Podcasts about future equity

In dieser Folge erklärt Daniel Winkler, was ein SAFE Agreement (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) ist, wo die Unterschiede zum Wandeldarlehen liegen und warum es in Deutschland zunehmend genutzt wird. Du erfährst, welche Vor- und Nachteile es sowohl für Gründer als auch Investoren gibt und worauf du unbedingt achten solltest, um Risiken zu minimieren. Außerdem gibt es praxisnahe Tipps, wie du SAFE-Verträge richtig einsetzt. Key TakeawaysSAFE Agreements sind eine flexible Alternative zu Wandeldarlehen, aber mit rechtlichen Besonderheiten in Deutschland.Gründer können Bewertungsdruck vermeiden, jedoch auf Kosten der Planungssicherheit.Investoren sollten auf "Most Favored Nation"-Klauseln bestehen, um faire Bedingungen zu sichern.SAFE-Verträge unterliegen in Deutschland häufig der Notarpflicht, besonders bei GmbH-Anteilen.Ein gut geplanter Cap Table ist entscheidend, um unerwünschte Verwässerungen zu vermeiden.Weiterführende LinksSAFE - So funktioniert das Simple Agreement for future Equity !Wandelanleihen | Wandeldarlehen | Convertible Loans | DAWICONKontakt zu Daniel WinklerDaniel Winkler | LinkedIn Links zur DAWICON

Simple Agreement for Future Governance Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The blockchain brings new investment structures for ownership. The Simple Agreement for Future Equity called a SAFE gives the investor ownership in an entity through a warrant. The Simple Agreement for Future tokens or Equity (SAFTE) gives the investor the right to buy tokens in the future. The Simple Agreement for Future Governance called a SAFG gives the investor governance rights through their participation in the community. The SAFG shifts ownership from buying through investment to earning through participation. The SAFG only gives governance rights to the holder. This means the holder doesn't own a stake in the community but rather can vote on policy issues.  The SAFG is non-transferable and does not earn income.  This increases the participation in the community for the long term. Those with the right to vote on governance issues are primarily the users of the network. This reduces the regulatory compliance burden on the community. It creates participatory capital where the ones using the network have a say in how the network grows. It reduces outside interference into the community.   Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Episode Summary:In this episode, Cheryl Mack and Maxine Minter dive into the intricate details of tax incentives and structures for angel investors in Australia. Tackling the seemingly dry topic of tax with enthusiasm, they explore how these regulations can substantially benefit early-stage investors. Cheryl brings her wealth of experience to the table, elucidating the complexities of acronyms like ESV CLP and ASIC, while Maxine peppers the conversation with insightful queries and contextual examples.Cheryl explains the criteria and benefits associated with Early Stage Innovation Companies (ESIC) and Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships (ESV CLP). She details how these structures facilitate sophisticated tax offsets and capital gains exemptions for investors. Throughout the discussion, they highlight the importance of understanding these incentives to optimize investment returns. The episode culminates with practical advice on investing via trusts and navigating the nuances of capital call schedules, reflecting the duo's deep dive into the subject matter.Key Takeaways:Understanding ESIC: Learn about the Early Stage Innovation Company (ESIC) designation in Australia, its eligibility criteria, and the significant tax benefits it offers. ESV CLP Benefits: Discover how Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships (ESV CLP) and Venture Capital Limited Partnerships (VCLP) offer substantial tax incentives, including offsets and capital gains exemptions. Investment Structures: Get insights into the complexities of investing through safes (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) and how ESIC status impacts tax benefits. Leveraging Trusts: Explore the functional benefits and considerations when investing through discretionary (family) trusts, particularly in relation to income distribution and tax efficiency. Managing Capital Calls: Understand the importance and mechanics of capital call schedules within the context of fund investments and their fiscal implications.Sponsors:Thanks to our sponsors for helping to make this episode of First Cheque possible.Vanta: Join 7,000 global companies like Atlassian and Dovetail that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real-time. Get 10% off https://dayone.fm/vantaScendar: Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia. Free 1-hour consultation about your Business' growth plans and finance needs. https://dayone.fm/scendarTuro: Turo is the world's largest carsharing marketplace and it's the perfect app for travel.Download the Turo app and book cars from $38/day. https://dayone.fm/turoThe Day One NetworkFirst Cheque is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.If you want to learn about upcoming guests and when a new First Cheque episode is available, join the First Cheque newsletter.

Are SAFE (Simple Agreements for Future Equity) as safe tax-wise as convertible debt? SAFEs were created by Y Combinator to simplify fundraising by avoiding lengthy negotiations associated with convertible notes, and unlike traditional loans, a SAFE agreement is a promise for future equity. Tax treatment varies depending on whether a SAFE is considered debt or equity. This means investors can deduct total losses from their taxes, which is beneficial if the startup fails, and losses are classified as capital losses (with a $3,000 annual deduction limit) when treated as equity. So, what should investors know before going all-in on a SAFE agreement? Today host Jack Russo asks CPA, Steve Rabin to discuss the tax implications of using SAFE agreements versus convertible notes for startup funding.   https://taxservice2u.com/   Jack Russo Managing Partner Jrusso@computerlaw.com www.computerlaw.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackrusso "Every Entrepreneur Imagines a Better World"®️  

In our recent digital discussion on fundraising for your startup, we drilled down into what it means to be an entrepreneur, what investors are looking for and how to bridge the gaps. Some key learnings from the conversation include: Fundraising in High Resolution: We are witnessing a complicated fundraising environment in which traditional tactics are supplemented by innovative financial tools. From convertible notes to SAFEs (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) to extension rounds to down rounds, entrepreneurs have many choices for funding their expansion without prematurely compromising their equity.Capital Strategies for Startups: The best source of capital is your customer. However, while seeking external money, it is critical to tread carefully. Before deciding to sell shares, we considered possibilities such as leveraging government programs or seeking non-dilutive funding options, especially given the uncertain times.Navigate the Valuation Challenge: Valuation conversations are more difficult than ever, but there are strategic approaches. Convertible notes and SAFEs enable startups to postpone valuation conversations until a more advantageous time, ideally when important revenue milestones have been met. This method not only aids in avoiding undervaluation but also in attracting funding at terms that reflect the startup's full potential.Remember, the goal is not only to get capital but to do it in a way that is consistent with your long-term vision and growth trajectory.Check out the video with my startup advisor companions, Natasha Allen and Bret Waters to find out more. Discover more about Louis Lehot and explore additional professional insights on his website: https://louislehot.comExplore Related Content: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit louislehotattorney.substack.com

Raising funding can be very powerful for startups as they grow, but if structured badly, this can end up being a ‘poison pill' and kill your startups ability to grow by limiting how large a startup can possibly get. In short, making your startup “uninvestable"Kevin Brockland, Founder & Managing Partner of Indelible Ventures, helps breakdown why founders need to be careful about how equity they give up when raising funds, how to rectify this and optimize your investor base (and investment terms), and other common mistakes founders make when raising funds.Kevin also explains the typical equity amounts that are given up during the different stages of the fundraising journey and how much is too much at different points, how SAFEs (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) can impact your ability to raise funds in the future, the consequences of excessive dilution for founders (including losing control of your company), and advice for first-time founders.Image Credit: Shutterstock

Join Coach Charlene as she delves into the inspiring journey of Dr. Tamu Green, CEO of the Equity and Wellness Institute. This episode explores Dr. Green's evolution into a formidable change agent within the health and equity space, highlighting her innovative approaches to addressing systemic issues and her personal motivations driving her impactful work. From the inception of the Equity and Wellness Institute to her advocacy for community-based participatory research, Dr. Green shares her wisdom on overcoming barriers, the power of seeing oneself through a lens of love and support, and her strategic insights into helping organizations prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion. Prepare to be inspired by the transformative stories and actionable wisdom gems that underscore the progress and ongoing challenges in the field of equity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/charlene-johnson68/message

Blockmate Ventures Inc CEO Justin Rosenberg and Hivello Chairman Domenic Carosa shared some exciting news with Steve Darling from Proactive. Blockmate Ventures' subsidiary, Hivello Holdings, has successfully secured a further 1.5 million dollars after receiving strong interest from investors following the announcement of a 1 million dollar raise in December 2023. The funding was secured as a Simple Agreement for Future Equity instrument fundraising round. Consequently once converted, the post-money implied valuation of Blockmate's 67% stake is 6.7 million or 8.1 cents per Blockmate share1. Blockmate Ventures specializes in creating and nurturing fast-growing technology businesses, with a particular focus on cutting-edge sectors such as blockchain, climate, and energy storage. This fundraising round represents a significant milestone for Blockmate Ventures, as it marks the first external raise for a venture built by the company. It serves as a testament to Blockmate's dedication to developing solutions within rapidly growing sectors that have a positive global impact. Hivello Holdings was conceptualized by Blockmate Ventures when it recognized an opportunity to harness the untapped computing power scattered around the world. The result is an innovative DePIN network that not only leverages underutilized computing resources but also provides internet users with a platform to generate passive income. The funds will primarily be allocated to engineering for product development and customer acquisition, supporting Hivello's goal of making blockchain accessible to a broader audience. #proactiveinvestors #blockmateventures #tsxv #mate #otcqb #matef #DeepIn #CryptoNews #BlockMateVentures #DominicCarosa #JustinRosenberg #TechInvestment #DecentralizedNetworks #CapitalRaise #Web3 #BlockchainInnovation #CryptoMarket #DigitalCurrency #MassAdoption #TechStartups #InvestmentSuccess #FintechRevolution #DigitalAssets #CryptoEconomy #InnovationLeadership #TokenEconomy #VentureCapital #TechEntrepreneurs #FutureTech #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

