Jason has been showcased in panel and individual presentations in a number of Tech and Marketing conferences, along with over 180 Episodes of his “Test. Optimize. Scale.” Podcast. He is also committed to a number of thought leadership content projects for 2025, including the Forbes Agency Council and Crowdfunding Professional Association Board. Jason manages a Los Angeles team with experience in all aspects of the user journey
Details of Mr. Fishman’s achievements and recommendations can be viewed on his LinkedIn profile.
Scott McIntyre. 2024 marked Scott’s 9th term as Chairman of the CfPA’s Board of Directors, having served in leadership since formation in 2012, including four terms as President & Chair.
Complementing his work at CfPA, Scott founded 501(c)3 non-profit WEconomy-US, Inc. to implement the breakthrough economic development platform he co-authored, the Sustainable Communities Framework (SCF). Scott serves as a director and advisor to both the Sustainable Communities Foundation, a 503(c)3 fiscal policy NGO responsible for the SCF, and at Community Vision Associates, helping preserve legacy neighborhoods sustainably and equitably with novel real estate strategies.
Scott is a proponent of regenerative agriculture, actively supporting the development of an industrial hemp ecosystem domestically. He is a partner at Renaissance Park Corporation, a JV-driven R&D firm based in Sausalito, California, and founded Ohio-based co-op Hemp Made Products (HMP) to help farmers and their communities prosper from the re-shoring of this important industry as shareholders, not just stakeholders. Scott served an interim role as CEO at Root Origins and at a unit of Groupo Venture Capital, a Chilean investment bank.
Scott is a lifelong entrepreneur and venture catalyst. His first startup, TheBigHouse, recently amalgamated several of Scott’s ventures under one roof, including strategy/media/capital firm Phabriq Development, and COventures, providing key technology and practical guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs and innovation communities.
Scott is a recognized pioneer in Education Technology since his role as a founding executive of REAL Education in 1994, the startup that built the first online education platform, launching worldwide as eCollege at IPO in 1999. eCollege is now a cornerstone of Education market leader Pearson, having acquired eCollege for $477 million in 2007. As a Director at The University of Toledo, Scott was responsible for designing and building the school’s first Office of Student Entrepreneurship and Engagement. Scott previously managed the State of Ohio’s Edison Technology Business Incubator and continues to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs.
Scott is active in impact investor communities both local and abroad, notably as an advisor to the 360 One Firm. Scott was invited by President Obama to The White House as a Champion of Change related to CfPA’s landmark work in Crowdfinance. He was also selected by the U.S. State Department to address the Finance Ministers of the European Union on the subject of Alternative Finance at a 2018 meeting in Vienna. Scott has consulted governments and addressed crowds in excess of 20,000 in China, Russia, India and Australia, and he maintains an active network of leading foreign alternative finance bodies with colleagues in over 20 countries.
Details of Mr. McIntyre’s work history, achievements and recommendations can be viewed on his LinkedIn profile.
Brian Christie is CEO of Brainsy, Inc. – an innovative SaaS company offering a white label social media engagement platform that can reward participants for their engagement and that can be owned by the community. Brian’s vision for Brainsy is that it will spawn thousands of social media micro-networks – each using their own incentive system and currency (optional) to reward their community of contributors.
Brian is also an Advisor at Crowdfund Holdings Innovators (CHI), a company that incubates innovative crowdfunding concepts and advises issuers on raising money through regulated investment crowdfunding. Brian has advised or invested in various start-ups and served in a board or executive role at companies such as LTVtrade, Promontory Interfinancial Network, and quantumStream. Specialties include: fintech, digital marketing, strategic alliance formation, impact investing, international business development and cross border transactions. He’s a fan of any movement, innovation, technology, law, or regulation that creates opportunities, serves the public interest, and levels the economic playing field.
Brian received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Miami University and an MBA from Georgetown University
Sara Hanks, Founder and CEO of CrowdCheck, is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in the corporate and securities field. CrowdCheck provides due diligence, disclosure and compliance services for online capital formation. Its services help entrepreneurs and project sponsors through the disclosure and due diligence process, give investors the information they need to make an informed investment decision and avoid fraud and help intermediaries avoid liability.
Sara’s prior position was General Counsel of the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Panel, the overseer of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Prior to that, Sara spent many years as a partner of Clifford Chance, one of the world’s largest law firms. While at Clifford Chance, she advised on capital markets transactions and corporate matters for companies throughout the world. Sara began her career with the London law firm Norton Rose. She later joined the Securities and Exchange Commission and as Chief of the Office of International Corporate Finance led the team drafting regulations that put into place a new generation of rules governing the capital-raising process.
Sara received her law degree from Oxford University and is a member of the New York and DC bars and a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. She serves as co-Chair of the SEC’s Advisory Council on Small and Emerging Companies. She holds a Series 65 securities license as a registered investment advisor. Sara is an aunt, Army wife, skier, cyclist, gardener and animal lover.
Jenny Kassan has almost three decades of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises. She has helped her clients raise millions of dollars from values-aligned investors and raised over $3 million for her own businesses.
