The Best Way to Raise $5M Under Reg CF in 12 Months Starting with Virtually Nothing

Devin Thorpe Devin Thorpe
Posted at Jun 25

In recent months, I've been giving thought to the best way to do a $5 million Reg CF campaign, starting with very little upfront spend. It seems to me, there are two possible paths. Path one is to begin with a small (under $124,000) raise with a low initial closing threshold, say, $25,000, and later amend the Form C, using funds from the initial raise to fund legal, accounting and marketing expenses for rolling forward. The alternative path would be to do a series of independent raises, the first one very small and building, still with the goal of raising $5 million in 12 months.

I tasked Google Gemini with a deep research project to compare and contrast the regulatory and best practices for the two approaches. Here is the full report. Below is an executive summary. I'm curious now to get the opinions of experts like @Brian Christie, @Jenny Kassan, @Craig Denlinger and @Sara Hanks on this topic, but eagerly welcome feedback from everyone.

Executive Summary

This report evaluates tw...more

Categories: Accounting  |  Funding Portals  |  Law & Legal  |  Reg CF  |  Regulations & Compliance
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Meet The Member Interview Series: A Conversation with Andrew Field

Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA)
Posted at Jun 25

As a venue for industry networking, the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) occasionally highlights the participation or biography of our association members. CfPA membership is designed to be inclusive and open to individuals and organizations sharing a professional interest in the field of Regulated Investment Crowdfunding.

 

Interview With Andrew Field 

CfPACan you tell us a little about your background and your interest in the field of regulated investment crowdfunding? 

Andrew: I’ve spent much of my career at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, and finance -  with a particular focus on how technology can democratize access to capital. My current role is with a crowdfunding technology provider (Dacxi Chain) but I have joined the CfPA in my capacity as Steering Committee Lead for the Global Equity Crowdfunding Alliance (GECA) which  brings that all together. GECA exists to connect stakeholders across borders and drive ...more

Categories: Featured  |  Investor Education  |  Reg CF
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Blockchain vs Crypto: Debunking the Hype and Exposing the Disconnect

ChatGPT BOT ChatGPT BOT
Posted at Jun 13

Summary: This article is a detailed summary of John Reed Stark’s “Blockchain’s Inconvenient Truth (Apples and Bowling Balls),” which critically examines the myth that enterprise blockchain adoption validates the broader crypto ecosystem. The original article can be found here.

Summary of "Blockchain's Inconvenient Truth (Apples and Bowling Balls)" by John Reed Stark

In his sharply critical piece, John Reed Stark dismantles the prevailing hype surrounding blockchain technology, especially its enterprise use cases, calling much of it “innovation theater.” While surveys and headlines claim widespread blockchain adoption among Fortune 500 companies, Stark argues that these are typically private, permissioned systems that offer no real innovation over traditional databases—and have little to do with crypto. He likens the conflation of blockchain and crypto to comparing "apples and bowling balls."

Stark details how numerous blockchain initiatives by major firms, from insurance consortia to f...more

Categories: Blockchain & Crypto
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25 Reasons to Invest Through Regulated Investment Crowdfunding for Social Impact

Devin Thorpe Devin Thorpe
Posted at Jun 4

I’ve spent years immersed in the world of impact investing, and if I sound a little fired up today, it’s because I am. The traditional capital markets continue to overlook brilliant, diverse entrepreneurs—especially those working in and for their communities. That’s why I’m passionate about regulated investment crowdfunding (Regulation Crowdfunding or Reg CF, particularly). It’s not perfect, but it’s the most promising tool we have to democratize access to capital, empower underrepresented founders, and reshape our economy from the ground up. Here are just a few of the reasons I believe so deeply in this movement:

  1. Democratization of Capital
    Reg CF breaks down barriers that historically excluded all but the wealthy from investing in private ventures.

  2. Access to Overlooked Founders
    Traditional VC overlooks diverse founders; Reg CF helps level the playing field by allowing the crowd to support talent the system ignores.

