ASSOB

The seduction of a “new asset class” is killing “unaccredited investor” Equity Crowdfunding

While in Thailand on holiday I noticed that having your own stall, stand, shop or business is often the difference between survival and poverty. There are hundreds of thousands of businesses like this. Imagine if you had a business that was valuable to the village and you wanted to raise funds by getting a some village folk to invest. …

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Why equity crowdfunding for start-ups is right for Australia: Paul Niederer

This BRW article by Adir Shiffman inspired this post! “Why equity crowdfunding for start-ups is wrong for Australia: entrepreneur Adir Schiffman” Whenever I read “alternative investment class” and “crowdfunding” in the same sentence I get nervous. Having been invited and discussed equity crowdfunding with many overseas security regulators, including the U.S. SEC and FINRA, the …

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‘Small Scale’ Equity Offerings ARE Equity Crowdfunding Raises!

Australia’s ‘Small Scale Offerings’ legislation combined with our regulator ASIC’s ‘Class Order’ or exemption to the rules regarding the promotion of these types of equity offers is, inarguably the first equity crowdfunding legislation in the world. Both the Small Scale Offerings legislation that was enshrined into our Commonwealth Corporations Act in 2000 and the ASIC Class Order …

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Equity Crowdfunding is not an extrapolation of Reward Crowdfunding

Because reward crowdfunding came first most regulators are fashioning their equity crowdfunding legislation for unaccredited investors around the pathway and figures reward crowdfunding has trodden. They are two different animals though. 1) Reward crowdfunding is based on instant gratification (You get the DVD, watch, cooler etc as a reward) 2) Equity crowdfunding is based on …

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Equity Crowdfunding and Regions

A hundred years or so ago regional funding was all the rage. Crowdfunding legislation is again looking at regions as one state after another legitimises intra-state crowdfunding. In the video below I detail the shift in funding from regions to one central point and back again. Stock Exchanges used to be primarily funding matchmakers The …

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Australian Crowdfunding Hangout closing thoughts from ASSOB’s Paul Niederer and CAMAC’s John Kluver

Andrew Ward and Startup88 recently hosted a discussion on the recent CAMAC Australian report on Crowdfunding. Here are the closing summaries from Paul Niederer and John Kluver. The full discussion can be accessed here! My view is that the report was well researched and well written. However unless there are other changes in the early …

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For many Startups there is no “Crowd” in Equity Crowdfunding

Crowd is a broad word and it can be your crowd (or tribe), someone else’s crowd (their tribe) or an awaiting crowd in the big wide world. While many a crowdfunding raise yearns to leap into volumes of people that the offering has no contact with at the start of the raise, in reality, not …

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Some minor changes will enable Australia to fully embrace Equity Crowdfunding

INTRO Country after country, state after state are introducing regulations to facilitate equity crowdfunding for entrepreneurs and investors. This is normally sold by the implementers as a combination of ways to create more jobs and fund businesses that are finding it more difficult in the post GFC era to get funding. Unfortunately Australia isn’t even …

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Equity Crowdfunding can reduce friends and family tension

So Auntie Madge has a bit of money. You have a brilliant idea that needs funding. Madge is not so savvy about startups but she loves your story, your enthusiasm (and you) and hands over her $10,000. supposedly for equity. Other than hope … what does she get in return. And how do you feel? Over …

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Crowdfunding is not a “set and forget” model

This post is inspired by a quote from Dr Richard Swart. He is a globally recognized authority on crowdfunding, equity crowdfunding and crowdfund investing. He directs the University of California, Berkeley research program studying crowdfunding and innovation. Recently he hosted an event where five years of statistics from the ASSOB equity crowdfunding platform were presented in the form …

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