Not every company that needs capital is a good candidate for crowdfunding.

That is the first thing founders and executives should understand. Crowdfunding is not simply a financing transaction moved online. It is a public capital-raising campaign that requires a company to explain its business clearly, activate an audience, support investor diligence, comply with securities rules, and market the offering over a period of weeks or months.

The best candidates are not merely companies that want money. They are companies with leadership teams that can turn a financing need into a credible public campaign.

A strong crowdfunding candidate usually has five things: a clear story, a reachable audience or serious marketing plan, a concrete reason to raise now, the budget to run the campaign properly, and the discipline to manage ongoing compliance after the raise.

A clear and compelling story

A company does not need to be simple, but its public-facing story does need to be understandable.

Prospe...more

Advancing the future of private capital formation.

The CfPA SEC Subcommittee engages directly with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on policy alignment, industry compliance, exempt offerings, and the evolving regulatory landscape surrounding crypto and digital assets.

By bringing industry voices to the table, CfPA continues to advocate for balanced regulation, market integrity, innovation, and expanded opportunities for investors and issuers alike.

Progress happens when collaboration meets purpose.

Join the CfPA as a member today and lend your voice to any number of the CfPA Committees or Subcommittees working to make a difference in the Regulated Investment Crowdfunding industry.   

A little over a year ago I sat through the SEC Capital Markets Subcommittee hearing on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) and Regulation A+. I walked away with mixed feelings. The advocates pushing to expand these pathways for capital formation got me fired up, especially for what it means for small businesses and everyday investors. But I was also frustrated that comprehensive risk mitigation and investor protection barely came up.

Twelve months later, not much has changed on that front. The advocacy for expanding Reg CF and Reg A+ has only gotten louder, and rightly so. But the conversation around protecting the unaccredited investors these frameworks are designed to welcome still hasn't caught up. So I want to take another swing at why that matters, and why TigerMark D&O exists to fill exactly that gap.

A quick note on what's changed on my end. TigerMark now sits under Equal Parts Insurance, the AI-native brokerage and MGA I joined when Assurely was acquired in 2025. The product i...more

In January alone, U.S. employers announced 108,435 layoffs - up 118% year-over-year and 205% from December. It marked the highest January total since 2009. For millions of workers, the signal is clear: AI-driven disruption is no longer theoretical. It’s here, and it’s accelerating faster than our labor institutions can respond.

And yet - here’s the paradox - this may be one of the best moments in history to be an entrepreneur, even a solo-preneur.

AI has collapsed the cost of starting and scaling a business. One person, equipped with modern tools, can now do the work of a small team: build products, automate operations, market globally, and reach customers directly. Capital efficiency has never been higher. What’s missing isn’t talent or ambition - it’s access to capital.

The Wrong Response: Universal Basic Income

Universal Basic Income is often proposed as the humane response to job displacement. The intent is understandable. The mechanism is flawed.

Broad cash transfers do not expand...more

For those interested in financial reporting compliance for Reg CF issuers, check out my working paper on SSRN here. The paper has been discussed with SEC Commissioners Peirce and Uyeda as well as featured on various podcasts/shows, including some from CfPA members. Podcasts/shows include: SuperPowers for Good, Test. Optimize. Scale., and Business Scholarship Podcast.

Abstract: Using the regulated, but largely unenforced setting of U.S. equity crowdfunding (ECF) we consider why managers comply with ongoing financial reporting regulations beyond enforcement and litigation risk. In a market with billions of dollars invested by millions of investors, over half of ECF issuers fail to file their mandated annual report, with only a third issuing timely. Using rich offering-level data, we show compliance is negatively associated with compliance costs and tardy filings are partially explained by the desire to issue additional securities. However, despite our rich data, the overall explanatory p...more

On October 8, 2025, Fox19 Cincinnati ran a headline that could make anyone in the regulated investment crowdfunding world spit out their morning coffee:

“Ohio lawmakers introduce legislation to prevent crowdfunding for violent crimes.” (Read it here)

That’s one of those headlines that does collateral damage just by existing. It’s splashy, moralistic, and guaranteed to travel faster than nuance ever could.

But here’s the problem: every time “crowdfunding” makes the news in a criminal, political, or emotional context, it drags the entire ecosystem into the mud - including the legitimate, SEC-regulated platforms that have nothing to do with bail funds or bad behavior.

That’s what professionals call headline risk.

It’s what philosophers call guilt by association.

And it’s what the rest of us call a branding nightmare.

Regulated Investment Crowdfunding: The grown-up in the room

The Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) has repeatedly urged everyone - media, policymakers, platforms ...more