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SEC Issues Three-Year Research Study on Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) Fundraising Campaigns

26 Jul

Leading Crowdfunding Industry Analyst Firm, Crowdfund Capital Advisors, States Now is the Time to Update the Regulation to Further Enable Capital Formation

Washington, DC – Recently the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published a staff report on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), also known as Title III Crowdfunding.

The Commission, in the adopting rules, stated that the “staff will undertake to study and submit a research report to the Commission no later than three years following the effective date of Regulation Crowdfunding on the impact of the regulation on capital formation and investor protection.”

The report finds the size of market, while modest in comparison to the broader financial markets, is evolving and doing so without any material risk to investors. Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) data and analysis were cited in 7 references throughout the report.

“The industry is evolving systematically and responsibly,” says CCA Principal Sherwood Neiss. “With the appropriate adjustments to the regulation we can further enable capital formation without risk to investors. The time is now for the SEC to act.”
Sherwood Neiss, Crowdfunding Capital Advisors, testifies before the SEC

Sherwood Neiss, Crowdfunding Capital Advisors, testifies at the SEC

The CCA data and references used by the SEC were attributed to analysis by CCA and published in VentureBeat as well as Crowdfund Insider. The data comes from CCA’s CCLEAR Database. CCLEAR is the leading Regulation Crowdfunding database that collects, cleans, aggregates and reports on all companies seeking funds via Regulation Crowdfunding as well as those doing parallel 506(c) offerings.

A 506(c) offering is an online accredited investor offering. A parallel offering allows an issuer to run two offerings side-by-side and group the accredited investors in one pool and the Reg CF investors in another. This type of offering is popular for issuers that seek to raise in excess of the $1.07M cap in Regulation Crowdfunding.

Issuers that seek to raise funds via Reg CF must file a Form C (a form filed by a company (issuer) with the SEC before starting to raise capital and discloses financial information for its current and prior fiscal years) as well as a Form C-U (a progress report that an issuer files that discloses total capital raised).

Data that the SEC does not collect in either of these disclosures includes information like industry, a breakdown on the cost of the offering, daily change in capital commitments, daily changes in investors and information on a company’s valuation.

CCLEAR collects all this missing data which allows for more detailed analysis of the market including which industries are most popular with the crowd, which regions of the country have the lowest/highest overall valuations, what industries the crowd is most interested in supporting, etc.

An entire section of the report titled “Cost to issuers of undertaking a crowdfunding offering” came directly from research CCA did with issuers successful with Regulation Crowdfunding.

A key finding from our research, which was highlighted in the report, was that “the total cost of creating a campaign page, issuer disclosures, film, and video, and hiring a marketing firm, a lawyer, and an accountant amounts to approximately 5.3% of the amount raised.”

This average was based on feedback from 81 issuers. “This amount is substantially less than what a typical issuer would incur in a Regulation D offering,” says CCA principal Sherwood Neiss “and is a key reason why more companies should be looking at Reg CF as an attractive pathway to raising funds.”

The report provides a detailed look at how Regulation Crowdfunding has performed through December, 2018. (For people interested in data through today’s date, you can find it on CCLEAR’s Daily Dashboard – see below for the latest data).

“Unlike opponents who said regulated crowdfunding would open the floodgates to fraud, we have yet to see fraud materialize,” says Neiss.

“This is because there are easier ways to defraud investors than to come up with an idea for a business, incorporate it under federal laws, convince a funding portal to list you, spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to bring your friends, family and followers to the campaign page, and then hitting 100% of your funding target or the commitments get returned.

Add on top of this the hundreds of discerning eyes picking apart a campaign in the comments section. These types of ‘built-in investor protections don’t exist in other parts of the private capital markets.”

Multiple recommendations were included in the report on how to improve Regulation Crowdfunding. The SEC cited a US treasury Report entitled “A Financial System That Creates Economic Opportunities.”

The Report recommends:

  1. Allowing single-purpose crowdfunding vehicles advised by a registered investment adviser;
  2. Waiving certain crowdfunding offering limits for accredited investors;
  3. Amending certain crowdfunding investment limits by other investors;
  4. Modifying the Exchange Act’s Section 12(g) exemption;
  5. And increasing the limit on how much can be raised through crowdfunding from $1M to $5M.

CCA’s principals were interviewed and cited in the Treasury report. The Fed’s recommendations were a summary of CCA’s more detailed recommendations as requested.

“The industry is evolving systematically and responsibly,” ended Neiss. “With the appropriate adjustments to the regulation we can further enable capital formation without risk to investors. The time is now for the SEC to act.”

