Cullen Schwarz | September 20, 2018
When a lot of tech startups raise an investment round, they turn exclusively to deep-pocketed venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. For some of those investors, the only real goal is fast growth and massive profit, by any means necessary—goals their startups inherit. Like the mission-driven brands our company works to support, DoneGood strives to be different […]
Amy Cortese | September 11, 2018
In this age of wealth inequality, runaway development and gentrification, it’s easy for communities to feel powerless in the face of rapid change. Lynn Smith founded Buy The Block, a real estate crowdfunding portal and the first portal that is African American-owned, to help change that dynamic. Smith (pictured above) has invested in real estate […]
Amy Cortese | August 23, 2018
With more than 40 approved funding portals for Regulation Crowdfunding, the launch of a new portal might elicit a yawn. But Crowdfund Mainstreet, which debuts on Friday, has a unique pedigree—and a mission to match. The Oakland, CA-based portal is the creation of a pair of lawyers—Jenny Kassan and Michelle Thimesch—who have been on the […]
Locavesting Staff | July 18, 2018
Investment crowdfunding may finally get the fixes that advocates have long called for. On Wednesday, a sweeping collection of bipartisan bills known collectively as the JOBS Act 3.0 passed the House of Representatives with broad support. The package now moves to the Senate. Sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Ranking […]
Locavesting Staff | May 30, 2018
Crowdfunding success is often measured by the number of campaigns meeting their funding targets and the dollars raised. But what about the investor side of the equation? It’s still very early, and there are no industry-wide performance metrics that measure investor returns. But there are inklings. Some investment crowdfunding portals have lately taken to reporting […]
Amy Cortese | May 16, 2018
Two years ago today, Regulation Crowdfunding went into effect with a promise to transform the investment landscape for entrepreneurs and investors. So how’s it working out? In the first two years, 910 businesses have used the Regulation Crowdfunding exemption (aka Title III of the JOBS Act) which allows them to raise up to $1.07 million […]
Mark Roderick | May 4, 2018
Since the JOBS Act was signed by President Obama in 2012, advocates have been urging Congress to increase the overall limit of $1 million (now $1.07 million, after adjustment for inflation) to $5 million for offerings under Title III (aka Regulation Crowdfunding). But for many issuers, the overall limit is less important than the per-investor […]
Amy Cortese | April 24, 2018
Eve Picker is an architect, city planner, urban designer and real estate developer, among other accomplishments. Her passion for community development and smart, sustainable design led her in 2016 to found Small Change, a Pittsburgh-based real estate crowdfunding site. We caught up with Eve recently to discuss financing transformational projects—such as affordable starter homes built […]
B the Change | April 12, 2018
It was concern for Hawaii’s environment, economy and farming system that inspired Brett Jacobson to launch Hawaiian Ola, a maker of healthy beverages, in 2012. Jacobson, a farmer who previously ran a biofuel company, wanted to start a business that could help Hawaii’s struggling farmers—the average farmer in makes about $15,000 a year, according to […]
Dara Westling | March 29, 2018
When Guerrilla Development opened up crowdfunding for its latest project, a two-building mixed-use development called Jolene’s First Cousin, the team figured there would be strong demand. An earlier project, the Fair-Haired Dumbbell (they have a penchant for quirky names to go along with their iconoclastic buildings), raised $1.5 million from 121 investors in eight months, […]