On today's show we are talking about deal structure. Some of the financing vehicles that are increasingly common in real estate had their roots on Wall Street. Others had their roots in the tech environment of Silicon Valley.  When investors want to participate in a startup business that will certainly evolve over time, how do you decide what is fair to both the investor and the management team? What is the monetary value of the investment, pre-money, and post money? How do you know what percentage of the business to sell to investors?  The value created by the business has several elements. The seed capital is part of it. But so too is the creativity and resourcefulness of the team. You won't achieve business success, or any investment returns without both.  ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

E88: SAFE stands for Simple Agreement for Future Equity. The current industry agreed upon standard form of SAFEs is available at the YCombinator website. David interviews an expert on SAFEs, Matt Dunbar a Director of VentureSouth, about the origins of the SAFE, it's intent, it's advantages, disadvantages and the attempt to improve the SAFE with a new version in 2018, the post-money SAFE. We discuss why Angel Investors don't like SAFEs and why they still persist. (recorded 8/28/23)We invite your feedback and suggestions at ventureinthesouth.com or email david@ventureinthesouth.com. If you like the podcast, leave us a review and share with your friends! Follow David and Paul on LinkedIn to stay updated on the newest episodes. To learn more about the RollingSouth Funds, visit rollingsouth.vc or email david@rollingsouth.vc. Thanks for listening and remember: Our mission is to MAKE MONEY, HAVE FUN AND DO GOOD

In today's episode we ask some pertinent questions regarding SAFEs. What is a SAFE: Simple Agreement for Future Equity? How is it different from a convertible note? Why do investors like YC push SAFES? What are the Pros and cons for VC and for Entrepreneur Why do VCs not want to load rounds?  Whats is your take? Do you agree with us? We read and respond to all of our comments and messages on Instagram, LinkedIn. Come find us and join the group. Follow Peter HarrisTwitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudentLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1Instagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpeteYoutube: https://youtu.be/Hy9DsuFzTH4Follow Jon BradshawLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/

Das simple agreement for future equity ist eine für den österreichischen Markt relativ neueFinanzierungsform. Welche Investmentstruktur dahinter steckt und welche Vorteile diese gegenüber herkömmlichen Finanzierungsformen hat – diese und weitere Fragen werden von Frau Mag. Angelika Kurz, Rechtsanwaltsanwärterin bei Herbst Kinsky, beantwortet. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lindeverlag/message

Steve Distante welcomes Franz Hochstrasser of Raise Green to talk about SAFE or the Simple Agreement for Future Equity, which is a security that is often used in early-stage investments. The conversation discusses the rise of private investment through crowdfunding portals, which has been a democratizing force in the securities market. The focus is on mission-driven companies, which have historically struggled to access capital. They also share the challenges that exist in the space, such as companies that take in money and don't pay anything back. Who's The Guest? Franz Hochstrasser is the CEO and co-founder of Raise Green. He is the former Obama appointee on energy and climate for the White House, the US State Department, and the United States Department of Agriculture. He was also part of the core team that negotiated the Paris Agreement. Highlights How regulation crowdsourcing works The regulation crowdfunding rule and its impact on private investment The main focus of Raise Green Climate tech venture: Water filtering for the developing world Crowdfunding options for startups What a perfect deal is Investing in the clean energy transition The future of climate change What the future of investing looks like The importance of a good team in creating successful business ventures How to have a good support system in entrepreneurship The power of investing in sustainable solutions Call to Action Join the Early Access List Episode Resources Connect with Steve Distante https://pitchology.ai/ https://joinvanderbilt.com/ https://www.facebook.com/stevedistanteCEO/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevedistante https://twitter.com/Sdistante https://www.instagram.com/sdistante/ Connect with Franz Hochstrasser https://www.raisegreen.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/franzhochstrasser https://twitter.com/franzish 

In der Rubrik “Investments & Exits” begrüßen wir heute Daniel Wild, Gründer und Aufsichtsrat von Mountain Alliance. Daniel kommentiert die Runde von Atmosphere TV und Webel.Atmosphere TV ist ein Audio-optionales Streaming-Netzwerk und ist Teil der Out-of-Home-Werbebranche, zu der nicht nur Streaming-TV für ein gefesseltes Publikum gehört, sondern auch Plakatwände, Werbung in öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln und Poster auf der Innenseite von Toilettenkabinen. Es ist kostenlos und bietet eine clevere Möglichkeit für Werbetreibende, Verbraucher anzusprechen. Atmosphere hat kürzlich in einer Series-D-Finanzierungsrunde 65 Millionen US-Dollar von Investoren wie Sageview Capital, Valor Equity Partners und S3 Ventures eingesammelt. Das Unternehmen hat jetzt eine Bewertung von 1 Milliarde US-Dollar und Blake Sabatinelli, früherer CEO von Newsy, als neuen CEO.Das spanische Startup Webel hat 550.000 Euro im Rahmen eines SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) unter der Leitung von Trind Ventures erhalten. Das Kapital wurde auch von Tiburon, einem Superangel-Fonds von Daniel Wild und Felix Artmann, und anderen bekannten Business Angels unterstützt. Webel ist ein Marktplatz, der es Nutzerinnen und Nutzern ermöglicht, bequem von zu Hause aus fast jede Dienstleistung zu buchen. Die App ermöglicht es, Dienstleistungen mit nur 5 Klicks zu buchen. Webel hat auch ein SaaS-Tool und einen Algorithmus entwickelt, um seine Dienstleistungen zu verwalten und treuen Anbietern höhere Sichtbarkeit und niedrigere Provisionen zu bieten. Das Unternehmen hat ein monatliches Wachstum von 23 % in den letzten 13 Monaten verzeichnet und möchte mit den neuen Mitteln expandieren.

Devin: What do you think of as your superpower?Eve: My superpower is when someone says “no” to me, that just makes me go harder. Seriously, I have incredible stick-to-it-iveness. My superpower is endurance.Eve Picker, CEO of the regulated real estate investment crowdfunding portal Small Change, has put the shoe on the other foot. She's raising money for Small Change on Wefunder. (Full disclosure: I've already committed funds to Small Change.)Meet Small Change“Small Change is a real estate crowdfunding portal, which means that we are registered with the SEC and members of FINRA, and we can use a pretty new securities rule called Regulation Crowdfunding, which permits anyone who's 18 and over to invest,” Eve says.“We focus on real estate projects with impact—with a mission,” she says. “Small change is amazing because we're tackling projects that I think will make cities better in so many different ways.”The impact goes beyond the obvious, she says:What I love about what we've done and what's happened over the last couple of years is that not only are we supporting projects in disinvested neighborhoods and building net zero buildings and things like that, but we have had a groundswell of emerging developers come to us, and at this point, we have almost 60 percent of our developers or issuers are minority and or women, which I think is staggering given the very old white boy club that the real estate industry is.The projects on Small Change are also profitable. “The projects that have gone full cycle that raise money with us have averaged about a 12 and a half percent internal rate of return, which is a great record,” Eve says.Raising Capital on WefunderIt seems odd for a company to raise capital with a business that could be considered a competitor. It feels a bit like a Chevy dealer selling brand-new Ford trucks.Eve explains the regulatory environment that requires this practice. “The reason we're raising money on Wefunder and not on our own platform is that under Regulation Crowdfunding, we can't have an interest in any project that is on our platform.”That prohibits a portal from offering shares on its owned portal. Small Change isn't the first, nor will it be the last, to raise money using a competitor's site.Unlike crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe that collect donations, or sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo that pre-sell creative content and other innovations, regulated investment crowdfunding sites sell investments. Many structures are used, from debt to equity, with hybrid solutions like convertible debt being common. Simple Agreements for Future Equity are often used, too.Regardless of the instrument used, the entrepreneur or business raising money is issuing an instrument designed and intended to provide a financial return. Small Change Project ExampleSmall Change has hosted a variety of projects across the country since Eve launched the site. She shared a profile of a pair of developers in Oregon raising money on Small Change today.I hope some bankers are listening. We have two gentlemen who are black, who have purchased a building in Portland, Oregon. They are world-class artists. One of them works for a sports franchise and designs their uniforms and does other work. The other is an astounding photographer who has had clients like National Geographic and Fortune 500 companies.They decided that they wanted to create a creative hub in downtown Portland. With the help of a seasoned developer, they found a building and purchased it. The purpose of it is to create a meeting place for other people who look like them. They say they really have nowhere else to go, and they want to create a place where they can have gallery shows, where they can play music, where they can have rental studios for people so that there's a little hub of activity for people who— at the moment—don't have anywhere to congregate. What almost makes me want to cry is when they talk to me about how difficult it's been for them to find a bank loan. I don't want to believe it's racism. But on the other hand, I have to believe it's racism because they've been to a dozen banks with a very professional-looking business plan which had their images in it. Once they took the images out, the bank started talking to them.Eve's seen it before from her own experience as a developer before launching Small Change—providing some motivation for it.As a woman developer, I go back in my mind over my career, and what I encountered. No one ever said to me, “I'm not going to lend you the money because you're a woman.” But I am certain that I was stopped in many ways because I am a woman. And I'm certain that many minorities are treated the same way.Crowdfunding is different. By enabling people to raise money from their own community, underrepresented entrepreneurs see greater success. “Crowdfunding at least provides a place where people are thinking a little more equitably—a lot more equitably. Certainly, the statistics in Crowdfunding are quite different than in the VC world or the real estate world,” Eve says.Still, she points out, the crowdfunding space is a tiny part of new venture and real estate finance. That underlines the long-term potential for growth.In her work, Eve leverages her superpower of endurance.How to Develop Endurance As a SuperpowerEve is proving the power of endurance for both financial success and impact. She says, “I have developed very strong ideas about who I am and how I think the world should be, and it's very difficult for me to pull myself away from that. This is sort of part of my DNA.”“I dot my Is and cross my Ts,” Eve says. “So when I do a project like Small Change, I've thought it through.”She shared an experience from her time developing real estate to make the point.For example, I built a loft building in downtown Pittsburgh; it was actually the first loft in downtown Pittsburgh. At the time, I was really stunned when a banker told me, “Oh, honey, no one's going to live downtown.” I thought, “What have you been reading? This is not rocket science. All over the world, people are moving downtown.”I must have looked to him like a crazy person. To me, it seemed absolutely sensible. So, if someone says to me, “No, you can't do this,” and I've really thought it through, I'm going to dig in.That story highlights a critical insight for developing similar endurance. She says, “If I'd listened to all the no's, then none of this would have happened.” Regarding the naysayers, she says, “Another superpower I have is not listening to people, which some might think is bad, but I think is actually good.”In other words, her take on the old saying that “people who say it can't be done should stop interrupting those who are busy doing it” would be “people who are busy doing it should not be distracted by people saying it can't be done.”By following Eve's advice and example, you can develop endurance as a superpower, enabling you to do more good in the world. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