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Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding PR” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

RE-volv and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Offering Hurricane Zones $120,000 of Matching Funds to Install Solar Panels on Schools, Community Centers, Homeless Shelters, Churches and Other Types of Non-Profit Organizations

22 Sep

Good Samaritan’s that Donate $25 to $1,000 to Help Non-Profits Install Solar Power Arrays Will Receive a Tax Credit in Return for Their Donation to Help Generate Clean, Green Solar Electricity

By Robert Hoskins

Puerto Rico – The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation will provide a $120,000 award of matching funds to RE-volv, a solar crowdfunding platform, to install affordable roof top or community solar power for any non-profit organization located in Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, and impacted cities throughout the United States. This makes it easy for any charity fundraising organization, school, community center, homeless shelter, pet welfare shelter, church or any other type of 503(c) non-profit organization that would like to install a solar power system to go to revolv.org and build a free crowdfunding profile that will allow them to raise enough money from friends, family and the general public to build solar power arrays that will generate free solar electricity for the next 25 years.

RE-volv and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Offering Hurricane Zones $120,000 of Matching Funds to Install Solar on Schools, Community Centers, Homeless Shelters, and Churches

RE-volv and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Offering Hurricane Zones $120,000 of Matching Funds to Install Solar on Schools, Community Centers, Homeless Shelters, and Churches

Good Samaritans that would like join academy-award winner, Leonardo DiCapri, and RE-volv in supporting solar crowdfunding campaigns to provide free solar power can donate money online with a credit card.  Anyone that makes a donation will receive a tax credit that can be filed with their personal or corporate tax return at the end of the year.

The partnership will provide matching funding for RE-volv’s 503 (c) crowdfunding platform, allowing donors the opportunity to double their contributions with support from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

RE-volv supports solar energy projects for nonprofits that lack access to financing options. An estimated 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. face financial barriers to obtaining solar power, as they do not qualify for solar tax credits or are too small to attract traditional investors. RE-volv bridges this funding gap for organizations that provide valuable public services to vulnerable communities, including homeless shelters, schools, community centers, and houses of worship. This is the largest grant to date for RE-volv, a two-time awardee of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative.

“RE-volv is working to make sure that the benefits of solar can reach everyone, including nonprofit organizations and the people they serve,” said Andreas Karelas, Executive Director of RE-volv. “Thanks to this generous grant from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, RE-volv will be able to scale its impact and bring solar to even more nonprofits around the country.”

RE-volv’s unique solar crowdfunding platform is the first to employ a revolving fund. Donors select a specific nonprofit to support and, as the project pays back dividends through a solar lease agreement, the user can then reinvest their earnings into new solar projects through the RE-volv platform. This pay-it-forward model helps to accelerate solar energy deployment in local communities while keeping donors engaged in solar projects.

“The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is excited to support RE-volv,” said Gregory Lopez, Climate Program Director of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. “Not only is their work important in deploying solar energy and reducing greenhouse gasses, their unique solar crowdfunding business model provides an introduction of accessible, renewable energy to new communities.”

To date, RE-volv has raised over $300,000 from over 1,000 people in 22 countries. It has crowdfunded ten solar projects (150 kW of capacity) in four states, include Harbor House in Oakland, which serves refugee, immigrant, and low-income families with after-school programs and ESL classes, and Morris Chapel Baptist Church, the oldest African American Church in Philadelphia.

Thanks to the solar crowdfunding campaigns, grantees are expected to save between 15 and 40 percent on their electric bills. In total, these ten nonprofits will save more than $1.5 million over the life of their solar energy systems. RE-volv’s solar revolving fund, the Solar Seed Fund, is now worth $650,000 in future lease payments from these ten projects – payments which will be used to finance at least 20 more solar energy projects.

In addition to financing projects, RE-volv invites college students, community volunteers and solar advocates to become RE-volv Solar Ambassadors, who in turn lead ground efforts to deploy solar. RE-volv has educated 10,000 people about solar energy through training, outreach, and more than 100 events.

RE-volv empowers people to take direct action on climate change by crowdfunding solar energy projects for nonprofit organizations. Donations made to RE-volv’s crowdfunding campaigns grow a revolving fund that provides solar financing for nonprofits across the nation. RE-volv is an inaugural member of the White House National Community Solar Partnership.

Founded in 1998, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) works to protect the Earth’s last wild places by implementing solutions that restore balance to threatened ecosystems, and ensuring the long-term health and wellbeing of all its inhabitants.

# # #

Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

 

Texas Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Crowdfunding Campaigns

28 Aug

Hundreds of Thousands of Texans Need Your Crowdfunding Donations to Help Pay for Food, Water, Shelter, Repairs, Emergency First Responder Services and All Storm-Related Cleanup Expenses

By Robert Hoskins

Houston, Texas – If your family or friends need free help creating a Hurricane Harvey Relief crowdfunding profile to raise money to help pay for pay for food, water, shelter, repairs, emergency first responder services and all storm-related cleanup expenses, visit https://crowdfundingtrainingclasses.wordpress.com first, then call Robert Hoskins at 512-627-6622 for free crowdfunding advice, consulting and marketing services to help raise money for your loved ones.

