Jonathan Libby 
Manager, Austin IBM Innovation Center
Mark Roderick, Esq. 
Attorney at Law, Flaster Greenberg
Crowdfunding 2014 
The Legal and Business Landscape 
Presented by: 
Mark S. Roderick, Esq. 
New Jersey | Cherry Hill Linwood 
Pennsylvania | Philadelphia 
New York | Manhattan Pleasantville 
Delaware | Wilmington 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
What is Crowdfunding? 
• “Donation-based or rewards-based 
Crowdfunding” like 
Kickstarter and Indiegogo, where 
donors receive a t-shirt or other 
item of limited value 
• “Equity Crowdfunding,” where 
investor receives stock or other 
security 
• What all kinds of Crowdfunding 
have in common: Raising money 
using the Internet 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Flavors of Equity Crowdfunding 
• JOBS Act Title II 
• JOBS Act Title III 
• Rule 504 
• Old Regulation A 
• New Regulation A+ 
• See Crowdfunding Cheat Sheet: 
www.flastergreenberg.com/assets/htmldocuments/Crowdfunding%20Cheat%20Sheet_Roderick.pdf 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Background and Significance of Crowdfunding 
• Traditional ways for 
entrepreneurs to raise 
money 
• Friends and family 
• Your own Rolodex 
• Brokers, accountants, lawyers, 
investment bankers, 
unlicensed “Finders” 
• Enter the Internet 
• Connecting vast pools of 
capital to businesses needing 
capital 
• Hugely disruptive 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Overview of Title II Crowdfunding 
• Rule 506 of Regulation D 
• Allows General Solicitation and Advertising 
• Accredited Investors Only 
• New Exemption for Portals 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Overview of Title III Crowdfunding 
• Sales to Anybody 
• $1 Million During 12 Months 
• Limits On Amount Invested 
• Sold Only Through Portals 
• Lots and Lots of Regulation 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Overview of Regulation A+ Crowdfunding 
• Sales to Anybody 
• $50 Million During 12 Months 
• Limit on Investment – 10% of Income or Net 
Worth 
• Federal Filing with SEC 
• No State Registration 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Role of Portals in Title II Crowdfunding 
• Portals Not Required – Companies May List Themselves 
• No Registration or Regulation of Portals 
• New Exemption from Broker/Dealer Registration 
• No-Action Letters in March 2013 
• Broker/Dealer Registration 
• Spectrum of Possible Activities 
• Relationship Between Portal and Company 
• Relationship Between Portal and Investor 
• Market Segmentation 
• Title II Portals as Traditional Broker 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Role of Portals in Title III Crowdfunding 
• Portal Required to Act as Mini-SEC 
• Extremely Cumbersome Obligations 
• See partial list at: http://crowdfundattny.com/2013/11/11/its-easy-to-be-a-title- 
iii-crowdfunding-portal/ 
• No Ability to Differentiate Among Companies 
• Relationship Between Portal and Company 
• Relationship Between Portal and Investor 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Crowdfunding and Broker-Dealers 
• JOBS Act Exemption 
• 2013 No-Action Letters 
• Compensation Arrangements Typical Today 
• General Broker-Dealer Rules 
• Movement of Industry Toward Broker-Dealer 
Relationships 
• Broker-Dealer “Plug-Ins” 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Crowdfunding Market Today 
• Hundreds of Title II Portals 
• 90% Real Estate 
• Pure Equity, Pure Debt, Hybrids 
• Segmentation of Market Verticals 
• Individual Deal Model 
• Large Players Getting Into Market 
• Trickle of Money 
• White Label Sites 
• Third Party “Plug-Ins” For 
Everything 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
State Crowdfunding Initiatives 
• SEC Rule 147 As Federal Basis for State Initiatives 
• Growing Number of States 
• Different Approaches By Different States 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Texas Crowdfunding Rule 
Administrative Proposal, Not A Statute 
Not Yet Effective – Voting At End of October 
2014 
Restrictive Proposal 
– Similar to Federal Title III 
– Portals Not Allowed To Have Interest in Issuer 
I’ve Drafted A Legislative Proposal 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Crowdfunding Opportunities 
• Raising Money on Someone Else’s Portal 
• Crowdfunding as Investor Relations/Management 
Platform 
• Crowdfunding to Expand Existing Capital Base 
• Becoming a Crowdfunding Portal 
• Providing A Third-Party Service 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Future of Crowdfunding 
• Continuation of Title II 
• Advent of Title III and Title IV 
• Large Volume of Capital Flow 
• Pooled Asset Funds 
• Growing Role of Institutional 
Money 
• Will Crowdfunding Change 
Wall Street, Or Will Wall Street 
Change Crowdfunding? 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Questions? 