Gen Mining's focus is the development of the Marathon Project, a large undeveloped palladium-copper deposit in Northwestern Ontario. The Company released the results of the Feasibility Study on March 3, 2021 and published the NI43-101 Technical Report dated March 25, 2021. The Marathon Property covers a land package of approximately 22,000 hectares, or 220 square kilometres. Gen Mining owns a 100% interest in the Marathon Project.

On episode 3, we speak to Becki Degraw, a partner at Wilson Sonsini's SOMA office, about raising capital at a startup's pre-financing rounds, its later preferred equity financing rounds, devices for raising capital like SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity), and factors for considering who to raise capital investments from. Follow and connect with us at our LinkedIn and Instagram More on HLEP at clinics.law.harvard.edu/hlep

Join us as Nonopa, one of the most influential voices in Legal Tech today when it comes to leveraging successful technologies and methodologies from outside the Legal domain discusses why Legal Tech needs to follow their lead! John provides Intro on Nonopa and shares her Background:   00:37 – 02:15Nonopa gives some additional info on her background:    02:16 – 03:06 Don't SUCK Fun Fact – Nonopa is a certified No-Code developer and as such has actually built her very own BOT !  It's really quite cool as it is an automated SAFE agreement (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) which is a quite a popular agreement for startups looking for an IPO in the future.:  03:08 – 05:39 Nonopa talks about what inspired her to write the article in Legal Business World Magazine regarding technologies that the Legal Domain could take some lessons from:   05:40 -  07:04  Nonopa discusses why in the article she chose to focus primarily on 4 domains, Pharmaceuticals, Technology, FinTech and Marketing.:  07:05 – 09:15Nonopa shares how Legal Tech is becoming saturated with document management solutions and how everyone is attempting to sell them to the same prospects….and that a better model might be one that FinTech is deploying.   :  09:16  -  12:01  Nonopa talks about all the learning that can come from the Marketing domain as other industries are really taking advantage of AI and Big Data to hone in on the sector of firms they are targeting but also the custom tailored messaging that technology can now provide.  Lawyers need to be on social media platforms Nonopa says!:  12:02 – 15:34Nonopa shares her strategy on aligning the right technology for a firms needs: 15:35 – 17:16Nonopa shares her views on where the industry is heading in the future: 17:17 – 18:50 John Reviews some of the things that ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T SUCK today!! :18:51    20:05  Nonopa's Contact Info:LinkedIn – Nonopa Vanda https://www.linkedin.com/in/nvanda/Email:  nonopa28@gmail.comTwitter:  NonopaVandaConclusion:  20:40 Bob Miller Intro with Music Fade

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Gary Nacht, Co-founder at Sterling Advisory Services, dba CAFÉ Central. Sterling Advisory Services, dba CAFÉ Central, advises troubled and underperforming companies, helping them return to cash-flow positive. They also acquire "corporate orphans," distressed and underperforming companies no longer wanted by their owners and looking for a fast, under-the-radar solution to a quick exit with no strings attached. In addition, they help pre-revenue and early-stage SMBs use a CAFÉ ("Continuous Agreement for Future Equity") to raise capital, either stand-alone or in conjunction with other fundraising activities. Gary has been acquiring and advising companies for over 30 years, specializing in helping companies improve profitability, cash flow, and liquidity. His acquisitions included Kmart Canada ($1.2 billion Canadian big-box retailer), Gemini Industries ($160 million Philips-branded consumer electronics distributor), GPX Inc. ($180 million private label CE company), AmerTac ($60 million distributor of lighting accessories), and Northern Reflections ($100 million, 150-store Canadian womenswear retail chain). In most cases, the companies acquired were either 1) “pre-bankruptcy” corporate orphans no longer wanted by their owners (private equity, corporate parents, etc.) looking for a fast-track, off-the-radar exit with high certainty of closing, or 2) companies in private equity portfolios at the end of the fund's life that were never sold. Gary discusses his new investment structure - Continuous Agreement for Future Equity (CAFE) - what inspired him to create it, who the primary user is, and who else can benefit from it. You can visit Sterling Advisory Services, dba CAFÉ Central, at , and via LinkedIn at .  Gary can be contacted via email at and via LinkedIn at . _________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:    Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

➣Spent 30+ years acquiring and advising distressed and underperforming companies ranging from $50 million to over $1b in revenue (www.synergyllc.net)➣ Launched successful advisory services firm specializing in helping underperforming companies return to profitability and positive cash flow➣ Formed Sterling Advisory Services (dba Café Central) to bring a revolutionary new form of equity fundraising to the market: The CAFÉ ("Continuous Agreement for Future Equity")Website: www.cafecentral.usEmail: gary@cafecentral.us

In this episode of The Blockchain Economy, we have the wonderful opportunity to speak with Joris Delanoue, Co-Founder and COO of Fairmint, to discuss its mission of transitioning the world toward a model of stakeholder capitalism. Over the next 30 minutes, we will discuss their recent investment from Tim Draper, their NFT celebrating that conversation, an explanation of the CAFÉ (Continuous Agreement for Future Equity), recent changes to US crowdfunding regulations, the Fairmint crowdfunding process, and the democratization of startup investment. More information on Fairmint can be found at https://fairmint.co/ Don't miss out on the full Blockchain Economy News experience by subscribing to the newsletter and news podcasts at https://cryptoassets.substack.com/

Thibauld Favre, co-founder and CEO of Fairmint talks about a new way to raise money from your customers on an ongoing basis. CAFE stands for Continuous Agreement for Future Equity—continuous being the key word—and this new form of fundraising is on the rise. Fairmint's website: https://fairmint.co/ For those who aren’t very familiar with standard SAFEs, here's an episode with Phil Nadel where we discuss them: https://www.fundraisingradio.com/Phil-Nadel/ CAFE of Opengrants: https://invest.opengrants.io/signin Thibauld's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibauld/

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. SAFE stands for Simple Agreement for Future Equity. SAFE notes were created to provide a convertible note-like structure for startup funding but without interest rates or maturity dates.  The SAFE note operates like a warrant which gives the investor the right to buy shares in a future-priced round. SAFEs are similar to convertible notes as they eventually convert to equity, but are different as they are not debt instruments. There are many flavors of SAFE notes. Some come with valuation caps and some do not. Some come with discount rates and some do not.  Startups use them because they are simple, although the cap table treatment later may require more work. Technically, you should have a C-Corp if using a SAFE note as it must be noted on the cap table.  Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today. ___________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out   For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group   Music courtesy of .

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many startups use SAFE notes and Convertible Notes for their early-stage investments. So what’s the difference? A convertible note is a debt instrument that converts into equity later upon an event such as raising an equity round or reaching a maturity date. A SAFE is a Simple Agreement for Future Equity which is a warrant to purchase stock in a future priced round. The SAFE can convert when you raise any amount of equity investment and does not give the entrepreneur control of when to convert. Convertible notes are considered to be legal debt, while SAFEs are warrants. Neither a SAFE nor a Convertible Note set the valuation, but rather takes the valuation from the equity round. Convertible Notes include an interest rate while SAFE’s do not.  Most convertible notes have a maturity date while SAFEs do not.  Convertible notes contain a discount rate which provides additional shares to the investor for investing early. SAFEs have no discount rate. SAFEs are often considered the simpler option compared to a convertible note, but as you can see the convertible note provides more options. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today. ___________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out   For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group   Music courtesy of .