Front Page PR Offers Hurricane Harvey Victims and Evacuees Free Crowdfunding Marketing Services to Help Them Launch Crowdfunding Campaigns to Fund Home and Business Repairs

Front Page PR Offers Hurricane Harvey Victims and Evacuees Free Crowdfunding Marketing Services to Help Them Launch Crowdfunding Campaigns to Request Donations to Help Fund Disaster Relief

Below is the initial list of Hurricane Harvey Crowdfunding Campaigns that will benefit from a $25 to $100 donation from Good Samaritans that want to do the right thing and help out with just one small donation. It would be best to donate to individual families with their full names and locations posted in the crowdfunding profiles first, then local governments, chambers of commerce, emergency first responders and then local businesses that you know and trust.

Families: 

Help for Gary and Tammy Telles in Port Aransas

Keliy Anderson-Staley in Houston

Samantha Rae Zontini in Richmond

Watson Family in Houston

Terry Wickwire Homeless Relief

Mike Cutler Hurricane Fund

Christenson Family Hurricane Relief

Elise Smith in Rockport Hurricane Relief

Erika & Jamal in Houston

Dustin and Family in Friendswood

Chambers of Commerce:

Rockport Fulton Chamber of Commerce

Schools:

KIPP Houston High School

Harmony Public Schools

Emergency First Responders:

Helicopter Rescue Texas Disaster Relief for Houston Area

Businesses:

eXp Realty Agents and Brokers Hurricane Relief

4 Paws Farm/ I Love My Dog Team

Houston Goodfellas

General Funds:

Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Response

GoFundMe Hurricane Harvey Relief

YouCaring Houston Flood Relief Fund

GlobalGiving Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

We will add every Hurricane Harvey Crowdfunding Campaign to this list as we receive them! Please the send us a tweet on Twitter at @Crowdfunding_PR or @FrontPage_PR, or an instant message via Facebook at Front Page PR or Crowdfunding PR Campaigns!  We will push this information to millions of crowdfunding campaign supporters, 100% free with no strings attached.

Sign Up Here for Free Help Creating a Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Crowdfunding Campaign:

# # #

Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

 

 

 

 

Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign Offers Hot Deal on STCKBLS BBQ Grilling System for Organized Tailgating

15 Aug

The STCKBLS Grilling system is an affordable stackable, modular, portable solution that is perfect for organized tail gating, camping or backyard BBQs

By Robert HoskinsCrowdfunding PR

The STCKBLS Grill and related modules will also be offered at very attractive early-birds discounts for supporters during the beginning days of the crowdfunding campaign.

Features include:

  • Easy Expandability, with modules engineered to be placed neatly side-by-side to form a practically unlimited grilling area or large or small tailgating needs
  • Proper heat distribution, with the grill designed to foster even cooking without flare-ups
  • Sufficient heat output, with the grill providing 12,000 BTU per hour
  • Portable and modular design, with each module equipped with handles, weighing less than 44 pounds and having the same 18 by 18-inch footprint to allow for easy and organized stacking
  • Other modules include a cooler for storing beverages, meats and other items, as well as a utility box with sliding drawers.
  • Strength and durability, with all modules encased in high-quality steel
The STCKBLS Grill system, a stackable, modular, portable and complete BBQ grilling system

The STCKBLS BBQ Grilling system is an affordable stackable, modular, portable and complete for tail gating, camping or backyard grilling system

Developed by STCKBLS Founders Eric Djie and George Mathew, the STCKBLS BBQ Grilling system was developed by grill-masters for grill-masters.

“We wanted to create the ultimate grilling system. After designing gas and charcoal grills for many years for other companies, I wanted to create a BBQ grilling system that combined all my past design ideas that would foster the ultimate grilling experience,” Djie said. “We made it look and feel cool and sturdy. Some call it the first real ‘manly,’ portable grill system.”

Its associated grill stand also acts as both a table and a cart for the grills and other modules available, which makes STCKBLS both innovative and functional.

“We believe the STCKBLS Grilling  system design delivers a beautiful, portable BBQing solution that serves a very useful purpose,” Djie said. “Our complementary coolers and grill utility boxes can also be stacked and easily transported to form a complete barbecue grilling system.”

The STCKBLS Grill is also unlike many other portable grills on the market today because it is built with stronger materials and made to last longer than its retail competitors.

“The BBQ grilling industry isn’t high growth, so many grill manufacturers lower their quality standards to increase profits, which means most portable gas grills are only designed to last one or two seasons and then be discarded,” Mathew said. “We believe strongly in sustainability, so we designed the STCKBLS Grill system with higher quality materials to last much longer than normal. We want to grow profits from highly-satisfied customers buying other STCKBLS modules, not from replacing their STCKBLS Grills.”

Mathew adds that the company decided to offer the grill through crowdfunding rather than traditional retail outlets to make the revolutionary portable grill more affordable to consumers and enable the company to create higher-quality, longer-lasting products at the same time.