Mark Roderick, Esq. 
856.661.2265 
mark.roderick@flastergreenberg.com 
www.crowdfundattny.com 
@CrowdfundAttny 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Crowdfunding Sites 
Fundrise 
fundrise.com 
Realty Mogul 
realtymogul.com 
Patch of Land 
patchofland.com 
FundersClub 
fundersclub.com 
Poliwogg 
poliwogg.com 
RealtyShares 
realtyshares.com 
OurCrowd 
ourcrowd.com 
RealCrowd 
realcrowd.com 
Lending Club 
lendingclub.com 
www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
Hall Martin 
Director, Texas Entrepreneur Network
The Rewards Model 
Best Execution Practices 
Hall T. Martin 
Texas Entrepreneur Network, Director
Agenda 
Elements of a crowdfunding campaign 
The Pitch video 
Campaign planning 
Q&A 
txenetworks.com
How does it work? 
1. Choose a crowdfunding site based on your project 
2. Submit your application 
3. Prepare your campaign 
4. Launch your campaign 
5. Promote your deal to your network 
6. Respond to questions and feedback 
7. Raise your funds 
Remember: You are running a campaign
Crowdfunding campaign 
Pitch Video 
Description 
Biography 
Funds Target and Timeline 
Updates 
txenetworks.com
Why make a pitch video? 
Backers want you to tell them what you are doing 
2x the click-thru rate for deals with videos 
Objective 
• Tell them what you are doing in less than a minute 
• Demonstrate the credibility of the team 
txenetworks.com
What to put in the video? 
Show yourself 
Show the product/concept so people get it 
Talk about how much you are raising and how the 
funds will be used 
Close with a Call to Action 
txenetworks.com
Description 
5 word tag line 
250 word description of the deal including 
What it does 
Why it is important 
How you will accomplish it 
What is unique about it 
How much funding is required 
txenetworks.com
Biography 
50 to 100 word description of yourself 
Demonstrate your capability and experience 
Align your digital footprint 
txenetworks.com
Fund Raise Target & Timeline 
Raise 20% of your funds target before you launch 
Set a campaign that lasts 30, 45,or 60 days 
Consider breaking the campaign into smaller mini-campaigns 
txenetworks.com
Updates 
Identify updates to share with the investors 
Create a sense a momentum 
Demonstrate traction 
txenetworks.com
Campaign Planning 
Pre-Campaign— start 2 months before launch 
Campaign—30 day campaign 
Post-Campaign—1 month follow up work 
txenetworks.com
Pre-Campaign 
Prepare your materials 
Create Pitch Video, 250 word description, etc 
Setup blog/Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter pages 
Prepare your network 
Identify core & secondary network contacts 
Setup a mailing schedule (every 3 days a new mailing) 
Identify broader media targets for PR 
txenetworks.com
Post-Campaign follow up 
Fulfill the promises made 
Remember to thank those who supported you 
txenetworks.com
Running the Campaign 
It’s a full-time Job 
Follow up promptly on emails about the campaign 
Monitor the campaign mailings 
Adjust the product, pitch, and program based on 
feedback 
“No battle plan survives first contact with the 
enemy.” -- Eisenhower 
txenetworks.com
Selecting the Right Portal 
1. Consider the Sector – Consumer, Crafts, Arts, etc 
2. Consider the Cost – Front-end, Back-end 
3. Consider the Support 
4. Consider your own website 
txenetworks.com
Five most common mistakes 
1. Not making the pitch compelling enough 
You need a great team doing something great 
Mediocre projects don’t attract much attention 
txenetworks.com
Five most common mistakes 
2. Not promoting the raise 
Engage your network to start 
Leverage your social network to expand 
Develop and run a broader PR campaign 
txenetworks.com
Five most common mistakes 
3. Not demonstrating a detailed plan 
You need to show how the funds will be used 
The plan needs to look realistic and achievable 
Vague or fuzzy plans do not get funded 
txenetworks.com
Five most common mistakes 
4. Not asking for realistic amounts of funding 
You need to raise enough funding to accomplish 
the project 
Asking for too much or too little will kill the 
raise 
txenetworks.com
Five most common mistakes 
5. Not responding to questions nor asking for 
feedback 
Respond to questions quickly and with 
competence 
Start a dialog and then build a relationship with 
the investor 
txenetworks.com
To learn more about fund raising checkout 
txenetworks.com 
and sign up for your 
Fundability Score 
txenetworks.com
David Lowe 
Founder, Uberpong
Chris Brown, Esq. 