It's back to basics with a review of investment vehicles commonly used in Venture Capital, starting the Convertible Notes and Safes (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). Functionally, convertible notes provide investors with interest returns on debt instruments, while SAFEs are warrants to purchase shares in the future at a set price. Gillian and Anne explain when to fund with either one, with details on upsides and down for each.

Special guest Dr. Tracy Crump, Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice at St. Xavier University.

In this episode from Law Insider, Chilean startup attorney Matias Vukusic tears down the Y Combinator SAFE Agreement, or Simple Agreement for Future Equity. Matias talks about identifying impostor SAFE agreements, determining “reasonableness” when advising a very young company, and shares an exciting announcement about the future of the Contract Teardown Show. Y Combinator's SAFE Agreement is a key document for any young startup to consider, so let's tear it down.

It's been another wild week in the crypto world, culminating in that most momentous event: the halving of bitcoin. On May 11, 2020, bitcoin halving took place, taking the reward earned by miners down from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC (http://ccw.fm/fNWp3). All week, anticipation had been growing, although on episode 108 of the Wild West Crypto Show, hosts Drew Taylor and Brent Bates maintained their usual cool. The two crypto cowboys are dedicated to keeping viewers in the loop in a calm, collected way. Jonathan Keim, communications director of CryptoCurrencyWire, showed up with his usual trifecta of news items. This is the third time bitcoin has halved. The cryptocurrency has been programmed to do exactly that each time another 210,000 blocks are added. The first halving took place in 2012, taking the block reward to 25 BTC, down from its original 50 BTC. In 2016, the second halving reduced the reward even further to 12.5 BTC. Now, after the latest halving, a block reward is just one-eighth of what it was when the first bitcoin block was mined in 2009. The immediate effect is that some mining operations may become unprofitable. If those miners cease operation, the supply flow of bitcoin is likely to fall, at least in the short term. Keim kicked off his reporting with the news that the Stellar Development Foundation has invested $5 million in Abra, a global-investment platform that allows users in more than 150 countries to transact in over 100 different cryptocurrencies via a single app (http://ccw.fm/a2Mg8). The collaboration with Stellar, a fast, scalable, distributed ledger-based network, has advantages for both parties. Abra will be able to utilize Stellar as its blockchain backend, while the Stellar network will now feature a wider range of services. The review that followed – ‘Noncustodial Crypto Investing App Ember Fund Raises $700K Via Crowdfunding Sale' – shows that the crypto space is gaining increasing acceptance from the feds (http://ccw.fm/xWK5c). Ember Fund plans to use the funds on “customer acquisition and building out the smart contract technology that powers the Ember app.” The offering was made on the Republic investment platform and took the form of ‘Crowd SAFE' (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) securities, which can be converted into equity at some triggering event, such as an IPO or an acquisition by a strategic buyer. Keim's final report – ‘American Express and Credit Suisse Execs Join Blockchain Firm BlockFi' – was a real eye-opener, as it showed how adoption of crypto is increasing (http://ccw.fm/sAl1i). Wittney Rachlin, formerly of American Express, where she grew the business-card vertical by some 20%, has joined BlockFi as chief growth officer, while David Olsson has joined the company as global managing director of European and Asian markets. Previously, Olsson headed a Credit Suisse private banking team focused on ultra-high net-worth clients.