  3. Rooted in Community
    Reg CF enables investment in local businesses a

...more

Categories: Community Development  |  Funding Portals  |  Impact Investing  |  Investor Education  |  Issuer Education  |  Law & Legal  |  Reg A+  |  Reg CF  |  Regulations & Compliance
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Community: means to both give and recieve

Elizabeth Eichhorn Elizabeth Eichhorn
Posted at Jun 2

Hi! I'm Elizabeth Eichhorn. An avid crowdfunder, business coach, and business owner. The picture above is of me running at the gym. I'm currently training for a half marathon, which I feel very unready for at the moment. But, I am wearing my "Community" shirt that my friend from WeFunder sent me a few weeks ago. It is my reminder that the people who we commune with, gather with, live next to, can all be community--thus be people who can support in you and your ideas. 

My husband and I recently opened up a wine bar in Texas. Our first checks were from our neighbors, not a big bank or wealthy family, but those who would be directly impacted by the success or failure of our neighborhood. 

Giving people the power to decide where to invest their money for it to make a direct impact is so significant for a cyclical economy. 

...more

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Why I love Crowdfunding Portals

Devin Thorpe Devin Thorpe
Posted at May 30

I love regulated investment crowdfunding and the portals that participate in the space. I’ve got gripes and complaints, but overall, I’m their biggest fan. They are fundamentally essential to the ongoing success of the industry—and its future growth.

Today, I’d like to enumerate some of my favorite things about portals operating under Regulation Crowdfunding:

9 Things I Love About Portals

  1. Pre-Screening Investments: We all rely on portals to screen the offerings they host. They all use different criteria, but they are all required to exclude companies associated with “bad actors”—people who have been in trouble with the SEC in the past.

  2. Regulatory Compliance: Having run a FINRA-member, SEC-registered broker-dealer, I know how hard it is to comply with the regulations. That is a big reason I don’t run a portal today! I’m grateful that they have made the effort to comply with the rules. These sometimes impose on us minor inconveniences, but the net effect is a safe and

...more

Categories: Community Development  |  Funding Portals  |  Impact Investing  |  Law & Legal  |  Reg CF  |  Regulations & Compliance
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Crowdfunding is for everyone.

Andrew Stephenson Andrew Stephenson
Posted at May 30

One thing I will never get tired of working in this space is the variety of companies that have been able to effectively utilize offerings under Regulation CF and Regulation A. These exemptions are versatile, and allow for companies to raise funds whether they have no interest in being more than a neighborhood restaurant, or dream of growing into an exchange listed multinational company. The commonality is that these companies believe they will have the most success with an appeal directly to retail investors, some of whom may be friends, family, and fans.

One notable example at the higher end of using Regulation A is Newsmax. Newsmax went out to its viewers and gave them the opportunity to become investors. This fit perfectly with Regulation A, and as a result, Newsmax was able to raise $75 million ahead of listing on the New York Stock Exchange. This type of Reg A IPO has some challenges that differ from an underwritten IPO in which there are fewer holders of record to manage. Howeve...more

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CCAJP Blasts House Version of “Big Beautiful Bill” as a Big Ugly Blow to America’s Small Businesses

Coalition for Crowdfunding American Jobs and Prosperity
Posted at May 28

Calls Out Congressional Neglect of Main Street, Urges Senate to Amend Bill to Include the TRUMP Jobs Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for Crowdfunding American Jobs and Prosperity (CCAJP) issued a scathing rebuke today of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” recently passed by the House of Representatives, condemning the legislation as a massive gift to large corporations and the ultra-wealthy - while leaving America’s small businesses out in the cold.

“The bill is nothing short of a betrayal of Main Street,” said Brian Christie, Co-Chair of the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) and acting spokesperson for CCAJP. “It fails to account for the new realities small businesses face under rapidly changing tariff conditions. The bill does nothing to help small businesses adapt, pivot, or survive - and worse, it strengthens the hand of their biggest competitors: bloated corporations with lobbyists and the scale to absorb or shift the impacts of global supply chain shocks.”

Despite...more

Categories: Tax Issues
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