Locavesting Staff | December 12, 2018
Who says crowdfunding will scare off follow-on investors? Quite the contrary, it seems. Businesses are finding that a successful investment crowdfunding campaign can pave the way for follow-on funding from angels, venture capitalists, banks and other institutional investors. The latest—and largest—example to date: Beta Bionics, the maker of a “bionic pancreas” that was among the […]
Amy Campbell Bogie | November 12, 2018
Raising money is difficult for any entrepreneur, but veteran-owned small businesses in particular tend to struggle with capital raising. A new program in North Carolina aims to help. INVESTinNC, a Wilmington, NC-based crowdfunding education company, has launched an investment crowdfunding program specifically for veteran entrepreneurs. The company is recruiting six veteran entrepreneurs looking to raise […]
Locavesting Staff | October 19, 2018
Milk Money, a Vermont-only crowd investing portal, has been acquired, signaling a new phase for the platform—and perhaps the intrastate crowdfunding market as well. The two-year old intrastate crowdfunding platform’s new owner is the Vermont Innovation Commons, a regional innovation hub in Burlington combining a startup accelerator, co-working space and residential units under one roof. The […]
Amy Cortese | October 10, 2018
Many U.S. cities these days are dotted with microbreweries vying for attention. But for residents of Sitka, a tiny Alaskan city nestled below Baranof Island’s glacier-carved mountains and accessible only by boat or plane, their lone microbrewery is a vital part of the community. Baranof Island Brewing Co. was founded in 2010 by Rick Armstrong, […]
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 […]