She is the author of Raise Capital on Your Own Terms: How to Fund Your Business without Selling Your Soul (Berrett-Koehler, October 2017).
Jenny earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley.
She served on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. She submitted the petition to the SEC that led to the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act and was present at the White House signing ceremony.
Brian is the Founder of Crowdwise, LLC, and is an angel investor in 80+ private startups through equity crowdfunding.
He obtained a dual B.S. in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009 with a minor in Economics and French, and a dual M.S. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2012.
After working as an engineering lead and manager at a Fortune 500 company for 10 years, Brian left the defense and aerospace industry to embark as an entrepreneur and founded Crowdwise in 2019.
Crowdwise is an online startup investing community focused on helping both investors and entrepreneurs navigate equity crowdfunding by providing courses, tools and educational content.
Samson is a classically trained anthropologist, finance and public health expert who advises Fortune 100 companies, executives and startups in Dubai, Washington, DC and Dublin, Ireland.
Samson learned his craft as Emergency Manager at Fannie Mae 2008 – 2016 and has since gone on to be a leading advisor to banks and financial institutions in the Dubai / Middle East North Africa region.
Samson’s focus is helping firms understand the latest human trends in fintech, digital transformation, the Space Economy and Low Earth Orbit entrepreneurship so that they can make profitable decisions for their bottom lines.
Follow Samson on Twitter/Instagram @MilkyWayEconomy or reach out to him on LinkedIn to follow the latest insights in his academic and market research.
Patrick Tracey is Director of Business Development for Morrow Sodali. In this role, Pat brings expertise in a number of areas including Proxy Solicitation – Activism – Corporate Governance Advisory – IPO Prep – Demutualization (Insurance Companies, Community Banks and Credit Union) – Stock Surveillance for Public, Private and Mutual companies.
Pat has an impressive history in the securities industry. He has worked with community banks and insurance companies who have raised capital via mutual-to-stock conversions, mutual holding company formations and sponsored demutualizations, including the historic MetLife demutualization and the 1995 stock offering by the Boston Beer Company to retail customers.
Pat is on the advisory board of Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business program in investor relations and has guest lectured at Fordham, New York University, Baruch College and DePaul University on investor relations topics. Pat is a graduate of New York University.
Blaine McLaughlin is the Chief Product Officer of VIA Folio, an innovative IPO, private and alternative investment platform that makes it easy for online platforms, issuers, investors, brokers and advisors to engage with IPOs, private and alternative debt and equity offerings. Part of Folio Investments, Inc., VIA Folio supports issuance, custody, servicing and secondary transactions in public and private equity and debt investments, and other listed and unlisted securities. McLaughlin joined the company in 2007, and has led retail customer acquisition and management, partnerships, portfolio acquisition, introducing broker services, and other business development activities.
McLaughlin previously served as a Director of Marketing and Analysis at Capital One for credit card and direct banking divisions, and as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, holds a degree in economics from the University of California at San Diego, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jordan Fishfeld is the former CEO and co-founder of PeerRealty (sold), and current Chairman of the Board and co-founder of CFX Markets and OpenFinance Network, secondary market platforms for traditionally crowdfunded and digital assets, respectively. In this role, he focuses his time on strategic planning and general oversight in the new and growing digital marketplace. With over 8 years of compliance, legal, investing, and sales experience in regulated markets, Jordan understands the need for a single coherent voice in the crowdfunding and blockchain industries.
Prior to founding PeerRealty, Jordan worked as a finance attorney for Katten Muchin Rosenman, LLP, where he assisted on more than $1 billion worth of syndicated loan transactions.
Additionally, Jordan sits on the board of Upstart, a national non-profit tasked with bringing bold, new and innovative Jewish ideas to light through its accelerator and mentorship program.
Jordan received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his Masters of Business Administration and his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Over 35 years of experience in Information Technology with the majority of time being spent in the Financial Services industry. Possesses detailed knowledge of all aspects of the online capital formation/crowdfunding, international brokerage, hedge fund and asset management businesses. Able to recruit and motivate strong teams capable of solving mission critical business problems.
Has been involved in the alternative asset space since prior to the passing of the Jobs Act as the founder of CrowdClear a company formed to provide back office clearing and settlement services to firms raising capital using Regulation D. Currently works as the Director of Business Development for Koreconx, the premier supplier of technology and services helping firms manage all aspects of the investment lifecycle.
Devin is a journalist, author and educator. He calls himself a champion of social good. As a new-media journalist and founder of the Your Mark on the World Center, Devin has established himself as a champion of social good. As a Forbes contributor, with over 400 bylines and over
one million unique readers, he has become a recognized name in the social impact arena. His Your Mark on the World show, featuring over 900 celebrities, CEOs, billionaires, entrepreneurs and others who are out to change the world, gives him a recognizable face as well.
Previously, Devin served as the CFO of the third largest company on the 2009 Inc. 500 list. He also founded and led an NASD-registered investment bank. After completing a degree in finance at the University of Utah, he earned an MBA from Cornell University.
