-to-peer boat rental outfit, the “gay Groupon” that became a fabulously successful retailer. It’s not that unusual for a team to find that their original concept just isn’t going… Read More

February 26, 2013 @ 2:33 am By Andrew Stephenson  |  

On Friday at the “SEC Speaks” conference, Securities and Exchange Commissioner Troy Paredes observed that the information companies disclose to investors leads to “disclosure overload” that hampers the ability of investors to gauge the importance of the data.  Commissioner Paredes went on to say “what we need… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 11:43 am By Huiwen Leo, CrowdCheck  |  

It’s tempting to reveal very little information when trying to make a sale.  We all want to put our best foot forward, and to reveal imperfections only when we absolutely have to.  For example, when selling a car, a seller might want to reveal the… Read More