Brown Law Firm
Texas Equity Crowdfunding 
Christopher T. Brown 
Attorney at Law, PLLC 
Austin, Texas 
www.brownlawatx.com 
SPECTRUM 
Sep. 30, 2014
Source: Wall Street Journal, May 21, 2014 
http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/05/21/liveoak-venture-partners-closes-first-fund-to-boost-investments-in-texas/
Private Placement Law 101 
• Securities Act of 1933—must 
register deals with SEC 
• Exemption for deals “not involving a 
public offering” 
• Regulation D safe harbor, Rule 
506—concept of “accredited 
investor,” minimal disclosure 
requirements 
• Before JOBS Act, equity 
crowdfunding impeded by limitations 
on sales to non-accredited investors, 
ban on general solicitation, and 
broker-dealer requirements.
“It ended up being a giant dog's breakfast of different bills combined together, and then some 
genius, probably some congressional staffer, said ‘How are we gonna get this thing to pass? Oh— 
let’s say it has something to do with jobs. Jumpstarting Our Business Startups! JOBS, JOBS!’ And 
then, what congressperson can vote against something called the JOBS Act? It was a miracle.” 
–Naval Ravikant, Co-Founder, AngelList
JOBS Act—April 2012 
• Liberalized restrictions on use of 
“general solicitation” in 
traditional private offerings to 
accredited investors under Reg 
D 
• Created new exemption for 
crowdfunding offerings through 
SEC-registered portals 
• Updated Reg A offering 
exemption 
• Liberalized IPO rules for 
“Emerging Growth Companies” 
Title III 
“Capital Raising Online While 
Deterring Fraud and Unethical 
Non-Disclosure Act of 2012”
SEC Proposed Crowdfunding Rules 
Oct. 23, 2013 
• JOBS Act Title III: SEC Proposed Rules, Oct. 23, 2013 
• Offerings of $1 million or less via SEC-registered portal 
• Investments limited based on income/net worth 
• If income/net worth < $100k, greater of $2k or 5% of net worth 
• If income/net worth > $100k, 10% of net worth 
• Disclosure document with SEC 
• Must include audited financials for offerings > $500k 
• No general solicitation
Federal Crowdfunding Exemption 
Subject to SEC rulemaking
Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding 
• “Blue Sky” laws—state regulation of securities offerings 
• 12 states adopted equity crowdfunding rules as of August 
2014, and 12 more considering 
• Texas State Securities Board (Commissioner John Morgan) 
proposed rules May 2014—final rules expected October 2014
Texas Equity Crowdfunding 
• Permits offerings of up to $1 million to Texas investors via registered Texas 
crowdfunding portal 
• Non-accredited investors capped at $5k investment per deal 
• Available only to Texas entities 
• 80% Texas—revenues, assets, proceeds 
• Must have a defined business plan 
• Disclosure document to include certified financial statements 
• File with Securities Board, available to Bd and investors 21 days before first sale 
• Funds held in escrow with bank until target met 
• No general solicitation
Texas Equity Crowdfunding Disclosure Requirements 
• Business plan 
• History 
• Management and owners 
• Use of proceeds 
• Description of securities and capitalization 
• Certified financial statements 
• Litigation 
• Risk factors and mandatory investor warnings & legends
Texas Crowdfunding Portal 
• Must be Texas entity exclusively focused on intrastate sales of securities in 
Texas 
• Must register with Texas Securities Board 
• Must complete background checks on issuers and confirm no reasonable 
basis to believe a deal is fraudulent 
• Can’t offer investment advice or take equity in issuer 
• Can’t operate secondary securities market 
• Must verify Texas residency of investors 
• Various other substantive duties, filing and record keeping requirements, 
prohibitions
Source: SEC (via VentureBeat) 
http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/02/it-might-cost-you-39k-to-crowdfund-100k-under-the-secs-new-rules/
Questions 
• How workable is the new exemption? How does it compare 
to the alternatives? 
• What kind of deals best suited for Texas equity 
crowdfunding? 
• What kind of deal structures? 
• What kind of investors? 
• What will fee structures and other costs likely be? 
• What gotchas are lurking? Will it impact your exit strategy?
Steve Soos 
Founder, ProtoIPO
Bill Clark 
Founder, MicroVentures, Inc.