“Combining grill modules allows for a practically unlimited, contiguous cooking surface, which makes the STCKBLS Grill perfect for tailgating and outdoor parties,” Djie said.

# # #

Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

 

Front Page PR Rolls Out Turnkey PR/Media Relations Service Portfolio for Franchises, Construction, Home Services (Solar & Energy Efficiency), Industrial, Manufacturing, and High-Tech Companies

12 Jun

For less than $5k per month, this leading public relations, social media and marketing firm will help startups, existing companies and corporations generate more website traffic and increase monthly sales

By Robert Hoskins

Maryville, Tennessee – Seeking a leading edge PR firm? Whether your company needs help generating publicity for a franchise’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not event or would benefit from generating positive PR publicity for a business-to-business (B2B) home service company that installs solar, saves money with home energy audits or offers HVAC tuneup services to help homeowners save money on monthly energy bills, Front Page PR can provide a cost-effective, turnkey growth-hacking marketing program for around $5,000+tax per month.

Front Page PR Rolls Out Turnkey PR/Media Relations Service Portfolio for Franchises, Construction, Home Services (Solar & Energy Efficiency), Industrial, Manufacturing, and High-Tech Companies

Front Page PR Rolls Out Turnkey PR/Media Relations Service Portfolio for Franchises, Construction, Home Services (Solar & Energy Efficiency), Industrial, Manufacturing, and High-Tech Companies

Front Page PR’s team of marketing experts can help growing companies write press releases, develop online press rooms, build social media networks, plan a digital advertising program, write search engine optimized blog pages for content marketing, generate precise databases of vertical B2B media contacts, write effective media pitches, build media relationships with the management team, find trade show panels discussion for subject matter experts to speak at and harvest email addresses for carefully-tailored email marketing programs. An excellent price for a full portfolio marketing services that is hard to beat and represents one of the most cost-effective deals in the B2B marketing industry.

“One of the most challenging decisions that most small companies face is hiring their first marketing consulting firm,” said Robert Hoskins, Front Page PR’s Director of PR and Media Relations. “Regardless of whether it’s a small startup seeking to gain market traction, a small business that wants to expand their existing business operations or a large corporation that is seeking merger and acquisition partners, our team of seasoned media relations experts can help any business move mountains with words and sway public persuasion with positive trade publication and business media interviews.”

“The average rate that most PR firms charge clients is $10,000 to $20,000 per month or $60,000 to $240,000 per year. The metric or question that all firms need to measure when evaluating their PR/media relations budget is, ‘Is my PR firm capable of generating at least $1 of media publicity for every $1 I spend on their PR consulting fees?’ ” Hoskins continued. “With that said, if a company can find a PR firm that can generate a 300% return-on-investment (ROI) for a budget of $60,000 per year, that’s equivalent to hiring three professional, seasoned marketing professionals, and/or receiving a minimum of $300,000 in positive, credible media exposure. Not many firms can deliver on this expectation, but our team can.”

Have an interest in learning more? Please give Front Page PR a call at (512) 627-6622 to learn more and to receive a free 30-minute review of your website, your social media credentials and an off-the-cuff review of what first steps might be taken to generate more website traffic, produce more business leads and how to help your sales team close deals on more new business. Front Page PR wants your business and is willing to work hard to earn your business, complete with a great ROI.

# # #

Contact:
Robert Hoskins
Front Page PR
(512) 627-6622

Crowd Cow Opens New Unique “Cow Crowdfunding” Marketplace to Pre-Sell Premium Cuts of Grass Fed Beef to Consumers Nationwide

7 Jun

U.S. consumers can now pre-order the healthiest and best-tasting, sustainably-raised beef from independent ranchers via the world’s only online dry-aged beef crowdfunding platform

Seattle, Washington – Just in time for Father’s Day and the summer barbeque season, food tech startup Crowd Cow announced that it is now shipping to beef lovers throughout the U.S. The sharing economy’s latest big idea allows consumers to buy portions of an actual cow online with strangers by claiming their favorite cuts, tipping the cow and becoming a “steak holder.” Backed by the likes of NFL great Joe Montana, the founders of Zulily and venture firms such as Fuel Capital and Maveron, Crowd Cow now makes it fun and convenient for consumers nationwide to order from independent farms, and enjoy the great taste and transparency of sustainably-raised beef.

U.S. consumers now have convenient access to the healthiest and best tasting sustainably raised beef from independent ranchers

U.S. consumers now have convenient access to the healthiest and best tasting sustainably raised beef from independent ranchers

Whole Cow, Whole Country
Crowd Cow cuts out the middleman to bring sustainably-raised beef direct to consumers, including access to beef that’s hard (if not impossible) to find in stores like grass-finished Black Angus and sought-after varieties like Wagyu — all of it dry-aged and hormone and antibiotic free.