Having lived on three continents and visited over 30 countries on six continents and with guests from around the world on his show, Devin brings a global perspective to international audiences–from the UN to Nepal–empowering them to do more good and make their mark on the world. These lessons also enable them to change their personal lives and to drive positive change within their organizations. His books provide roadmaps to audiences on how to use money for good. His books have been read over 1 million times!
Today, Devin channels the idealism of his youth, volunteering whenever and wherever he can, with the loving support of his wife, Gail. Their son, Dayton, works in San Francisco.
Vincent Molinari is the CEO of Templum Markets, (FINRA Registered Broker Dealer and ATS) and Co-Founder of it’s parent company, Templum, Inc. He is also a Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development and is a Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Blockchain for Impact.
Vincent Molinari has nearly 3 decades of experience as a licensed person in the securities industry where he began his career at Lehman Brothers and later at Janney Montgomery Scott. He is a recognized thought leader on the modernization of securities law and the intersection of breakthrough innovation and technology solutions.
Vincent is an active Global Speaker on Market Infrastructure, Capital Formation, Blockchain, Digital Assets, Impact Investing, and the JOBS Act. He is the host of the Digital Assets Report filmed at the NYSE and has been invited to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Capital Markets, and Government Sponsored Enterprises. Mr. Molinari has also testified before The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies regarding secondary market liquidity.
He has participated in authoring 16 Comment Letters and Petitions for Rule Change to the SEC and FINRA. In addition, he consults with members of Congress and Senate on these issues.
David N. Feldman concentrates his practice on corporate and securities law and mergers and acquisitions, as well as general representation of public and private companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and private equity and venture capital firms. Mr. Feldman also advises emerging growth companies with regard to alternatives to traditional financing through initial public offerings. He is also considered an authority on public offerings through the recently implemented SEC Regulation A+. Mr. Feldman also represents investors, social media sites, public and private issuers and applicants for grow and dispensary licenses in the emerging cannabis industry.
Mr. Feldman has authored four books on finance and entrepreneurship, and contributed to three other books. His latest book, Regulation A+ and Other Alternatives to a Traditional IPO (John Wiley & Sons), was published in March 2018.
Alon is the Managing Partner of Stacked Capital, an early-stage industry agnostic venture capital fund. Previously Alon was the co-founder, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Technical Officer of crowdfunding platform RocketHub, acquired in 2015. Alon is a founding member of the Forbes Technology Council, and a Strategic Advisor to Zombie Soup (Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and games); he has twice testified in front of U.S. Congress on equity crowdfunding, co-authored three acclaimed whitepapers on the JOBS Act, and was selected to lead FINRA’s Capital Markets Series on crowdfunding. Alon oversaw RocketHub’s partnerships with the White House, U.S. Department of State, Fulbright Foundation, Cisco, Microsoft, Chrysler, and others. Alon has led large speaking engagements for organizations including American Express, TEDx, Campaign Summit, Re.Comm, and Make Innovation. Alon earned his M.Sc from Columbia University and was a fellow at the Earth Institute’s Advanced Consortium of Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity; he specialized in genocide prevention and social network theory.
Jason Paltrowitz is Executive Vice President and Global Head of Business Development at OTC Markets Group, where he is responsible for all international and domestic corporate services new business and relationship management. Prior to joining OTC Markets in October 2013, Mr. Paltrowitz was Managing Director and Segment Head at JP Morgan Chase and was responsible for the custody, clearing and collateral management business in the Corporate and Investment Bank division. Mr. Paltrowitz started his career at BNY Mellon serving in multiple senior management positions, most notably as Head of M&A for the Financial Markets and Treasury Services Sector and 11 years in the Depositary Receipt Division as the Head of the Global Capital Markets Group. Mr. Paltrowitz also served as a member of the Board of Directors at OTC Markets Group from 2008 – 2011.
Mr. Paltrowitz holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Boston University and received his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Thell Woods, a former interim president of the CfPA, founded and currently serves as chairman of Crowdfunding Services LLC. The company helps establish “Community Centric Crowdfunding” programs offering both non-profit and securities offerings. Thell serves specifically defined communities throughout Michigan developing the www.C3funding.com website as the base for these programs.
A Realtor since 1958, Woods has been President and Realtor of the year of the Gratiot/Isabella Association of Realtors and a Director of the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors. He served as a Vice President of the Michigan Association of Realtors and served 8 years as a National Director of the National Association of Realtors. In 2000, he was honored by the Michigan Association of Realtors as the recipient of the Realtor Active in Politics Award.
In addition to his real estate activities, he has served as the Securities Broker for his Syndications Corporation Broker Dealer which then had over 100 Realtors as licensed direct participation program securities representatives. During this time he also developed and sold over 60 Reg. D type private Real Estate offerings.
Among his other businesses, he developed Internet Connection Services an early Kalamazoo Area internet service provider and established Qualified Intermediary Services to facilitate section 1031 tax deferred exchanges and has earned the CES Certified exchange Specialist designation from the Federation of Exchange Accommodators.