BE SURE TO SEE THE SHOWNOTES AND LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE. Eve Picker: [00:00:08] Hi there. Thanks so much for joining me today for the latest episode of Impact Real Estate Investing.   [00:00:14] My guest today is Mark Roderick, founder of Lex Nova Law and one of the top online crowdfunding experts in the country. I asked Mark to join me today to discuss the very exciting changes proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulation crowdfunding. In case you haven't heard of it, regulation crowdfunding, or Reg CF, is the securities regulation that is really the first step taken by the S.E.C. towards democratizing investment. The additional changes proposed will give this regulation real legs.   [00:00:57] Be sure to go to EvePicker.com to find out more about Mark on the show notes page for this episode. And be sure to sign up for my newsletter, so you can access information about impact real estate investing and get the latest news about the exciting projects on my crowdfunding platform, Small Change.   Eve: [00:01:18] Hello, Mark, it's delightful having you on my show.   Mark Roderick: [00:01:21] Well, thank you very much. It is delightful sort of being there.   Eve: [00:01:25] Very good.   Mark: [00:01:26] Virtually.   Eve: [00:01:25] Just sort of. Yeah. Okay. Today, we're going to talk about raising equity online, which is a pretty wonky subject, but you and I like it. And raising equity online is also known as equity or investment crowdfunding. You said these proposals are great for the crowdfunding industry and for American capitalism. They're not about Wall Street. They're about small companies and ordinary American investors, where jobs and ideas come from. And you were referring to some proposed changes to equity online raising funds. And according to the S.E.C., a majority of entrepreneurs and emerging businesses raise capital using an exempt offering framework under the Securities Act. And they raise everything from seed capital for new businesses, to funding growth on the path to an initial public offering, and, also, raise equity for real estate. So, I wanted to talk about the rule changes and why you think they're so great.   Mark: [00:02:35] Well, okay. Big question and a big, big topic. I mean, maybe I'll just start at the granular level and then kind of work backwards. If you are in or around the existing industry, And I'm going to call it the Title 3 industry or the Reg CF industry, as opposed to what we might call the Rule 506(c) accredited investor industry. The accredited investor industry in real estate is super-healthy. People are raising a lot of money and platforms are profitable and all kinds of wonderful things are going on. In contrast, the Reg CF world, the industry, it's sort of, you know, like when you cross the railroad tracks and crossed into the less affluent part of town. It's a very, almost, I don't want to get too hyperbolic, but, you know, it's a little bit of a desolate landscape.   Eve: [00:03:41] Oh yes.   Mark: [00:03:41] It's very difficult to make money for funding portals, and it's a vicious cycle as opposed to a virtuous cycle. So, it's hard to make money. Very small companies with very limited resources are applying because of the limits – we can only raise up to a million dollars a year, and in real estate, in particular, that's not very much money. And that leads the portals, the funding portals, too many of them, not yours, I should say, but too many of them have adapted to that situation. You know, you're trying to squeeze money out of people who don't have any money and have led to a lot of shortcuts, and what I called gimmicks, and that is a vicious cycle because investors, who are not dumb, see that, they see that's what's going on. You know, they just ignore the entire industry. And that means that high quality companies are that much less likely to try to use Reg CF. And it has been a vicious cycle.   Eve: [00:04:46] Just backing up one minute. I think some of our listeners maybe not familiar with Reg CF or regulation crowd-funding. So, I just feel like I need to fill in a little bit. Regulation crowdfunding and other online crowdfunding rules grew out of the Jobs Act of 2012, and the intent was really to move online crowdfunding for donations to crowdfunding for investment, right? And so regulation crowdfunding is the rule that lets anyone over the age of 18 invest, but really kind of limits how much they can invest, and how much the company raising money can raise. Those limits, I think, have been the real stumbling block, right?   Mark: [00:05:31] Yeah.   Eve: [00:05:32] So, this has translated into smaller offerings, just like you said, which these funding platforms, which are very heavily regulated to use that rule, it means that they can't make a lot of money. And that's kind of where you left off, right?   Mark: [00:05:50] That is exactly right.   Eve: [00:05:52] The new rules, which you seemed very excited about last week, I think, will make some big changes in that landscape.   Mark: [00:06:01] Yeah. They will make a couple changes that are, I think, taken together, just gonna be very, very important and are really going to, to continue that bad metaphor I was using, really revitalize the Regulation CF neighborhood. These are the two most significant changes. As you said in your overview, Regulation CF or Title 3 – those are interchangeable names for the same set of rules – limit very severely how much each investor can invest. And the idea here was to protect widows and orphans from all the shady entrepreneurs out there. But even if the widow or orphan wants to invest his or her entire net worth into a questionable company, the Reg CF rules won't allow that. To the contrary, they allow only very small investments. And that means that when you're trying to raise money in Regulation CF, you have to find lots of investors, because each of them can only contribute a very small amount. And, you know, that's hard. Marketing is hard.   Eve: [00:07:21] It's very hard.   Mark: [00:07:22] It is also inconsistent with other S.E.C. rules, which in general allow accredited investors to invest as much as they want. One of the fundamental concepts in U.S. securities laws since the 1930s has been that rich people can take care of themselves. They don't need the government to protect them. And so the term 'accredited investor' is sort of a stand-in for rich people. All of the other S.E.C. rules, really, allow accredited investors to make bad decisions, you know. An accredited investor can invest his or her entire network in a single deal. And people have noted, since the outset of regulation crowdfunding, that the regulation crowdfunding restrictions are inconsistent with that general concept. So, one of the changes just made by the S.E.C., or proposed, is that, what do you know, accredited investors will no longer be subject to those severe limits. In fact, they won't be subject to any limits. So, now if you can attract some accredited investors, you know, you can get people to write big checks. So, that's an important change. Really important change.   Eve: [00:08:40] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'll give one example that has impacted us. We have quite a few account holders or investors who are accredited by definition based on their net worth. And they have very healthy networks, but they're retired and they own their houses and their income is maybe below 100,000. And under the regulation crowdfunding Reg CF rules, one of these investors was limited to investing 4,000 a year under Reg CF. But as an accredited investor, she can invest however much she wants. That's how weirdly bad the rule is right now.   Mark: [00:09:20] Yeah. And just to take that one person, I don't know how much of a check that person might write, but let's say it's, you know, 25 or 50,000 dollars, which is not an unusual investment in the Rule 506(c) world. So ..   Eve: [00:09:34]  Yeah.   Mark: [00:09:35] ... she goes from even conservatively ...   Eve: [00:09:38] She couldn't be bothered investing 4,000. She might be interested in 15,000 or 20 or 25 but not ...   Mark: [00:09:44] Yeah.   Eve: [00:09:44] Yeah.   Mark: [00:09:45] So, it doesn't take many of her, you know, the difference between four and say, even conservatively, 25. Those numbers add up quickly. That change in itself was significant. But, in addition, the second change is they've raised the limit from a million dollars to five million dollars. And that means bigger companies, companies with more revenue, more products, more services, more scale. Bigger companies can now start using Reg CF. Yeah, I mean, you know, Eve, that a million dollars is not very much in the real estate world. Five million dollars really is a lot. Lots and lots and lots of deals are done with equity of two or three or four million dollars. So, it vastly expands the number of ticket holders who are allowed to attend this event. And then, when you put those two together, you know, now we can do a three million dollar raise where we can raise as much as we want from accredited investors. That, suddenly, becomes an extremely viable business. And that's the point that funding portals will now be able to make money. In fact, they'll be able to make significant amounts of money. You know, that's like, again, going back to that metaphor, that is pouring a lot of money into that neighborhood. And you're going to see, in my view, just a fundamental change. You're going to walk through the streets and say, oh, that used to be a dilapidated building. It looks nice now. And so on and so forth. And you're going to see better business practices from the portals. I believe you're going to see much higher quality offerings on those portals. In fact, you're going to see websites that were formerly only in the Rule 506(c) world who had shunned Regulation CF. You're going to see those companies getting their portal licenses and saying, hey, we can now expand our investor clientele at very little cost. You know, we've been marketing only to Rule 506(c) accredited investors. Now we can market to everyone. Why not?   Eve: [00:12:10] Maybe the answer, response to why not, is the regulation that is attached to, being a funding portal, and not to 506(c).   Mark: [00:12:20] Yes. I mean, it's certainly an impediment. I mean, you've been living in this world for the last five years and the regulation can make you pull your hair out. But the business opportunity, it seems to me, is ... the landscape just changed completely in my view, you know, I ... within the last three weeks before these proposals came out someone called me, a company, you know, we want to be a funding portal. And I tell them, because I try to be very straightforward with anyone, you know, you're not going to make any money. It's a funding portal.   Eve: [00:12:55] Right.   Mark: [00:12:55] You know, you want to go, have to expand, vertically integrate. But it's a very, very difficult business. And that was advice I've given in the last two weeks. You know, I've had people contact me since the proposals, and it's totally different advice. This is a real opportunity.   Eve: [00:13:13] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting.   Mark: [00:13:14] I mean, how do you see it affecting your business? You're in the business.   Eve: [00:13:19] The thing you haven't touched on yet is, there's a couple of things that really matter to me. And one is, yes, the fact that accredited investors can invest whatever they want really matters, because I no longer have to offer side-by-side offerings which are very complicated and time-consuming. So, by a side-by-side offering, I mean a Reg CF plus a 506(c), at the same time. So, that can go away. I think the fact that the investor limits have been turned upside down is huge. The fact that now an investor can invest the greater of their net worth or income is absolutely enormous for my crowd. And then I think the single purpose entity rule, which we haven't talked about yet, is huge. Until now, if you're going to use a regulation crowdfunding offering type, your investors must invest into the actual deal, which is often not the way that real estate deals work. So, being able to collect a group of investors in a single purpose entity to invest into a project, or a series of projects, is a very big deal. And I've been talking to one institutional developer who was really pulling his hair out and trying to figure out how to make Reg CF work for the community he's interested in using it for, and that particular change makes the whole thing possible. There's more, I'm sure, testing the waters. I mean, we haven't talked about all these things, Mark. So, the marketing rules around Reg CF are stifling. And so I want to learn more about what does it mean now to be permitted to have a demo day or to test the waters to, you know, just show the deal before you actually register it with the S.E.C.? I think all of those things really matter.   Mark: [00:15:13] Yeah. There are some other important changes, including, as you say, this so-called testing the waters. We used to have this ridiculous rule, really, that subjected, you know, these tiny Title 3 issuers to more stringent rules, you know, then the largest companies. It was crazy.   Eve: [00:15:35] Yeah.   Mark: [00:15:36] If you were talking, some developer was trying to create this little project, you know, you had to tell that person, you can't even whisper that you are considering a Title 3 [offering] ... You can't tell anyone, you know, don't tell your wife. And it was just this ridiculously restrictive rule. So, that is now going to be swept away. And basically, for all intents and purposes, Title 3 companies, issuers are going to be like everyone else. Yeah, you can talk to people about it. You can't take their money. But that's an important change for sure. The demo days. Meaning when you're local science center has a demo day you are now actually allowed to ... to attend. It was crazy that you couldn't attend before. We should mention that they've taken some things away. Many Title 3 issuers, the security that they were offering, as you know, were called SAFEs – Simple Agreement for Future Equity. Very popular. The S.E.C. has been convinced by someone that that is not an appropriate instrument for a small company to issue. So, they're going to absolutely get rid of them. Another very popular instrument – revenue sharing notes. It isn't clear from the proposals, but it sure looks like they're getting rid of revenue sharing notes or at least want to.   Eve: [00:17:04] Interesting.   Mark: [00:17:05] You know what the lord giveth, the lord taketh away. I know there's going to be, during the public comment period, there's going to be a lot of people complaining about those two things. We did take a couple steps backward, but I think we took about 10 steps forward, so, on the whole, they have made the market much more robust. Yeah, I think it's very exciting, I, you know this is a world that, you know, you and I have both drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago. This is about providing capital for lots of people whose access to capital has hitherto been restricted. And it's also about providing investment opportunities to ordinary Americans that have hitherto been reserved for the ultra-wealthy.   Eve: [00:17:55] Yeah.   Mark: [00:17:55] And that's why my blog post said, you know, this is not about Wall Street. It is actually about undermining Wall Street. It is about a sort of direct to the people, democratic American capitalism. And I think this is a really good step in the right direction. I don't see any down side personally.   Eve: [00:18:17] Yeah, so you think the number of funding portals is going to explode?   Mark: [00:18:20] I do.   Eve: [00:18:21] It's about 50 now, right?   Mark: [00:18:23] Something like that, yeah.   Eve: [00:18:24] And in real estate?   Mark: [00:18:26] I do. I think you're going to have some competitors, which is good. Yeah, I think there are going to be real estate funding portals, I even think, Eve, I think that the big real estate, the Rule 506(c) sites, I think they're going to consider very seriously having subsidiaries that are funding portals.   Eve: [00:18:47] Interesting.   Mark: [00:18:48] I think it's a natural to expand their customer base. You know, I've always said that portals are like retail stores. And I read a blog post once, saying a portal is like DSW. And DSW doesn't limit the kinds of shoes that it sells, and it wants every kind of customer to walk in the door, right? And even, you know, a brand like Mercedes Benz, they don't sell only a 100,000 dollar cars, you know, they sell a 35,000 dollars car. Why? Why do they do that? It's not to make money from selling a 35,000 dollar car. It's to get people into the showroom.   Eve: [00:19:33] Yes.   Mark: [00:19:33] And expand their demographic customer base. And I think that's the natural route for portals as well. We want to accredited investors. We want non-accredited investors. We want everyone, right? I mean, that's always make sense to me.   Eve: [00:19:46] Right. Right right, right. So, can you think of some examples of projects that you saw in the past that if they went live now, would do so much better? Or is that too hard a question?   Mark: [00:19:57] You're, I mean, you're the one who would know that.   Eve: [00:19:58] We have an offering live right now, which was just so complicated to put together, a side-by-side offering. And, you know, an opportunity zone fund offering. They really needed a single-purpose entity for the opportunity zone fund investors. And, of course, we couldn't use it for Reg CF, so the Reg CF investors missed out on the opportunity zone, tax discounts. And, you know, thinking about how that would be put together under the new rules, it would be so easy.   Mark: [00:20:31] Yeah.   Eve: [00:20:31] I spent months putting it together.   Mark: [00:20:35] I mean, probably every project you've ever had on your platform.   Eve: [00:20:38] Yes.   Mark: [00:20:39] You would've had the ability to pitch it to accredited investors. Simultaneously. And you would have been legally been earning commissions on all of those transactions.   Eve: [00:20:50] Yes. Yeah. That's a really big problem.   Mark: [00:20:53] I mean, your life would have been very different.   Eve: [00:20:54] Well, I can't go back five years, can I?   Mark: [00:20:57] No.   Eve: [00:20:58] So, what about the whole 'not being able to talk about the terms of the deal'? Like that's been another really huge stumbling block when you do advertise Reg CF offering, you're not permitted to talk about the teems. You can't say, you know, the offering is nine percent preferred return. You're not permitted to say that. You're not even permitted to say the minimum investment amount. Whereas with a 506(c) offering, you can say all of that. Is that going to change?   Mark: [00:21:27] Not yet. It wouldn't surprise me if it changed in the future. So, yeah, you're gonna be stuck with those same advertising limitations. Now, I will just say that you can say those things.   Eve: [00:21:41] Yes, but that's all you can say, right?   Mark: [00:21:42] But that's all you can say.   Eve: [00:21:44] Yeah.   Mark: [00:21:45] And you can say a lot. You know, you can say come invest in this fabulous multi-family project in Downtown Pittsburgh, and it's 72-percent leased and it's gorgeous and it's environmentally friendly. You can go on and on and on and say all those things.   Eve: [00:22:04] You can't say "it's gorgeous" because it's in adjective, right?   Mark: [00:22:07] Ok, well, now I think, I can, I think you can say "gorgeous."   Eve: [00:22:11] No, I can't.   Mark: [00:22:13] The only thing you can't say is ...   Eve: [00:22:15] I got my knuckles rapped for saying "bold." Yeah.   Mark: [00:22:20] You just can't say, and by the way, we're raising two million dollars for that project. You know? You can talk about the project until you're blue in the face.   Eve: [00:22:29] Yeah. Well, that's been pretty good for us because we want to talk about the projects, but still it is a stumbling block. I think people sit up and pay attention when you say you can invest as little as 1,000 dollars and they're looking at an ad talking about a great project, but they don't really know. It's a question of will they click through? Right? It's definitely a stumbling block.   Mark: [00:22:50] Yes. And it will continue to be.   Eve: [00:22:53] Yes. Ok. So, I want to just shift gears a little bit. We're doing this a bit backwards. But how did you become an S.E.C. crowdfunding expert, and why?   Mark: [00:23:04] Actually, Eve, I think our stories are in some ways, similar. So, I mean, I've always been a boring corporate lawyer. And in being a boring corporate lawyer, I've represented entrepreneurs my whole career. And when you represent entrepreneurs, one of the things you spend a lot of time doing is helping them raise capital. Entrepreneurs are always looking for capital, and raising capital used to be, you know, really, really hard. It's still really hard, but it used to be, before the crowdfunding rules, a lot harder, as as you know. And when I saw the Jobs Act on the horizon, this must happen back in like 2011, which is amazing, of course, how quickly time flies.   Eve: [00:23:50] Yes.   Mark: [00:23:51] But I said, wow, you mean you're going to be able to use the Internet to raise money? This is huge. It's transformative. It's disruptive. It's fantastic. And I drank the Kool-Aid right away and thought this would just be a great thing for the American economy. And I said, it's going to be fun and I want to be involved with it. So, I immediately decided that that's what I was going to do. So, I learned all about it and started writing this blog and started speaking about it in public. And I'm so enthusiastic about it, and the rest is history. So, that's my story, which in some ways is probably similar to yours, right?   Eve: [00:24:33] Yes.   Mark: [00:24:34] You saw it and you said, aha!   Eve: [00:24:36] Yes. But not enough of us yet. Right. Still a pretty small industry.   Mark: [00:24:41] Still a pretty small industry, but it is growing, you know. People are raising, we talked about five million being a pretty good real estate deal, you know, people are raising 15 million now. And that, when, you know, when you and I got into this industry, the concept of being able to raise 15 million dollars for a deal online was unthinkable.   Eve: [00:25:06] Yes.   Mark: [00:25:06] You know, people were raising 250,000 dollars to do a fix and flip. The industry is now funding from very significant deals. And because entrepreneurs are always looking for capital, you know, the entrepreneurs of the world are really paying attention.   Eve: [00:25:26] Yes. Yeah.   Mark: [00:25:27] I'm a pretty good barometer because I am pretty well-known in the industry and I will, so when I say my phone has sort of been ringing off the hook, that's a pretty good industry barometer.   Eve: [00:25:40] It is. Yeah.   Mark: [00:25:41] You know, it probably means lots of peoples' phones have been ringing off the hook. And this latest change really has gotten people's attention.   Eve: [00:25:49] Yes. Well, it should.   Mark: [00:25:52] So, I think in 2020, I really think the industry, those of us who survive the coronavirus, anyway ...   Eve: [00:26:01] Oh, that's depressing.   Mark: [00:26:02] Yeh, and I ... then are going to, you know, really see a significant uptick.   Eve: [00:26:10] Yes. So, I have to ask the next round of improvements that the S.E.C. makes, what do you want to see on that list?   Mark: [00:26:17] So, I get asked that question a lot and I never have a ready answer because I've been doing this, you know, I've been practicing law for so long. I have learned not to think about possible legislative or regulatory changes because they are so rare and so unpredictable, you know. There are two things you never want to see being made. One is sausage and the other is law. I just focus on the world that I have, that I'm in, rather than on how it might be improved.   Eve: [00:26:57] I get it. The thing I think about is of regulatory burden, which is enormous for small companies. Really enormous.   Mark: [00:27:05] And how would you address that?   Eve: [00:27:08] For a small company that's never done something like this before. As a member of FINRA, not only are you following, you know, the regulation crowdfunding rules, but you're also following FINRA's rules, which require many, many, many things, like WURM compliance of emails and evidencing and things I never knew existed. It's very time consuming to learn at all, and it's time consuming to keep it up and to do it properly. And I have a feeling that many platforms are not doing it properly because it's just too hard. So, I think that really needs to be addressed in one way or another. You know, I don't know what a full-blown broker/dealer compliance book looks like. I'm sure it's worse. But in some ways I feel like FINRA wasn't ready to handle these smaller companies, they've never done anything like it before. The compliance is ... huge. And, you know, we're surveilled every quarter, and they said, well, every word. And that that's their job. So they have to, I'm not saying they shouldn't, but it's all required, and it's a lot.   Mark: [00:28:19] Yeah. And I mean, maybe I would say the next significant change maybe should be from FINRA rather than from the S.E.C..   Eve: [00:28:31] Yes, possibly.   Mark: [00:28:32] I completely agree with you that FINRA didn't know how to deal with this and they started off with a light touch, you know. The first funding portals that I represented that, they were easy to get approved. And then FINRA just didn't know what to do. And, you know, the easy answer is from a regulatory point of view was always to make it more difficult. And so we've ended up in this kind of crazy situation where funding portals, small, small organizations, are subject to the same regulatory treatment as, you know, as Morgan Stanley. And it it is clearly not a good fit.   Eve: [00:29:16] That's right. Although I have to say that they're trying, and in their communications with Small Change, at least, the tone is more about helping us be aware of what we're supposed to do. So, it's not a bad tone, but still, the regulatory burden is there. In a sense, I think FINRA got lumped with this without anyone much thinking about the consequences. Does that make sense?   Mark: [00:29:39] Yes. I mean, I'm not attacking FINRA, because, as you say, they're just doing their job. No one told them, you know, you should act differently with the respect that this particular species of FINRA member, as you know, I mean, these days we're submitting policies and procedures to FINRA that are, you know, 75 pages long ...   Eve: [00:30:03] Oh, wow.   Mark: [00:30:03] ... could be a two person company where, you know.   Eve: [00:30:07] Yeah.   Mark: [00:30:07] The policies and procedures amount to the two people saying this is how we're going to regulate ourselves. You know, there's no one else to regulate. There's no one to supervise.   Eve: [00:30:17] Yeah, no, no. I know. It's a shame.   Mark: [00:30:21] It's almost been an absurdity, but there you go.   Eve: [00:30:25] So, yeah. Let's root for FINRA making the next change or, something happening that permits for FINRA to make the next change, because I'm not sure they're fully in control of that themselves. I don't really, I don't really know. But, you know, we we pay a lot of money to a company called Smarsh to archive all our emails, all our websites, everything, so that they're all WURM compliant. That's a big burden for a tiny company.   Mark: [00:30:52] Well, there you go.   Eve: [00:30:52] We also pay a lot for insurance, which is crazy expensive. I have a feeling that many funding portals don't ...   Mark: [00:31:00] Just don't do it. Yeah.   Eve: [00:31:01]  ... pay for insurance, because they can't afford it. I like to sleep at night.   Mark: [00:31:05] I guess, what from the FCC, you know, rule 204, which is that burdensome advertising rule that you were alluding to earlier. That does seem a little too harsh. The idea of it, the theory of regulation crowdfunding is that every investor should have access to exactly the same information at all time.   Eve: [00:31:29] That's right. Yep.   Mark: [00:31:31] And so that's why they don't let you freely advertise. They want all attention to get focused back to the funding portal.   Eve: [00:31:39] Right.   Mark: [00:31:40] Which is supposed to be the sole source of the information. And so, yeah, I totally understand that. I'm not going to say there's no reason for the rule. I think maybe this is an example of ideology, sort of, getting the better of practicality. The rule is just impractical. And ...   Eve: [00:32:02] Yes. Yeah.   Mark: [00:32:04] The ideological purity of it I think is outweighed by the burden that it places on, again, on very, very small companies.   Eve: [00:32:13] We've ended this on a bad note.   Mark: [00:32:15] Yeah, but well we're sort of searching for ways that maybe in five years from now, maybe the S.E.C. will make the rules even better.   Eve: [00:32:26] Yeah.   Mark: [00:32:26] But these little rules, you know, again, we're dealing with tiny companies and you know, big companies have the resources to hire lawyers, like me, or even have their own in-house lawyers. But these are tiny companies. So, a lot of these rules, as you know, in your position as a funding portal end up just being tripping points, you know, traps for the unwary.   Eve: [00:32:50] Yes.   Mark: [00:32:51] Yes, we could do with fewer of them. But on a positive note, again, 2020 is going to be a very, very good year.   Eve: [00:33:00] Yes, it is. And final question, what's next for you?   Mark: [00:33:06] What's next for me is, you know, I've just started a new law firm, Lex Nova Law. Super exciting, fun, high tech, really cool, hiring more people, training more people to learn about these rules. And part of my job in the crowdfunding industry is to educate people. So, I love being on the forefront of education. And another part of my job, I think, is to make the industry better. And that means more compliant, but also more efficient. The Internet, which is what crowdfunding is all about, it requires efficiency, right? It is ...   Eve: [00:33:54] Yes.   Mark: [00:33:55] It is a tough taskmaster. You know, Amazon. You try to compete with Amazon in retail, man, you find out how efficient they are. So, lawyers, the key kind of friction points in the syndication world, in the capital formation world. You know, lawyers have to become more efficient. And I work on that all the time and try to work with industry leaders to make the crowdfunding industry better for investors, in part by making it more efficient. So, that's the answer your question   Eve: [00:33:55] Great. Well, I've had the privilege of working with you on that. And I agree. Efficiency really matters. Thank you so much for joining me. And I also can't wait to see what the year holds.   Mark: [00:34:42] Thank you so much.   Eve: [00:34:44] Okay.   Mark: [00:34:44] Have a great day out in sunny Pittsburgh.   Eve: [00:34:51] That was Mark Roderick. We got into the weeds together about the proposed improvements to regulation crowdfunding. He and I both understand what these changes will mean to capital formation. As Mark said, these proposals are great for the crowdfunding industry and for American capitalism. They're not about Wall Street. They're about small companies and ordinary American investors, where jobs and ideas come from. You can find out more about impact real estate investing and access to the show notes for today's episode at my website, EvePicker.com. While you're there, sign up for my newsletter to find out more about how to make money in real estate while building better cities. Thank you so much for spending your time with me today. And thank you, Mark, for sharing your thoughts with me. We'll talk again soon. But for now, this is Eve Picker signing off to go make some change.  