Crowd Cow’s unique whole-cow, independent ranch approach means more transparency for consumers and greater reach for farms. “We hand-select the best producers and bring their beef to consumers everywhere, pairing every shipment with recipes and support. As a result, marrow bones and tongues sell out as quickly as tenderloins and nothing goes to waste,” says co-founder Joe Heitzeberg.

How Crowd Cow Works
Crowd Cow features a particular ranch, detailing their story and practices in a short video and web page. Users select from the cuts of a single animal, choosing as much or as little of the exact cuts they want. When everything is sold, the company ships direct to their door with recipes and a welcome note from the founders.

Food Study Trends and Consumer Reports
The company’s success to-date aligns with growing consumer demand for visibility into where food comes from. According to the Food Revolution Study, 94 percent of consumers say it’s important for brands to be transparent about what is in their food and how it is made. At the same time, a Consumer Reports survey found that 80% of consumers think better living conditions for farm animals is important. By featuring specialty beef producers with each event, and detailing how they feed and treat their animals, Crowd Cow is at the forefront of shifting the beef industry towards a more sustainable model in demand by health-conscious consumers.

Crowd Cow Was Founded by Tech Start Up Veterans
Crowd Cow was founded in 2015 by startup veterans Ethan Lowry (Urbanspoon) and Joe Heitzeberg (Madrona Venture Labs). After hearing a friend brag about how much better beef from independent ranches was, but discovering that it is typically only sold to specialty restaurants, high end butcher shops or in quantities of 300 to 600 pounds at a time, they sought out a better solution.

“Our friend told us we’d need a meat freezer, a pickup truck and a few thousand dollars in cash,” explains Heitzeberg. “Ethan suggested that we utilize crowdfunding to pre-sell cows so 50 people could each purchase 5 to 10 pounds of quality, dry-aged beef.” After emailing 100 friends, the first cow was sold in 24 hours and was delivered in time for July 4th BBQs.

# # #

Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-eight years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following and is dedicated to supporting a wide variety of donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

Real Estate Lender Zeus CrowdFunding Offers the Crowdlending Industry’s First Customer Loyalty Program

11 May

The Zeus CrowdFunding offers loans for property acquisition, refinancing, discounted home buying, renovation projects, transitional properties, non-traditional borrowers, fix-and-flip projects, fix-and-hold projects, transactional financing, gap financing, and time-sensitive transactions

 By Robert Hoskins

Houston, TexasZeus CrowdFunding, the fastest real estate crowdlending site in America, will offer borrowers a new incentive unmatched in the rapidly growing financial sector: the real estate crowdfunding industry’s first loyalty program. Repeat borrowers with the company can borrow up to 80 percent of a property’s after-repair value (ARV).

The ZeusCrowdFunding.com platform offers borrowers the flexibility to structure custom-tailored financing options that address a variety of unique transactions involving property acquisition, refinancing, discounted home buying, renovation projects, transitional properties, non-traditional borrowers, fix-and-flip projects, fix-and-hold projects, transactional financing, gap financing, and transactions requiring time-sensitive funding.

The ZeusCrowdFunding offers loans for property acquisition, refinancing, discounted home buying, renovation projects, transitional properties, non-traditional borrowers, fix-and-flip projects, fix-and-hold projects, transactional financing, gap financing, and time-sensitive transactions

The program is called LoyaltyZ, and its mechanics are simple. On a borrower’s first loan with Zeus CrowdFunding, they’re eligible to receive up to 75 percent loan-to-value (LTV) of his or her approved project’s ARV. With each loan that they finish paying back to Zeus CrowdFunding, the borrower will receive one more point on their LTV on their next loan—up to 80 percent of the ARV.

On a borrower’s second loan from Zeus CrowdFunding, for example, he or she is eligible to borrow up to 76 percent of the ARV; on his or her third loan, up to 77 percent, and so on. Beginning with his or her sixth loan, a repeat borrower can borrow up to 80 percent of the ARV on every loan.

Zeus CrowdFunding Founder and Chief Acceleration Officer Steven Kaufman says that LoyaltyZ was designed for real estate borrowers interested in completing multiple projects as quickly as possible. No additional sign-up or commitment is required of them.

“Simply put, we devised the real estate crowdfunding industry’s only loyalty rewards program because we value repeat business more than our competitors do,” Mr. Kaufman said. “We find it’s a valuable differentiator in an increasingly crowded marketplace that our customers love. It helps Zeus CrowdFunding to build ongoing relationships with real estate investors in our homebase of Texas and across the United States.

“Best of all, borrowers who pay off more than one loan with us are eligible to receive their funding in as little as three days,” he added.

For more information about Zeus CrowdFunding and the real estate crowdfunding industry’s only loyalty program, please visit AskZeus.com. The platform specializes in lending opportunities up to $2 million, secured by first lien and personal guarantees. New borrowers can receive real estate financing in as little as four days.