Darren Marble is the CEO of CrowdfundX, a pioneering crowdfunding agency serving corporations and entrepreneurs across a wide mix of industries and geographies. The company helps clients to effectively architect and execute strategic equity and rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns that build brand equity and drive growth.
Notably, under Darren’s leadership, CrowdfundX designed, produced and marketed the Reg A+ equity crowdfunding campaign for Elio Motors, which raised just under $17 million from 6,200+ investors. Elio subsequently listed on the OTC Markets OTCQX under the symbol “ELIO,” making it the first company in the United States to have completed a Reg A+ equity crowdfunding offer and list shares on a public exchange. At present, CrowdfundX is currently managing more than a dozen Reg A+ equity crowdfunding campaigns.
Darren is a featured LinkedIn contributor and an active public speaker, having recently spoken as a guest lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, USC Marshall School of Business, UC Irvine, the CSUN Entertainment Alumni Network and the ESGCI Business School in Paris, France. His insights have been featured in Forbes, the Los Angeles Business Journal, Bankless Times and others.
Dr. Richard Swart is recognized as the global thought leader in the crowdfunding industry. Richard is a founding board member of the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA), the Crowdfunding Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CIFRA), and an early leader in the field. Richard co-organized the first major national conference on crowdfunding and coordinated several educational events on the JOBS Act throughout the United States for the White House.
As a research scholar in the Institute for Business & Social Innovation in the Haas School of Business, he is the University’s resident expert on crowdfunding and evolving models of alternative finance. He also organized the Annual Academic Symposium on Crowdfunding Research. He currently advises the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and works with several other prominent foundations, think tanks, funds and corporations. He is co-author of the forthcoming book Crowdfunding: The Corporate Era, being published in June 2015.
Richard has emerged as the global expert in developments in crowdfunding. He was the lead author on a research project for the World Bank exploring crowdfunding and funding models for innovative technology. He has lectured in Europe, the UK, Africa, the Middle East and throughout the United States. In recognition of his research in the United Kingdom, he was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Dr. Swart was the lead author or researcher on the World Bank’s report on Crowdfunding and it’s Potential Impact for the Developing World. He partnered with the University of Cambridge to complete the first Country level-study of alternative finance: The Rise of Future Finance: The UK Alternative Finance Benchmarking Report. With Crowdfund Capital Advisors he authored the report: How Does Crowdfunding Impact Job Creation, Revenue and Professional Investor Interest? – the first report that empirically demonstrated crowdfunding’s effects on job creation and future investments.
After leaving Utah State University’s Huntsman School of Business where he taught Information Systems, he has worked with a number of startups and has become a key organizer in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is a former COO of an Internet startup that had a successful exit in 2010. Richard is a board member and strategic advisor to firms in the crowdfunding and alternative investing space.
Xiaocheh Zhang currently serves on the CfPA Board of Directors. He is also a co-founder of the Crowdfunding China Society (CFCS). As a crowdfunding thought leader, he has advised many organizations in applying alternative finance and result-based approach in transforming their business models. He has provided services to World Bank, United Nations, TUEV SUED, Virginia Tech, Peking University and some other organizations in the past 15 years. Xiaochen has rich experience in both public and private sector in America, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe to incubate and scale up innovative programs and projects at all levels. He is also a recognized speaker in climate finance, green innovation and crowdfunding. Here are a few examples:
Rodney Sampson is an innovator, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, published author, and consecrated bishop. As an innovator and serial entrepreneur, Sampson co-founded Multicast Media Networks (Streamingfaith.com) in 2000 (acquired in 2010), a live and on-demand streaming platform that laid the foundation for companies like YouTube and Ustream. Not stopping there, Sampson co-founded Intellectual Currency (an integrated marketing, intellectual property, diversity & inclusion and business development advisory firm) in 2002, Intellect Inspire (a digital publishing imprint of Audible) in 2006, and Legacy Opportunity Fund in 2007 with investments in technology, consumer products, energy, cyber-security, publishing and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He also serves on the advisory boards of Digit, a disruptive financial technology company, Mark Burnett Productions, Springboard Fund and multiple startup and early stage companies throughout the world.
Sampson is passionate about reducing our nation’s poverty and wealth gap by advancing the cause of S.T.E.M, innovation, entrepreneurship and capital formation as a way of life for all communities. To advance this definitive cause, Sampson created Opportunity Ecosystem (OE). Opportunity Ecosystem includes Opportunity Hub, a multi-campus coworking space, coding college, entrepreneurship school, pre-accelerator and incubator. Opportunity Hub is also home to Opportunity Ventures, a new seed and early stage investment fund. In January 2013, Sampson launched Kingonomics, the nation’s leading platform for minorities and under-served communities to learn, navigate and master the investment ecosystem. Kingonomics conferences, events and trainings attract over 1,500 entrepreneurs, 500 teenagers and 100 accredited investors and mentors annually.