Ira Pastor, ideaXme exponential health ambassador, interviews Dr. Roey Tzezana,Futures Studies Researcher, Tel Aviv University, Research Fellow, Brown University, and Lead Researcher, XPRIZE Foundation. Ira Pastor Comments: An inducement prize contest (IPC) is a competition that awards a cash prize for the accomplishment of a feat, usually of engineering, and are typically designed to push the frontiers and extend the limits of human ability and can be extremely effective in pushing the advancement of technology. Some of the most famous IPCs include the 1714–1765 longitude rewards, which were the system of inducement prizes offered by the British government for a simple method for the determination of a ship's longitude at sea, and the Orteig Prize (1919–1927), funded by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig, to the first allied aviator(s) to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris IPCs are distinct from recognition prizes, such as the Nobel Prize, in that IPCs have prospectively defined criteria for what feat is to be achieved for winning the prize, while recognition prizes may be based on the beneficial effects of the feat. The XPRIZE Foundation The XPRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity. The XPRIZE Foundation mission is to bring about "radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity" through incentivized competition. It fosters high-profile competitions to motivate individuals, companies, and organizations, across all disciplines, to develop innovative ideas and technologies that help solve the grand challenges that restrict humanity's progress. As of January 2018, there are seven completed XPRIIZE contests and eight active contests. The Ansari XPRIZE for Suborbital Spaceflight was the first in 1996, which helped establish the model. Since then, new challenges have expanded into a range of other fields including Exploration (Space and Oceans), Energy & Environment, Education and Global Development, and the Life Sciences. Recently, XPRIZE Foundation released the Future of Longevity Impact Roadmap, a digital report and interactive website that reveals 12 breakthroughs that can promote increased health and life expectancy for all. Dr. Roey Tzezana Today we are joined by Dr. Roey Tzezana, a Futures Studies researcher at Tel Aviv University and a Research Fellow at Brown University. With a PhD in Nanotechnology from Technion Israel Institute of Technology, he’s acting as lead researcher at the XPRIZE Foundation where he leads the research focused on human longevity, which should eventually, hopefully, lead to the development of treatments to stop and reverse aging. Dr. Tzezana also is acting as a scientific consultant to several firms and international organizations, and is the author of several best-selling books about the future of technology and society including “Guide to the Future,” “The Future Guide: The Technological Revolutions That Will Change Our Lives,” and “Governing the Future: Equity, Technology, Hope.” Dr. Tzezana has also co-founded the SimPolitixproject for political forecasting, and TeleBuddy, a firm that operates tele-presence robots around the globe, allowing him to teach, lecture and live in three different continents at the same time, using robotic avatars as his bodies. His research has led him to journey worldwide, from Kazakhstan to Latin America and even Antarctica, trying to understanding how technology will impact humanity and reshape our society and institutions. On this show we will hear from Dr. Tzezana: About his background, how he became interested in biology, in nanotechnology, and in futurism. His general views on emerging technologies and the future. Why such competition models are so crucial in "un-met" areas like healthy longevity research. About the history and design of the XPRIZE longevity model. The challenges and areas of longevity research he is most excited about. Credits: Ira Pastor interview video, text, and audio. Follow Ira Pastor on Twitter:@IraSamuelPastor If you liked this interview, be sure to check out ourinterview about the $30 million global grand challengein the longevity and healthy aging sector. Follow ideaXme on Twitter:@ideaxm On Instagram:@ideaxme Find ideaXme across the internet including oniTunes,SoundCloud,Radio Public,TuneIn Radio,I Heart Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. ideaXme is a global podcast, creator series and mentor programme. Our mission: Move the human story forward!™ ideaXme Ltd.