Zeus Mortgage Bank is a Texas-based mortgage lender providing the right loan at the right time at the right price for our clients. We pride ourselves on being the fastest mortgage lender in America, and our clients love our Lifetime Mortgage Warranty.

Zeus CrowdFunding is an online real estate crowdfunding platform that was launched by Zeus Trust Company in 2016. The ZeusCrowdFunding.com platform offers borrowers the flexibility to structure custom-tailored financing options that address a variety of unique transactions involving property acquisition, refinancing, discounted home buying, renovation projects, transitional properties, non-traditional borrowers, fix-and-flip projects, fix-and-hold projects, transactional financing, gap financing, and transactions requiring time-sensitive funding.

# # #

Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-eight years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

US$1.7 Trillion In ‘Dry Powder’ Available for Global Real Estate Equity Crowdfunding Investment Opportunities in 2017, CBRE Survey Finds

24 Mar

North America is Preferred Region for Global Real Estate Investors | London, Los Angeles and Sydney Most Popular Regional City Targets

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, California – Stronger economic growth, the availability of debt capital, and a more positive outlook from investors is expected to drive global capital flows in 2017, with $1.7 trillion of ‘dry powder’ available to deploy in real estate this year, according to the CBRE Global Investor Intentions Survey 2017.

US$1.7 Trillion In Dry Powder Available for Global Real Estate Equity Crowdfunding Investments in 2017, CBRE Survey Finds

US$1.7 Trillion In Dry Powder Available for Global Real Estate Equity Crowdfunding Investments in 2017, CBRE Survey Finds

The CBRE 2017 global survey reveals that investors have ample capital and a strong motivation to invest in real estate because of its relatively high income yield. North America is the preferred region for investors, with London, Los Angeles and Sydney the most popular cities in each of the major regions. Office is the most popular asset sector, with logistics up strongly in 2017 and a very close second.

The survey results reveal that the sum total of planned capital expenditure in real estate by investors is $1.7 trillion. The majority of investors indicate that their buying activity will increase or remain the same compared to 2016. Those investors planning to spend more (40%) outweigh those planning to spend less (16%) by a margin, indicating a continuing positive attitude to real estate as an asset class.

Despite a volatile global political environment and key European elections set to take place in France and Germany, investors are relatively unconcerned about global or local politics. Investors’ main concerns are: an undefined ‘global economic shock’ (22%) and ‘faster than expected rises in interest rates’ (21 percent). The latter concern is felt much more strongly this year and is the biggest change from 2016.

“This time last year, investors were reeling from the volatility in world stock markets, now they are seeing equities reach record highs and economic sentiment is positive. Although there is uncertainty about the direction that economic policy will take, there is also a growing anticipation that changes will unlock growth. While there are some clouds on the horizon–emerging market debt looks problematic as does Greece’s financial situation–economic momentum, alongside the yield advantages of property as an asset class, should ensure another year of substantial capital flows into global real estate,” said Chris Ludeman, Global President, Capital Markets, CBRE.

In last year’s survey, investors had shifted decisively in favor of core assets and away from secondary and value-added risk classes. That trend has partially reversed in 2017 with a fall in demand for core assets and an increased interest in core-plus and opportunistic assets. Nearly half of investors (48%) cite the high price of real estate as the main obstacle to deploying capital. This increased interest in core-plus and opportunistic reflects that issue, but it also shows that investors are slightly more ‘risk on’ than they were last year.

In the Americas, Los Angeles is the stand-out preference for investors. Dallas/Fort Worth has moved into second place. Washington, D.C. is the biggest mover, entering the top six at fourth position, having not featured last year. Atlanta moves up one place and Seattle is in seventh position, having not made the top tier last year.

Within EMEA, London remains the most attractive city for investors. Berlin has moved up two places to become the second most preferred destination. While there is some concern about European elections, so far this does not seem to have dampened appetite for real estate. The survey shows that, despite the uncertainty over Brexit, investors are increasingly interested in the UK.

In APAC, Sydney is once again the top destination, with Tokyo second by some distance. Australia’s cities remain highly popular with APAC investors because of their liquidity, transparency and positive long-term prospects. Seoul has dropped out of the top six and Hong Kong has moved in.

Office is the preferred sector for investors (26%), with multifamily (21%) and logistics (22%) also highly popular. The preference for retail has dropped sharply from last year (21% to 12%). Americas-based investors have a strong preference for logistics and multifamily; two sectors that have performed extremely well this cycle due to changes in technology and demographics. EMEA and APAC investors have relatively more interest in the offices and retail sectors.

The responses were spread across a range of investor types. The most numerous were fund/asset managers, who accounted for 34% of survey participants. Insurance companies, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds were responsible for 10%. The other most numerous respondents were private property companies (11%), private equity companies (9%), listed property companies (incl. REITS) (8%) and developers (8%).