As a member of the Board of Directors of the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA), Sampson is an active advocate and respected authority on Federal equity crowdfunding via the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS) Act and intrastate equity crowdfunding via Georgia’s “Invest Georgia Exemption”. Always meditating, thinking, networking and connecting to disrupt economic culture, Sampson is innovating what he has branded as an “ecosystem based capital formation platform” – designed to interconnect the capital markets of minority owned financial institutions, business associations, churches, neighborhood & community organizations, historical black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) and the constituents they mutually and respectively serve. The platform will allow underserved and under-represented communities to learn, engage and invest in the private capital markets by providing access to relevant investment opportunities traditionally reserved for accredited and institutional investors. The long-term outcome will result in sustainable new job creation, wealth creation and a better society for all.
Throughout this journey, Sampson has maintained the creativity of his youth and early entrepreneurial career as an experienced advisor, integrated marketer, business developer and connector. Having worked very closely on Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ, Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe & The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, Sampson was tapped in 2013 by Mark Burnett to create the diversity and inclusion initiatives at One Three Media, a joint venture between Mark Burnett Productions and Hearst. Mark Burnett is the Executive Producer of The Voice, Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice, ABC’s Shark Tank, The Bible Series, Son of God Movie & A.D. In Seasons 5 & 6 of the hit ABC show Sharktank, more than 15 minority-owned startups were afforded the opportunity to pitch their companies for angel investment on the show. Even in his advisory practice, Sampson is still working tirelessly to close the wealth gap while simultaneously shifting culture’s perceptions of minority entrepreneurs and investors.
Brian Korn was elected to the Board of Directors (Legal P.O.V.) of the Crowdfunding Professional Association in January 2014. Brian is a corporate and securities attorney at the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, and has had multiple appearances on Fox Business Television, Bloomberg, CCTV America and National Public Radio as an expert on the JOBS Act, including its impact on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, IPOs and market trading dynamics. He has been published or quoted in Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, New York Law Journal, Law360, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Financier Worldwide and The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation.
Brian is the author of several articles on capital raising and investor liquidity, and has several clients in the peer-to-peer lending space. Brian is the author of “The Trouble with Crowdfunding” published in Forbes, as well as the Forbes article announcing the SEC’s crowdfunding rules proposal. Prior to joining Pepper, Brian was Head of Equity Capital Markets and Syndicate Compliance at Barclays and was Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Brian is an honors graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the Northwestern University School of Law.
Thomas Lawson is vice president of private issuer services for VIA Folio, Folio’s private capital network. In his role at VIA Folio, he provides legal and regulatory guidance to business development and operations. As part of this work, he supports VIA Folio’s online transactions in unlisted securities. He joined Folio in 2015.
Prior to joining Folio, Tom was a chief counsel for the enforcement department of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and assistant director of enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In total, he brings more than 25 years of experience in securities law and financial industry regulation.
Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in Classics from Union College and a law degree from Hofstra University’s School of Law.
AdaPia D’Errico is the Chief Marketing Officer at Patch of Land, where she heads up marketing, which includes strategy, brand, communications, partnerships and client services. Prior to joining Patch of Land, AdaPia ran a consulting company that developed growth strategies for major brands at Disney and Mattel, as well as technology and new media startups. AdaPia began her career at CIBC and subsequently spent 8 years in banking and investment management with a focus on customer relationship management, investor relations, and corporate communications. AdaPia is a published writer, blogger for The Huffington Post, and is a public presenter on topics including growth strategies, entrepreneurship, crowdfunding and brand development. AdaPia holds a B.B.A from the University of British Columbia and a B.A in International Business Economics from Hogeschool Zeeland, The Netherlands.
Dara Albright is a recognized authority, thought provoker and frequent speaker on topics relating to market structure, private secondary transactions, next-gen IPOs, P2P, FinTech and crowdfinance. Albright has held a distinguished 23 year career in IPO execution, investment banking, corporate communications, financial marketing as well as institutional and retail sales.
She is a visionary who continues to introduce rising asset classes and crowd-structured financial products to the Wall Street community. Albright was one of the earliest voices covering the JOBS Act and advocating for greater democracy in the equity and credit markets. She produced the very first crowdfunding conference in January 2012 which was headlined by key JOBS Act architects: Congressman Patrick McHenry and Dave Weild. That event helped birth the crowdfinance movement and led to the establishment of the industry’s trade and leadership organizations – which she co-founded. In 2013, she co-founded LendIt, the largest and most recognized global p2p & online lending conference organization. In 2015, she co-founded FinFair, the first conference platform to feature the leadership, products and technologies driving the crowd-centric retail alternatives market. Some of the most prominent figures in the financial industry as well as the legislature continue to participate in Albright’s events. Her leading-edge articles that have helped shape the direction of the crowdfinance industry can be found on Equities.com, Crowdfund Insider, Seeking Alpha, Investing.com, FINalternatives and Business Insider. She has been featured in the NY Times, Forbes, ABA Banking Journal, Thestreet.com, Private Wealth Magazine as well as in a number of leading industry trade publications. Albright continues to help issuers, investors as well as financial service providers across the globe capitalize during this unprecedented period of financial industry disruption and regulatory reform. Prior firms she worked for include: Unterberg Towbin, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Divine Capital and Citigate Dewe Rogerson. She is a graduate of the George Washington University and holds securities industry Series 7, 24, 31 and 63 licenses.