Sanjay Mehta is the Founder and Partner at 100X VC, an early stage venture fund headquartered in Mumbai. Prior to 100X VC, Sanjay was one of India's most active and sought after angels, having made over 130 investments. Few of the startups on his portfolio include OYO, Wow! Momo, FabAlley, Box8, LogiNext and Block.One.Sanjay is an entrepreneur turned investor and prior to his investing days, he founded MAIA Intelligence which was eventually acquired by Datamatics Global Services Ltd.You can follow Sanjay on Twitter – @mehtasanjay. While you're at it, you can follow me too – @bhatvakash.Glossary of terms you will encounter in this episode (in the order of appearance):1. LP: Also known as Limited Partner, is an investor in a venture capital fund. Typically they are pension funds or insurance companies (otherwise known as ‘institutional investors'), but they can also be corporates, wealthy individuals, sovereign funds or governments.2. Deal-flow: Rate at which business proposals and investment pitches are being received by an investor/VC firm.3. Micro VC: It's a fund, aimed at pre-seed and seed (early stage) investing, that is generally smaller than $25M.4. YC: Y Combinator is an American seed accelerator based in the Bay Area.5. SAFE Note: Also known as ‘Simple Agreement for Future Equity' is agreement between an investor and a startup that provides rights to the investor for future equity in the company similar to a warrant, except without determining a specific price per share at the time of the initial investment.6. iSAFE Note: Also known as ‘India Simple Agreement for Future Equity'. Similar to SAFE notes, an investor makes cash investment in return for a convertible instrument.7. Network Effect: A phenomenon whereby a product or service gains additional value as more people use it.8. Sector-agnostic: Investments ‘not specific to any particular industry'.9. Vice clause: Restrictions imposed by LPs that prevents a firm from investing in certain sectors such as firearms, pornography/sex-tech, or drugs.10. IRR: Also known as ‘Internal Rate of Return' is theoretically the best way to measure the performance of a venture capital firm.11. Churn: Measure/percentage of customers that stopped using your company's product or service during a certain time frame.12. Unit Economics: Direct revenues and costs associated with a particular business model, and are specifically expressed on a per unit basis.In this episode you will learn:1. Sanjay's background and foray into investing2. Why he backs founders who have failed3. SAFE notes and iSAFE Notes4. What he looks for while investing in startups5. Steps in the evaluation process during an investment6. Areas and sectors of investments for 100X VC7. Where 100X VC and Sanjay stand on investments in Cannabis and Cannabis related startups8. His take on single founder startups9. Challenges in evaluating B2B SaaS startups10. What's more important – product-market fit or founder-product fit11. How Sanjay has evolved as an investor over time12. Anti-portfolio – Deals Sanjay missed out on13. Advice for founders on fund-raising

