Equity Crowdfunding (Reg A+) allows small business owners to raise investment capital using traditional and digital marketing from non-accredited investors and bypassing the headaches of roadshows and VC pitch-fests.
What is Regulation A+?
On April 5, 2012, President Barack Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (or JOBS Act), with the goal to create more opportunities for both entrepreneurs and investors. What this act did was set in motion laws that would allow everyday investors to purchase shares in startups.
Traditionally, the only individuals who could easily invest in startups, whether buying debt in a restaurant or equity in the next mobile app, were accredited investors.
Accredited investors are those who:
But with Regulation A+, companies can raise money from the entire public: both accredited and non-accredited investors can participate. It is no longer fundraising from the wealthy, but from the crowd: friends, family, users, community members, and more can all participate in a raise.
Today's guest, Darren Marble is one of the world's leading experts in Equity Crowding and is embarking on an exciting new serialized program for Entrepreneur.com that will follow 5 founders on the road from raising capital using this method all the way to a full NASDAQ IPO (initial public offering).
And they're looking for entrepreneurs right now for the casting process (as of August 2020).
For the first time ever, “Going Public” will give viewers around the world the opportunity to invest in the five featured companies at the Regulation A+ IPO price. Existing customers and fans can now invest in the companies they know and admire alongside institutional investors as the series unfolds.
The series begins as the leadership of featured companies connect the audience to their vision, mission, and values.
Viewers get behind the scenes as founders take their companies out on a public roadshow, seek guidance from notable mentors along the way, and watch with anticipation to find out if the companies complete their Regulation A+ IPOs.
If you own a business now, this could be a very fortunate episode to listen to because Darren and his company are currently casting new entrepreneurs to feature on Going Public which you can see more about by visiting GoingPublic.com
They are currently seeking high growth consumer products companies but may consider other industry verticals. Ideal candidates will have a minimum of $5 million in annual revenue with at least 2 years of operating history and seeking to raise $15 million or more. (Companies that are pre-product or pre-revenue will not be reviewed.)
Darren Marble – Founder, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director Crush Capital
Darren Marble is a serial entrepreneur. In 2018, Darren co-founded Issuance, a leading provider of software as a service (“SaaS”) solutions for Regulation A issuers. Issuance’s Regulation A clients have raised over $150 million to date. Beginning in 2015, Darren was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CrowdfundX, a financial marketing firm focused on direct-to-investor retail marketing in connection with Regulation A offerings.
CrowdfundX was acquired by Issuance in 2019 and Darren remains the CEO at Issuance. Darren co-founded the Crowd Invest Summit and is a contributor to Business Insider, Inc. and CryptoSlate. His insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Darren attended the University of California, Los Angeles from 1998 to 2002 with a focus on Psychology.