Unlocking the Global Trillion Dollar Crowdfunding Market
Now here is the 1 percent that you do want to hear about! The world is on the precipice of creating a trillion-dollar crowdfunding market. In Australia, the ASSOB has offered a crowdfunding investment portal since 2005. In the U.K., equity crowdfunding is already in progress, with investment platforms such as Crowdcube and Seedups. And in the Netherlands with Symbid. The crowdfunding components of the American JOBS Act and the Italian Decreto Crescitaare now in the process of finalizing the attendant regulation before securities crowdfunding goes live. Industry associations are popping up everywhere, including in Europe, Canada the U.S. (CFIRA, CfPA) and recently a World Crowdfund Federation spanning five continents. And if you want to get an idea where things are headed, look at the travel list of the leading crowdfunding advisory team, Crowfund Capital Advisors.
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JOBS Act – Crowdfunding
There are some restrictions on how much investors may invest. Investors who have either annual income of less than $100,000 or whose net worth (presumably excluding the principal residence) is less than $100,000 may only invest in any 12-month period the greater of $2,000 or 5 percent of the investor’s annual income or net worth. One thing companies using crowdfunding will need to consider is whether they want to set higher minimums for investment, given that the administrative time for a small investor is often as much as for a large investor. If $1,000,000 were raised by having 500 people invest $2,000 each, the administrative time per investor could be a substantial part of the $2,000 contributed by each investor.
If either the annual income or net worth (again, presumably excluding the principal residence) of the investor is equal to or more than $100,000, then the investor may invest 10 percent of the investor’s annual income or net worth in any 12-month period, not to exceed a maximum amount of $100,000.
(There is an inconsistency in the wording of the statute on these two categories. Presumably to fit within the second category the investor must have both income in excess of $100,000 AND (not “or”) net worth of more than $100,000. Expect the SEC to address this in its regulations.)
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Crowdfund Texas Gathering: Optimistic about Future of Crowdfunding
Tuesday’s Crowdfund Texas Conference, held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin, attracted 235 industry luminaries, state officials, and aspiring entrepreneurs to the one-day event hosted by Texas super angel investor and Laughing at Wall Street author Chris Camillo. In partnership with the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) and Startup Texas, the conference featured prominent Crowdfunding platforms, legal experts and analysts discussing the current state of the industry. Attendees provided interesting insight into how industry insiders and entrepreneurs view equity Crowdfunding in a surveys ponsored by the hosts, with 97 percent saying it is “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that they would invest in a Crowdfunded company of a trusted person in their network.
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Crowdfunding Set to Transform How Startups Raise Money
The only problem is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not yet released rules to tell the crowdfunding industry how to do that. It’s part of the nitty-gritty details of theJumpstart Our Business Startups, known as JOBS Act, that are still being hashed out even after President Obama signed the bill into law last April.
Today at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin, a group of about 250 people are meeting for the first ever Crowdfund Texas Conference to learn about this emerging industry.
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Building a Case for Crowdfunding
Sherwood Neiss is passionate about entrepreneurship. And he has helped lead the charge to change nearly 80-year-old federal securities laws about investing, so that entrepreneurs can gain access to capital.
Called crowdfunding, the changes will allow small investors to fund start-up businesses, hopefully creating jobs and boosting the economy in the process.
Earlier this month, while Neiss was in Dubai speaking at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, we emailed him questions. Here are his edited responses.
Making the Case for Crowdfunding: Q&A with Sherwood 'Woodie' Neiss
Sherwood “Woodie” Neiss is passionate about entrepreneurship. And he has helped lead the charge to change nearly 80-year-old federal securities laws about investing, so that entrepreneurs can gain access to capital.
Called crowdfunding, the changes will allow small investors to fund start-up businesses, hopefully creating jobs and boosting the economy in the process.
Earlier this month, while Neiss was in Dubai speaking at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, we emailed him questions. Here are his edited responses.
Canadian and U.S. Lobby Groups Forge Crowdfunding Alliance
The main organization lobbying to legalize equity crowdfunding in Canada is teaming up with a major U.S. group to bolster its efforts.
Invest CrowdFund Canada (ICC) announced today it is formally partnering with the U.S.-based Crowdfunding Professionals Association (CfPA). The new partnership – referred to as the CfPA/ICC National Canadian Board – will feature CfPA co-chair Sherwood Neiss as well as board members from ICC including ICC national chair Dr. Cindy Gordon and Fawn Annan, president and group publisher at IT World Canada (parent company of ITBusiness.ca). ICC will also represent Canadian crowdfunding legislative interests on the CfPA’s global board.
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Who Can Invest Once the Solicitation Ban is Lifted
Who Can Invest Once the Solicitation Ban is Lifted?
Who can invest in start-ups once the general solicitation ban is lifted? That’s the 64,000 dollar question – or to be more “inflationary precise”, the 540,963.63 dollar question.