Nathan Roach, Esq. 
Founder, HiveEquity
Watch for Announcements: 
October – Go To Market Strategies 
November – Fall SBIR / STTR 
Conference
CONTACT US

Spectrum Crowdfunding: Developing & Executing a Viable Strategy (all speaker slides)

  • 9.
    Jonathan Libby Manager,Austin IBM Innovation Center
  • 10.
    Mark Roderick, Esq. Attorney at Law, Flaster Greenberg
  • 11.
    Crowdfunding 2014 TheLegal and Business Landscape Presented by: Mark S. Roderick, Esq. New Jersey | Cherry Hill Linwood Pennsylvania | Philadelphia New York | Manhattan Pleasantville Delaware | Wilmington www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 12.
    What is Crowdfunding? • “Donation-based or rewards-based Crowdfunding” like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, where donors receive a t-shirt or other item of limited value • “Equity Crowdfunding,” where investor receives stock or other security • What all kinds of Crowdfunding have in common: Raising money using the Internet www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 13.
    Flavors of EquityCrowdfunding • JOBS Act Title II • JOBS Act Title III • Rule 504 • Old Regulation A • New Regulation A+ • See Crowdfunding Cheat Sheet: www.flastergreenberg.com/assets/htmldocuments/Crowdfunding%20Cheat%20Sheet_Roderick.pdf www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 14.
    Background and Significanceof Crowdfunding • Traditional ways for entrepreneurs to raise money • Friends and family • Your own Rolodex • Brokers, accountants, lawyers, investment bankers, unlicensed “Finders” • Enter the Internet • Connecting vast pools of capital to businesses needing capital • Hugely disruptive www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 15.
    Overview of TitleII Crowdfunding • Rule 506 of Regulation D • Allows General Solicitation and Advertising • Accredited Investors Only • New Exemption for Portals www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 16.
    Overview of TitleIII Crowdfunding • Sales to Anybody • $1 Million During 12 Months • Limits On Amount Invested • Sold Only Through Portals • Lots and Lots of Regulation www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 17.
    Overview of RegulationA+ Crowdfunding • Sales to Anybody • $50 Million During 12 Months • Limit on Investment – 10% of Income or Net Worth • Federal Filing with SEC • No State Registration www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 18.
    Role of Portalsin Title II Crowdfunding • Portals Not Required – Companies May List Themselves • No Registration or Regulation of Portals • New Exemption from Broker/Dealer Registration • No-Action Letters in March 2013 • Broker/Dealer Registration • Spectrum of Possible Activities • Relationship Between Portal and Company • Relationship Between Portal and Investor • Market Segmentation • Title II Portals as Traditional Broker www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 19.
    Role of Portalsin Title III Crowdfunding • Portal Required to Act as Mini-SEC • Extremely Cumbersome Obligations • See partial list at: http://crowdfundattny.com/2013/11/11/its-easy-to-be-a-title- iii-crowdfunding-portal/ • No Ability to Differentiate Among Companies • Relationship Between Portal and Company • Relationship Between Portal and Investor www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 20.
    Crowdfunding and Broker-Dealers • JOBS Act Exemption • 2013 No-Action Letters • Compensation Arrangements Typical Today • General Broker-Dealer Rules • Movement of Industry Toward Broker-Dealer Relationships • Broker-Dealer “Plug-Ins” www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 21.
    Crowdfunding Market Today • Hundreds of Title II Portals • 90% Real Estate • Pure Equity, Pure Debt, Hybrids • Segmentation of Market Verticals • Individual Deal Model • Large Players Getting Into Market • Trickle of Money • White Label Sites • Third Party “Plug-Ins” For Everything www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 22.
    State Crowdfunding Initiatives • SEC Rule 147 As Federal Basis for State Initiatives • Growing Number of States • Different Approaches By Different States www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 23.
    Texas Crowdfunding Rule Administrative Proposal, Not A Statute Not Yet Effective – Voting At End of October 2014 Restrictive Proposal – Similar to Federal Title III – Portals Not Allowed To Have Interest in Issuer I’ve Drafted A Legislative Proposal www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 24.
    Crowdfunding Opportunities •Raising Money on Someone Else’s Portal • Crowdfunding as Investor Relations/Management Platform • Crowdfunding to Expand Existing Capital Base • Becoming a Crowdfunding Portal • Providing A Third-Party Service www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 25.
