If you’re trying to build something (a company, a product, a service) and not simultaneously building a community, then the future is likely dim. Customer acquisition costs have never been higher due to App Tracking Transparency (that’s a whole other post - explainer here) alongside increasing competition because it's never been easier to start a business in a world of AWS, 3PLs, Shopify, open AI models, and other software tools that are essentially a business in a box.

This is why community matters. Community by its nature is a group of like-minded individuals coming together, and this ultimately can equate to built-in distribution. And I cannot stress this enough: distribution is the best and biggest competitive moat. In some sense, distribution is all that matters; you could have the best product/service in the world, but without a distribution moat you’ll be left high and dry.

A great example of this is in the newspaper business – once upon a time the printing presses and physical ...more

The kinds of securities we will offer

We could offer any kind of Security on the Platform, including:

Equity Securities. When you buy an “equity security,” like the common stock of a corporation, you become an owner of the company. The value of your interest fluctuates with the fortunes of the company; if the company does well the value of your interest goes up, while if it does poorly the value goes down, possibly all the way to zero. As an owner, you generally have the right to share in any profit distributions made by the company, and you also share in the appreciation in the value of the company. Owning an equity security in a company is like owning a house, both the good part and the bad part. When a company dissolves, the owners of the equity securities are paid last, after all the creditors.

“Preferred” Equity Securities. In some cases, a company will offer a “preferred equity security,” like the preferred stock of a corporation. Typically,...more

All founders and leaders know how hard growth is. Most days it comes as incremental steps - but sometimes, it's an exponential phenomenon that is powered by the incredible team you've built. This is one of those days. 

With our office HQ in Toronto, but our satellite offices in Texas and Florida, we are proud to be named Canada's 3rd fastest-growing company for 2022. Although we are #3 overall, we are #1 in the Tech category.

We are building the 'Shopify solution' for the capital markets with a focus on making it easy for brands to transition from traditional venture capital (VC) raises to a more global, digital solution.

We are focused on serving our issuers and partners - which sets us apart from our competition. Crowdfunding portals are typically focused on attracting investors and providing value to them. Our technology is focused on powering up our partners to raise multiple deal types for multiple issuers AND providing a solid, innovative, end-to-end solution for issuers to ...more

Tomorrow I will speak at SuperCrowd22  (see: https://www.supercrowd22.com ) - a two day event (September 15/16) - along with thought leaders and practitioners addressing issues at the cross section of impact investing + investment crowdfunding. 

I am honored to be participating in this event. 

I'll address the topic of "Will Local News be the Next Frontier for Investment Crowdfunding?" 

I believe it's a topic of vital importance to our country and for the preservation of US democracy. At SuperCrowd, I'll speak to: 1) the current state of Local News media (it's not good) 2) a historical perspective on how we've gotten here and 3) a view on what can be done to help save or reinvigorate Local News across the country.    
 
As a preview, here are some slides and facts from part one of my presentation - the current state of Local News.  

Slide 2: The US loses two local newspapers each week! Since 2004, there has been a net loss of 2,514 papers. 

...more

Friday, December 31, 2021

Dear friends,

Thank you for another year far surpassing my hopes both personally and professionally.

The CfPA continues to be highly-regarded here and abroad as a generous and vital organization expanding access to capital and opportunity for entrepreneurs, small businesses and investors. Our work in 2021 helped Crowdfunding reach new highs, extended our global voice, and expanded our capacity domestically. We saw over $500M raised using RegCF offerings where even non-accredited investors finally got a piece of the pie. We saw RegA+ offerings land over $2B. For these, and so many other reasons, it continues to be an honor to be a part of a leadership team on the cutting edge of Alternative Finance. CfPA’s reputation continues to be enhanced by the many professionals who freely contribute their time and expertise to advancing the association and the industry. There have been so many noteworthy moments and I look forward to seeing even more debut in ’22.

In 2021...more

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Dear friends,

A vast majority of you reading this letter are part of the Crowdfunding community—whether you know this yet or not, your knowledge, initiative, collaboration...and pocketbook have made our industry touch more lives than you might imagine. We at the Crowdfunding Professional Association thank you for all your imagination, hard work and follow-through, and celebrate with you the continued growth enjoyed by communities everywhere. I want to preface this letter by making certain my fellow volunteers at the CfPA are aware just how fortunate we are to have their gift of time, knowledge and leadership—thank you, again.

At its simplest, Crowdfunding lives at the intersection of crowdsourcing and alternative finance, and even until recently was seen more as a funding method for ventures too risky for conventional capital or for entrepreneurs lacking loan-worthy collateral or relevant experience. But in just six+ years since passage of the JOBS Act, Crowdfu...more

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Dear members, friends and colleagues,

Unlike students “getting back to school” each fall, the best work of our association’s many volunteers tends to commence at the start of each new calendar following a frenetic year-end rush both professionally and personally. So, welcome back—I hope your 2018 was prosperous, and your holiday break inspirational and renewing.

Before outlining our goals for 2019, I need to first thank and congratulate all for a pivotal year that commenced with the necessary and successful recruitment of what many have confessed to me is an enviable assembly of alternative finance pioneers and thought leaders—over 34 remarkably generous board members, advisors and committee members, tripling all previous leadership. I am humbled to have gained your mindshare and commitment toward pursuing the CfPA’s noble mission. However, I emphasize “toward” because, as an organization, our ultimate fulfillment remains just over the horizon—we have much to...more