I’d gladly relinquish the half million+ dollars for a different answer. Because even though the removal of the restrictive solicitation ban helps smaller issuers raise capital, it does absolutely nothing to benefit smaller investors. Once the new law is implemented, private companies will be permitted to advertise to the general population so long as they only accept money from accredited investors. Soon, non-accredited investors will be able to view a television commercial for a hot private growth stock. Too bad they won’t have the capability of investing in it until after it goes public at an over-inflated valuation. This is about as cruel as forcing diabetics to watch Hostess Twinkie ads.
While the unions are helping to ensure that Hostess won’t be around to tease any more diabetics, who’s looking out for America’s retail investor? Frankly, no one is. That’s why it is up to “We the People” to make sure that the investing public receives its fair share of growth opportunities. It is more than our responsibility, it is our right as U.S. citizens to voice our discontent and help effect legislative change. The accredited investor rule is not only unjust; it is exacerbating America’s wealth divide and impeding economic growth. Thus, it needs to be repealed immediately. Below is an excerpt from a recent article I published on the subject. The complete piece which be found at http://nowstreetjournal.com/2012/11/26/todays-america-nothing-ventured-everything-gained-at-least-for-some/.
While America has made great progress eradicating religious, gender and racial persecution, it continues to allow discrimination based on net worth and income levels. Presently, only “accredited investors” – those persons possessing a net worth of at least $1M excluding the value of one’s primary residence or have annual income of at least $200,000 (or $300,000 together with his or her spouse) – are legally permitted to invest in private companies. Unaccredited investors are forced to wait until companies register with the SEC and begin trading on public stock exchanges.
20 years ago when companies went public as young emerging businesses, smaller investors weren’t put at a disadvantage by having to wait for an IPO in order to invest. In fact, 99% of Microsoft’s stock appreciation was realized after it had gone public. Conversely, by the time most of today’s companies go public, the bulk of their growth is long behind them. Case in point, 100% of Facebook’s stock appreciation was realized in the private markets prior to its IPO where only accredited investors were afforded the opportunity to partake in its dramatic climb.
Because new issue upside has been dramatically curtailed, today’s average public market investor is left assuming more capital appreciation risk than ever before. It sickens me to think about all of the middle class wealth that might have been created from September 2004 to May 2012 when Facebook grew from a mere $5M in market capitalization to its IPO valuation of $104B.
America desperately needs to reopen its financial markets and allow capital to flow back to its smaller investors and issuers. This is precisely what the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”) was designed to accomplish. Even though it is one of the most economic restorative pieces of legislation in modern history, if you’re not reading political or financial trade publications, you’ve probably never even heard of it. And because it passed with an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority; the JOBS Act received limited main street media coverage. It is utterly shameful that the policies which divide us get more attention than the legislation that unites us.
The JOBS Act helps emerging businesses access capital by improving the “on-ramp” and making it easier for smaller companies to go public. And since, according to Forbes, small businesses generated over 65% of new jobs during the past 17 years, it is imperative that America’s capital markets serve as a conduit to small-cap funding, not as a barrier.
Unfortunately, facilitating the IPO entrance is simply not enough. The truth is, it is far less challenging for companies to become public than it is for them to stay public, particularly in a marketplace dominated by high frequency traders and inadequate aftermarket support. According to research conducted by David Weild IV, Head of Capital Markets at Grant Thornton and CEO of Capital Markets Advisory Partners, U.S. stock markets have lost 43.5% of all listed companies since 1997.
Without re-establishing an ecosystem to support companies being public at smaller valuations by enthusiastic investors as opposed to detached traders, the demand will never be strong enough to meet the supply in the marketplace. Hence, unless the “highway” is completely renovated, the public markets will remain dysfunctional.
The “Crowdfunding” component of the JOBS Act provides the most viable and democratic solution. Its community-style, social investing methodologies furnish built-in aftermarket support. “Crowdfund Investing” not only grants the 99% with the same investing freedoms as the 1%, it fortifies the relationship between investor and investment, encourages longer term investing principles and ultimately helps restore appropriate risk/reward ratios.
Although it was signed into law on April 5th, “Crowdfund investing” won’t be officially legal until the SEC implements the new rules (currently in the 270 day rulemaking period). Given its history of failing to meet deadlines, it is most likely that the SEC will far exceed its Government mandated January 1, 2013 deadline. We simply cannot allow this to happen, for as long as one class of citizens continues to receive superior investment opportunities and better investing odds, there will never be true equality in the United States.
Our nation will never collectively prosper if our capital markets remain prejudiced. I urge you to write your local legislators and insist that they hold the SEC accountable for implementing the overwhelmingly bipartisan JOBS Act in a timely fashion. Demand that legislation be introduced to remove the unconstitutional Accredited Investor Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933. The future of America is at stake. Don’t let it go down with the Twinkie.
Together we can bring equality to the capital markets and return them to the lifeblood of our economy: America’s small businesses and retail investors.
Dara Albright
Founder, Now Street Journal
Valuation, What is it? How to calculate it?
Valuation, What is it? How to calculate it?
So do you think that your company is the next LuLu Lemon, Skype, LinkedIn? I know, you have an idea that is so unique and no one else will ever think of it or be able to compete! We have all been there but when seeking capital to make your fantastic idea real, convincing the angel groups, venture capital firms that their money will be well spent is a big challenge that most entrepreneurs face.