    Future of Crowdfunding • Continuation of Title II • Advent of Title III and Title IV • Large Volume of Capital Flow • Pooled Asset Funds • Growing Role of Institutional Money • Will Crowdfunding Change Wall Street, Or Will Wall Street Change Crowdfunding? www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 26.
    Questions? Mark Roderick,Esq. 856.661.2265 mark.roderick@flastergreenberg.com www.crowdfundattny.com @CrowdfundAttny www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 27.
    Crowdfunding Sites Fundrise fundrise.com Realty Mogul realtymogul.com Patch of Land patchofland.com FundersClub fundersclub.com Poliwogg poliwogg.com RealtyShares realtyshares.com OurCrowd ourcrowd.com RealCrowd realcrowd.com Lending Club lendingclub.com www.flastergreenberg.com Go Flaster.
  • 28.
    Hall Martin Director,Texas Entrepreneur Network
  • 29.
    The Rewards Model Best Execution Practices Hall T. Martin Texas Entrepreneur Network, Director
  • 30.
    Agenda Elements ofa crowdfunding campaign The Pitch video Campaign planning Q&A txenetworks.com
  • 31.
    How does itwork? 1. Choose a crowdfunding site based on your project 2. Submit your application 3. Prepare your campaign 4. Launch your campaign 5. Promote your deal to your network 6. Respond to questions and feedback 7. Raise your funds Remember: You are running a campaign
  • 32.
    Crowdfunding campaign PitchVideo Description Biography Funds Target and Timeline Updates txenetworks.com
  • 33.
    Why make apitch video? Backers want you to tell them what you are doing 2x the click-thru rate for deals with videos Objective • Tell them what you are doing in less than a minute • Demonstrate the credibility of the team txenetworks.com
  • 34.
    What to putin the video? Show yourself Show the product/concept so people get it Talk about how much you are raising and how the funds will be used Close with a Call to Action txenetworks.com
  • 35.
    Description 5 wordtag line 250 word description of the deal including What it does Why it is important How you will accomplish it What is unique about it How much funding is required txenetworks.com
  • 36.
    Biography 50 to100 word description of yourself Demonstrate your capability and experience Align your digital footprint txenetworks.com
  • 37.
    Fund Raise Target& Timeline Raise 20% of your funds target before you launch Set a campaign that lasts 30, 45,or 60 days Consider breaking the campaign into smaller mini-campaigns txenetworks.com
  • 38.
    Updates Identify updatesto share with the investors Create a sense a momentum Demonstrate traction txenetworks.com
  • 39.
    Campaign Planning Pre-Campaign—start 2 months before launch Campaign—30 day campaign Post-Campaign—1 month follow up work txenetworks.com
  • 40.
    Pre-Campaign Prepare yourmaterials Create Pitch Video, 250 word description, etc Setup blog/Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter pages Prepare your network Identify core & secondary network contacts Setup a mailing schedule (every 3 days a new mailing) Identify broader media targets for PR txenetworks.com
  • 41.
    Post-Campaign follow up Fulfill the promises made Remember to thank those who supported you txenetworks.com
  • 42.
    Running the Campaign It’s a full-time Job Follow up promptly on emails about the campaign Monitor the campaign mailings Adjust the product, pitch, and program based on feedback “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” -- Eisenhower txenetworks.com
  • 43.
    Selecting the RightPortal 1. Consider the Sector – Consumer, Crafts, Arts, etc 2. Consider the Cost – Front-end, Back-end 3. Consider the Support 4. Consider your own website txenetworks.com
  • 44.
    Five most commonmistakes 1. Not making the pitch compelling enough You need a great team doing something great Mediocre projects don’t attract much attention txenetworks.com
  • 45.
    Five most commonmistakes 2. Not promoting the raise Engage your network to start Leverage your social network to expand Develop and run a broader PR campaign txenetworks.com
  • 46.
    Five most commonmistakes 3. Not demonstrating a detailed plan You need to show how the funds will be used The plan needs to look realistic and achievable Vague or fuzzy plans do not get funded txenetworks.com
  • 47.
    Five most commonmistakes 4. Not asking for realistic amounts of funding You need to raise enough funding to accomplish the project Asking for too much or too little will kill the raise txenetworks.com
  • 48.
    Five most commonmistakes 5. Not responding to questions nor asking for feedback Respond to questions quickly and with competence Start a dialog and then build a relationship with the investor txenetworks.com
  • 49.
    To learn moreabout fund raising checkout txenetworks.com and sign up for your Fundability Score txenetworks.com
  • 50.
  • 52.