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2016 revenue).  The company has more than 75,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate investors and occupiers through approximately 450 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide.
CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services.
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Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

SEC Issues Progress Report on United States Title III Equity Crowdfunding Growth Rate

15 Mar

Approximately 163 separate offerings were filed by 156 issuers, seeking a total of approximately $18 million

By Robert Hoskins

Washington, DC – The SEC just released a white paper entitled, U.S. securities-based crowdfunding under Title III of the JOBS Act, which analyzes crowdfunded offerings during the first six months following May 16, 2016 when Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding become official. The SEC’s white paper, which was prepared for Scott Bauguess, the Acting Chief Economist and Acting Director of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA), noted that the majority equity crowdfunding offerings to date have not utilized Regulation D as much as predicted.

Top 20 Title III Equity Crowdfunding Sites in U.S.

The white paper does go into great detail about five largest Title III crowdfunding portals based on the number of offerings, which accounted for 71% of the offerings launched during 2016.  The five largest Title III crowdfunding sites  also accounted for 64% of the total amount of funds raised. And while more 20 crowdfunding sites were listed, most of the offering activity was limited to 25% of active platforms in the Title III crowdfunding marketplace. And, if you ran the numbers for completed offerings, you would see that the top five largest intermediaries accounted for more than 90% of the market share.

The table below low shows the list of the Top Performing Title III Crowdfunding Portals sorted on the number of initiated offerings and then by the target amounts of the initiated offerings, excluding offerings withdrawn as of December 31, 2016.

Top 20 Title III Equity Crowdfunding Sites Ranked by Number of Offerings

Top 20 Title III Equity Crowdfunding Sites Ranked by Number of Offerings

 

Most Successful Types of Title III Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns

Many people want to know what the types of Title III crowdfunding campaigns were the most successful. Preferred Equity led the pack at 36%, followed bySimple Agreements for Future Equity at 26%, Debt at 20%, Units at 7%, Convertible Notes at 6% and Miscellaneous accounted for the remaining 5%, which included Revenue Sharing and Membership / LLC Interests.

Distribution of Title III Equity Crowdfunding Offerings

Distribution of Title III Equity Crowdfunding Offerings

 

Top States for Launching Title III Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns

Another interesting way to look at growing crowdfunding industry is to examine what states launched the most successful Title III Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns.  In the table below you can see that California/Silicon Valley launched the most Title III crowdfunding campaigns, followed closely by Texas/Silicon Hills at 19%, New York at 14%, Massachusetts and Illinois tying at 9%, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, Oregon, and Pennsylvania bringing up the back to the pack, all with 5%.

Geographic Distribution of Title III Equity Crowdfunding

States with the Most Title III Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns

 

How Many Reg. D and Title IV, Reg. A+ Crowdfunding Offerings Result?

Because many industry experts have stated their concerns that the SEC’s decision to severely restrict the general solicitation guidelines with regards to advertising their crowdfunding deals to the masses of non-accredited investors, the white paper also took a close look at how many Title III Regulation Crowdfunding Campaigns had previously or subsequently conducted an offering under Regulation D or Regulation A.

As shown in the table below, as of January 15, 2017, approximately 15% of offerings initiated during 2016 (excluding withdrawn offerings) were by issuers that have also reported offerings under Regulation D either before or after the initial crowdfunding filing. And, approximately 3% of issuers have issued Regulation A+ filings as of January 15, 2017.

Among crowdfunding issuers, approximately 12.9% of offerings were by issuers that had filed the first Form D notice prior to the first crowdfunding filing and approximately 2.5% of offerings involved issuers that had filed a Form D notice after the first crowdfunding filing. For about 8.6% of offerings, excluding withdrawn crowdfunding offerings, a Form D filing was made within one calendar year before or after the initial crowdfunding filing. Consistent with their young age, the SEC determined that the majority of the crowdfunding issuers were more likely to be new startups rather than “fallen angels.”

Overall, these results suggest that crowdfunding is attracting issuers that have not extensively used other private offering exemptions, such as Regulation D, which is otherwise a very popular private offering exemption among similarly sized issuers as those initially availing themselves of the Crowdfunding market. The initial evidence is points to the fact that Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding is indeed providing a new source of capital for entrepreneurial and small businesses that may not otherwise have had access to capital through alternative capital raising channels.