The investment trail can lead to a series of questions but the one question that seems to stump the most well thought out entrepreneur is, What is your companies valuation? First, the entrepreneur gives a look like the deer caught in the headlights syndrome, then the laser quick $10m, $20m or the lean back in the chair “let me get back to you later” gurgles humbly from the lips.
The short answer to the question should be a reply from the entrepreneur to the investor, “What is the investor asking about, pre-money or post money valuation?” The truth is, knowing this answer will allow you the opportunity to provide the possible best answer because the answer differ based on the timing of valuation. Both pre-money and post-money are valuation measures of companies. Pre-money refers to a company's value before it receives outside financing or the latest round of financing, while post-money refers to its value after it gets outside funds or its latest capital injection. Pre-money valuation refers to the value of a company not including external funding or the latest round of funding. Post money valuation, then, includes outside financing or the latest injection. It is important to know which is being referred to as they are critical concepts in valuation.
Let's explain the difference by using an example. Suppose that an investor is looking to invest in a hi-tech startup. The entrepreneur and the investor both agree that the company is worth $1 million and the investor will put in $250,000.
The ownership percentages will depend on whether this is a $1 million pre-money or post-money valuation. If the $1 million valuation is pre-money, the company is valued at $1 million before the investment and after investment will be valued at $1.25 million. If the $1 million valuation takes into consideration the $250,000 investment, it is referred to as post-money.
As you can see, the valuation method used can affect the ownership percentages in a big way. This is due to the amount of value being placed on the company before the investment. If a company is valued at $1 million, it is worth more if the valuation is pre-money compared to post-money because the pre-money valuation does not include the $250,000 invested. While this ends up affecting the entrepreneur's ownership by a small percentage of 5%, it can represent millions of dollars if the company goes public.
This topic gets very important in situations where an entrepreneur has a good idea but few assets. In such cases, it's very hard to determine what the company is actually worth and valuation becomes a subject of negotiation between the entrepreneur and the investors.
Usually, a company receives many rounds of financing (conventionally named Round A, Round B, Round C, etc.) rather than a big lump sum in order to decrease the risk for investors and to motivate entrepreneurs. Pre- and post-money valuation concepts apply to each round.
Crowdfunding, I Have Invested, What’s Next?
Crowdfunding, I Have Invested, What’s Next?
It’s 2013. The crowdfunding regulations are finalized and effective. You have invested in your first crowdfunded company and you are now officially an owner of that company. What’s next?
Traditionally, an investor’s role after they have invested in a company is determined by the amount and type of ownership the investor has in that company. Equity-based crowdfunding will likely change this, but not how you would expect. In most cases, crowdfunding investors will contribute collectively to fund up to twenty percent of a crowdfunded company. That fact coupled with the investment limitations set forth in the JOBS Act (the greater of $2,000 or 5% of the investor’s annual income or net worth if either the investor’s annual income or net worth is less than $100,000) will limit the size of each crowdfunding investor’s ownership in companies that utilize the exemption. By traditional standards, that would tend to indicate that the role of the investor will be quite limited. It’s a good thing that equity crowdfunding unshackles traditional investor roles!
Equity crowdfunding thrives on every crowdfunding investor playing a critical role in the success of a company regardless of how small the investor’s ownership amount may be. The role is not just a financial role, but also a spirited role that injects adrenaline into the crowdfunded company’s brand. Crowdfunding investors realize that they are playing a substantial part in jumpstarting a business. They aren’t investing $100 into a blue chip company like IBM or Coca-Cola. Their investment is quite different because the crowdfunded company depends on their support. Further, the investors’ vigor and representation of the brand will strengthen the crowdfunded company’s chances of becoming that blue chip company.
Another way for a crowdfunding investor to contribute to their new company’s success is to let the company’s employees work hard to get them a return on their investment. Investors want the entrepreneurs to be busy driving their business forward as opposed to managing hundreds and hundreds of crowdfunding investors. The best way for a crowdfunding investor to participate in generating a return on their investment is by actively promoting the companies that they have invested in. The communication from crowdfunded company and investor will come from the market (or perhaps the Securities and Exchange Commission “SEC”) ironing out the process. For example, if a funding portal requires that companies seeking funding through their site must provide crowdfunding investors a quarterly update on how things are going and that requirement is favorable to all parties involved then that standard could be adopted by the industry. This will hold true for other investor roles as well.
As far as the law goes on what an investor’s role is post funding, the JOBS Act is virtually silent. However, one thing that investors can count on is reports of the results of operations and financial statements of the company they funded at least once a year. The content of those reports is up to the SEC to decide; so that leaves the investor hardly any information at this moment in time on what to expect post funding. Like many other parts of the JOBS Act, the rules by the SEC will shed light on how an investor’s role after a successful funding campaign. Additionally, market participants will also play a large part in the idiosyncrasies of the relationship between crowdfunding investors and crowdfunded companies.
Jason Burmer, JD
VC Relations
EarlyShares.com
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