    Chris Brown, Esq. Brown Law Firm
  • 53.
    Texas Equity Crowdfunding Christopher T. Brown Attorney at Law, PLLC Austin, Texas www.brownlawatx.com SPECTRUM Sep. 30, 2014
  • 54.
    Source: Wall StreetJournal, May 21, 2014 http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/05/21/liveoak-venture-partners-closes-first-fund-to-boost-investments-in-texas/
  • 56.
    Private Placement Law101 • Securities Act of 1933—must register deals with SEC • Exemption for deals “not involving a public offering” • Regulation D safe harbor, Rule 506—concept of “accredited investor,” minimal disclosure requirements • Before JOBS Act, equity crowdfunding impeded by limitations on sales to non-accredited investors, ban on general solicitation, and broker-dealer requirements.
  • 57.
    “It ended upbeing a giant dog's breakfast of different bills combined together, and then some genius, probably some congressional staffer, said ‘How are we gonna get this thing to pass? Oh— let’s say it has something to do with jobs. Jumpstarting Our Business Startups! JOBS, JOBS!’ And then, what congressperson can vote against something called the JOBS Act? It was a miracle.” –Naval Ravikant, Co-Founder, AngelList
  • 58.
    JOBS Act—April 2012 • Liberalized restrictions on use of “general solicitation” in traditional private offerings to accredited investors under Reg D • Created new exemption for crowdfunding offerings through SEC-registered portals • Updated Reg A offering exemption • Liberalized IPO rules for “Emerging Growth Companies” Title III “Capital Raising Online While Deterring Fraud and Unethical Non-Disclosure Act of 2012”
  • 59.
    SEC Proposed CrowdfundingRules Oct. 23, 2013 • JOBS Act Title III: SEC Proposed Rules, Oct. 23, 2013 • Offerings of $1 million or less via SEC-registered portal • Investments limited based on income/net worth • If income/net worth < $100k, greater of $2k or 5% of net worth • If income/net worth > $100k, 10% of net worth • Disclosure document with SEC • Must include audited financials for offerings > $500k • No general solicitation
  • 60.
    Federal Crowdfunding Exemption Subject to SEC rulemaking
  • 61.
    Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding • “Blue Sky” laws—state regulation of securities offerings • 12 states adopted equity crowdfunding rules as of August 2014, and 12 more considering • Texas State Securities Board (Commissioner John Morgan) proposed rules May 2014—final rules expected October 2014
  • 62.
    Texas Equity Crowdfunding • Permits offerings of up to $1 million to Texas investors via registered Texas crowdfunding portal • Non-accredited investors capped at $5k investment per deal • Available only to Texas entities • 80% Texas—revenues, assets, proceeds • Must have a defined business plan • Disclosure document to include certified financial statements • File with Securities Board, available to Bd and investors 21 days before first sale • Funds held in escrow with bank until target met • No general solicitation
  • 63.
    Texas Equity CrowdfundingDisclosure Requirements • Business plan • History • Management and owners • Use of proceeds • Description of securities and capitalization • Certified financial statements • Litigation • Risk factors and mandatory investor warnings & legends
  • 64.
    Texas Crowdfunding Portal • Must be Texas entity exclusively focused on intrastate sales of securities in Texas • Must register with Texas Securities Board • Must complete background checks on issuers and confirm no reasonable basis to believe a deal is fraudulent • Can’t offer investment advice or take equity in issuer • Can’t operate secondary securities market • Must verify Texas residency of investors • Various other substantive duties, filing and record keeping requirements, prohibitions
  • 65.
    Source: SEC (viaVentureBeat) http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/02/it-might-cost-you-39k-to-crowdfund-100k-under-the-secs-new-rules/
  • 66.
    Questions • Howworkable is the new exemption? How does it compare to the alternatives? • What kind of deals best suited for Texas equity crowdfunding? • What kind of deal structures? • What kind of investors? • What will fee structures and other costs likely be? • What gotchas are lurking? Will it impact your exit strategy?
  • 67.
  • 68.
    Bill Clark Founder,MicroVentures, Inc.
  • 76.
    Nathan Roach, Esq. Founder, HiveEquity
  • 80.
    Watch for Announcements: October – Go To Market Strategies November – Fall SBIR / STTR Conference
  • 81.

Editor's Notes

  • #3 23 years supporting creation and growth of business
  • #5 Serving 79 Texas counties through 10 field centers and 2 specialty centers (under the leadership and support of Al Salgado and Mary Peters)