Form D and Title IV, Reg A+ Equity Crowdfunding Offerings

Form D and Title IV, Reg A+ Equity Crowdfunding Offerings

 

The white paper also made a point of covering the following facts and figures.:

  • There were 163 separate offerings by 156 issuers, seeking a total of approximately $18 million, excluding withdrawn offerings. The median offering amount was $53,000 and the average offering amount was approximately $110,000. However, almost all of the offerings accepted over-subscriptions up to a higher amount (typically close to $1 million) for a total amount of approximately $101 million.
  • As of January 15, 2017, approximately $10 million in proceeds was raised in 33 offerings by issuers filing a Form C-U. The median amount raised in these offerings was $171,000 and the average amount raised was approximately $303,000.
  • For offerings initiated in 2016, were withdrawn by issuers or associated with an intermediary whose FINRA membership was terminated and funding portal registration withdrawn. These offerings sought a total of approximately $2.3 million (approximately $19.5 million if over-subscriptions are included).
  • Most of the offerings solicited in all states.
  • The most popular type of security was equity, followed by “simple agreements for future equity” and debt.
  • The most popular state of incorporation for issuers was Delaware and the most popular principal place of business for issuers was California.
  • The median issuer had under $50,000 in assets, under $5,000 in cash, $10,000 in debt, no revenues, and three employees. Approximately 40% of the issuers reported positive revenue and approximately 9% of the issuers reported a net profit in the most recent fiscal year. Among the issuers that reported non-zero assets in the prior fiscal year, the median growth rate was approximately 15%.
  • 21 intermediaries, including 13 funding portals and 8 broker-dealers, were involved in the offerings. As of December 31, 2016, funding portals have registered with the SEC and FINRA and one funding portal had its FINRA membership terminated and withdrew its SEC registration. The median intermediary percentage fee was 5%, and intermediaries took a financial interest in the issuer in approximately 16% of the offerings.

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Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign Seeks to Prevent over 3,000 Deaths and 1.6 Million Accidents with New Smartphone Safe that Completely Eliminates the Cell Phone as a Driving Distraction

6 Feb

The zippered cell phone case makes it easy for any parent or fleet safety manager to enforce a cell phone safety policy, receive real time alerts and generate driver compliance reports

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, California – “Texting while Driving” is the #1 leading cause of teenage deaths in America. And, 64% of 2.5 million accidents each year, or 1.6 million crashes, are caused by a drivers that took their eyes off the road for less than 5 seconds in order to read their cell phone’s screen and/or send a text message while driving. These stats are growing annually to epidemic proportions even though 46 states and DC have passed laws that specifically outlaw talking on cell phones and texting while driving.

Limited Early Bird Best Deal on a Shellback Smartphone Safe for only $74, Hurry the Perk is Limited to 100 Units

Limited Early Bird Best Deal on a Shellback Smartphone Safe for only $74

“Before Shellback Smartphone Safes were invented, it was almost impossible to enforce corporate cell phone safety policies,” said Michael Maguire, Shellback Smartphone Safe’s CEO. “But now it is possible for parents, business owners, and fleet safety managers to receive real time alerts and prevent accidents before they happen. They will always know when specific phones are not in use — especially when driving. In addition, the Smartphone Safe’s LED lights indicate to the driver that the Smartphone Safe is in ‘safe’ mode and fully compliant — making it easy to improve driver behavior.”

The Smartphone Safe tracks the phone continuously, but only reports violations of opening the case while driving. Back-end reporting makes it easy to identify and address your high-risk drivers and to recognize your safe drivers. Our cloud-based servers store all information and provide useful dashboards to improve your operations and reduce any liability. Finally — cell phone policies can be enforced and substantiated.

Over the past eighteen months, the Smartphones Safes have been tested in real world conditions. Driver behavior improves when they know there will consequences for violating the cell phone policy. Safety improves dramatically. Costs and liabilities are greatly reduced.

Shellback is raising $50,000 to fund its 1st large-scale manufacturing production run via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that begins on February 6th and ends on March 20, 2017.

The MSRP for the Smartphone Safe is $60 and a monthly monitoring fee of $15 per month or $240 per year, but the crowdfunding campaign will offer Early Bird Perks that offer Smartphone Safes and monthly monitoring for $74, $99, $140, and $150 until the limited supplies are gone.

It will also offer significant discounts to Cell Phone Case and Accessories Retailers, Resellers, Distributors and Fleet Managers that want to buy in bulk quantities of 10, 30, or 60 Smartphone Safes per order.

Please visit Shellback Smartphone Safe’s Indiegogo campaign profile to view videos, photos, infographics, competitive grids, production timelines, FAQs and in-depth perk descriptions at:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-prevent-3-000-fatal-car-accidents-in-2017/x/1907888#/

Are you a social media guru that wants to earn some extra cash? Shellback will pay a commission to those that help Shellback spread the word to their family, friends and business contacts via social media and other forms of marketing. Shellback will pay a 10% commission on all sales over $1,000. Discounts don’t apply to personal purchases.

Click here for details on how to join the Shellback Sales Team: http://liveundistracted.com/campaign/indiegogo-sales-team/

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Robert Hoskins, a seasoned Front Page PR veteran provides more than twenty-five years of external communications, media relations, digital social media and SEO skills to Front Page PR’s crowdfunding PR and media relations service portfolio.
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR


Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.
On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.
Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.