We've cut down the ninth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First, a lecture from Carolynn Levy. Carolynn is a partner at YC. Her lecture covers modern startup financing.Then a lecture from Jared Friedman. Jared is also a partner at YC. His lecture focuses on advice for hard-tech and biotech founders.***Topics00:00 - Intro00:33 - Carolynn Levy - Modern Startup Financing1:33 - The basics: form a corporation, need money to grow?, sell a part of the company2:58 - Fundraising terms3:58 - What has changed: structure, access, focus5:10 - What hasn't changed: preferred stock financing, valuation and dilution, communication6:42 - Old way of raising early money: Series A preferred stock financing8:33 - What was broken?9:33 - The transition: bridge loan financings10:46 - Realization: convertible promissory notes are a better way to fund early stage startups12:01 - Modernization of the convertible - SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity)14:03 - When do priced rounds happen?15:12 - Is modern early stage financing perfected?18:01 - Takeaways19:30 - Jared Friedman - Advice for Hard-tech and Biotech Founders20:25 - What is a hard-tech company?21:35 - Why start a hard-tech company?25:06 - YC is the largest bio and hard-tech seed investor in the world25:49 - How much of YC's advice applies to hard-tech founders?26:33 - How do you make progress when you have a "heavy MVP"?31:49 - How do you prove people will want your product, if you haven't built it yet?32:57 - Letter of Intent34:10 - Fundraising for hard-tech and biotech companies36:15 - Final thought

Ayesha Kiani, Managing Director of Republic Crypto joins Ben and Jay to discuss equity crowdfunding and working to keep funding and token sales democratized.  Kiani believes anyone should be allowed to invest in Republic's projects, and that issuers should aways stay on the right side of the SEC and FINRA. In this podcast, she delves into why Republic's legal-heavy team works tirelessly to reshape agreements that redefine how issuers navigate regulations and offer digital ownership. Always be sure to wear your "regulatory helmet"!  Kiani offers Blockchain Bridge listeners a deep-dive into Republic's due diligence to identify "red flags" with issuers and find best-in-class investments. This includes sharp technology analysis; ensuring sensible tokenomics (i.e. the token actually solves an issue); and partnering with a third-party vendor to vet the team and leadership, in order to ensure the CTO and chief architects really know the technology and are involved with the project full-time. Kiani talks about Republic's quest to be a global platform, as the company builds up to its main token sale to retail investors under Reg A+ and Reg S for international investors. Republic's asset token will ultimately be used to facilitate access to and investment in the company's diverse roster of issuers, which could include everything from real estate companies and coffee shops, to concert promoters and technology innovators.  Kiani goes on to warn that the market isn't what it was last year (2017); it's no longer about community hype and getting the best press, but rather how you'll deliver on mission-driven projects. While the market isn't what it used to be, that hasn't stopped Republic from drawing an impressive roster of investors (many from China) including Binance Labs, FBG Capital and Neo Global Capital. Kiani affirms Republic's mission to serve the underserved; they are always keen to support gender and racial diversity. In fact, in a recent study from Republic, the company found 44 percent of the women leaders on its platform have had what they consider "success." Kiani believes a good company can be started by anyone, and if it's a good project, they want to be involved!  Ben, Jay and Kiani go on to belabor the fact that we still have speed and bandwidth issues with the regulation of digital fractional ownership, and why these historical issues, and those with SAFT's ability to deliver tokens, has fueled Republic to create the more advanced options such as the SAFEST (Simple Agreement for Future Equity in Security Tokens) agreement and Token DPA. But it isn't all work at Republic; they find time to have some fun. This fall with they will launch the second season of Meet the Drapers, featuring, of all things, a 12 year-old entrepreneur, and in early September they'll host Republicon, where investors can learn what it takes to succeed as a crowdfunding issuer. 

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Marty Tate, partner at Carman Lenhoff Israelsen, explains in this interview what a SAFE or Simple Agreement for Future Equity is and just how safe it is for both issuers and investors. If you’ve ever wanted to invest in an equity crowdfunding campaign, you do not want to miss this episode. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Juan Benet and Jesse Clayburgh of Protocol Labs, and Ryan Zurrer of Polychain Capital, discuss the Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (SAFT). Inspired by Y Combinator's “Simple Agreement for Future Equity”, the SAFT standardizes the legal framework surrounding token issuance and governs the nature of the transactions involved (i.e. the deployment of capital and distribution of tokens). The complex legal environment surrounding tokens, especially in the US, has led many entrepreneurs to choose to leave Silicon Valley because they can develop the technology better elsewhere. Those who remain in the US have had to compromise on the optimization of their models in order to comply with legacy regulatory frameworks. Recognising these limitations, and seeking to mature the ecosystem beyond such models, several interested parties (including Protocol Labs, AngelList and CoinCenter) have worked together to create standard legal agreements for this novel asset class. Essentially, a SAFT represents a promise for future tokens at a fixed price. The agreement can be structured so that investors receive these tokens when the network launches, or with inbuilt vesting to incentivise continued support by investors. The development of the SAFT model involved consultations with the SEC and CFTC, as well as the foremost legal experts at the intersection of cryptocurrencies, securities law and regulatory compliance. By simplifying token issuance and the requisite compliance concerns, it provides an essential bridging of the gap between current technological progress and future regulation. protocol.ai twitter.com/protocollabs twitter.com/juanbenet twitter.com/jesseclayburgh polychain.capital angel.co/polychain-capital twitter.com/ryanzurrer consensys.net consensysmedia.net https://itunes.apple.com//podcast/the-ether-review/id899090462?mt=2

Juan Benet and Jesse Clayburgh of Protocol Labs, and Ryan Zurrer of Polychain Capital, discuss the Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (SAFT). Inspired by Y Combinator’s “Simple Agreement for Future Equity”, the SAFT standardizes the legal framework surrounding token issuance and governs the nature of the transactions involved (i.e. the deployment of capital and distribution of tokens). The complex legal environment surrounding tokens, especially in the US, has led many entrepreneurs to choose to leave Silicon Valley because they can develop the technology better elsewhere. Those who remain in the US have had to compromise on the optimization of their models in order to comply with legacy regulatory frameworks. Recognising these limitations, and seeking to mature the ecosystem beyond such models, several interested parties (including Protocol Labs, AngelList and CoinCenter) have worked together to create standard legal agreements for this novel asset class. Essentially, a SAFT represents a promise for future tokens at a fixed price. The agreement can be structured so that investors receive these tokens when the network launches, or with inbuilt vesting to incentivise continued support by investors. The development of the SAFT model involved consultations with the foremost legal experts at the intersection of cryptocurrencies, securities law and regulatory compliance. By simplifying token issuance and the requisite compliance concerns, it provides an essential bridging of the gap between current technological progress and future regulation. protocol.ai twitter.com/protocollabs twitter.com/juanbenet twitter.com/jesseclayburgh polychain.capital angel.co/polychain-capital twitter.com/ryanzurrer consensys.net consensysmedia.net etherreview.info https://itunes.apple.com//podcast/the-ether-review/id899090462?mt=2

Slava Rubin is the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Indiegogo. Along with his position on the Board, Slava is responsible for innovation and growth at Indiegogo. He also represented the crowdfunding industry at the White House during the signing of the JOBS Act and has played a crucial role in working with the White House and the SEC to finalize the rules and regulations for equity crowdfunding. Slava joins us on the show to discuss Indiegogo’s new collaboration with MicroVentures and release of “equity crowdfunding”. This is huge news to the industry and game-changing events for investors looking to invest in private deals using the Indiegogo platform.   Equity Crowdfunding on Indiegogo https://equity.indiegogo.com/ https://twitter.com/Indiegogo Where are we: Sam – Playa Del Carmen, Mexico Slava – New York, New York Discussed: ILAB 06 - Invest in Yourself to Startup an Award Winning Brewery ILAB 05 - Planning for Retirement Show Notes: 06:00 - 4 reasons why people give money 07:37 - Signing the Jobs Act by President Obama 09:20 - Microventures partnership 10:43 - Investor limitations 12:19 - Creating for user base 13:55 - Applying to Indiegogo 15:00 - User participation 16:27 - Paperwork and contracts 16:55 - Tracking companies progress 17:19 - Product offering campaigns 20:00 - Non-accredited and non-US options 23:21 - Investing $300,000 in a startup 25:02 - Yearly Investment cap 27:00 - Crowfall video game 30:00 - ILAB potential startup investment 34:00 - Washington DC women's brewery 35:35 - Play and possible game ball 36:38 - Beatstars social marketplace 41:00 - Simplified Agreement for Future Equity 45:00 - Paperwork, checks and signatures 48:00 - iTunes reviews If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven’t’ already, please take a minute to leave us a 5 star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

Belle Hilmer, turned her love of leather and making quality products from a small regional producer to the national stage.  Great business story! IN THE NEWS Startups Offer Unusual Reward for Investing Simple Agreement for Future Equity promises benefits later if the firm is able to move forward.  When a young Boston entrepreneur sought half-a-million dollars to launch his startup last fall, he turned his back on today’s usual tactics such as selling equity stakes or issuing convertible notes. FINAL THOUGHTS 5 Secure Apps for Running a Small Business   88 percent of cloud of mobile applications are unsanctioned or not monitored by IT.  Are you making sure your data is secure?