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

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 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: Allowing single-purpose crowdfunding vehicles advised by a registered investment adviser; Waiving certain crowdfunding offering limits for accredited investors; Amending certain crowdfunding investment limits by other investors; Modifying the Exchange Act’s Section 12(g) exemption; 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.” # # #

Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

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Plum’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Crowdfunding Campaign Raises £892,465 for Personal Finance Chatbot on Seedrs

The initiative makes its debut just eight months after the AI company raised its first $500k seed round from 500 Startups

By Robert Hoskins

London, England –  Plum, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for personal finance, has raised £892,465 its initial £700k equity crowdfunding goal a month after launching its fundraising campaign on Seedrs in July.

Plum is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered Facebook chatbot that helps consumers manage their personal finances

Plum is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered Facebook chatbot that helps consumers manage their personal finances.  The disruptive startup says Fintech’s increasing penetration hasn’t yet reached the mass market, but Plum is set to change that. The crowdfunding campaign Seedrs plans to fund aggressive growth and expansion plans in the near future.

Plum has undertaken the ambitious task of helping millennials save money in a way they barely notice. The innovative chatbot connects securely to users bank accounts via Facebook messenger and AI technology learns their spending habits and automatically saves small amounts of money every few days. The savings are put into an account with an FCA-regulated e-money provider, Mango Pay, and individuals manage their money via Facebook’s Messenger platform.

The crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs follows just eight months after the disruptive AI business raised its $500,000 seed round led by Silicon Valley accelerator program 500 Startups.

The company launched in January 2017 with a waitlist of 5,000 users since which user numbers have been growing at a rate of 25% month on month. In the seven months since launch, Plum has seen its monthly savings grow by 50% each month. The personal savings chatbot is now on track to exceed £20 million in savings for millennials by the end of year one.

“There’s been lots of talk about the personal savings glut in the UK, confirmed by troubling stats. Deloitte estimated the savings gap will reach £350 billion by 2050. It’s a huge problem. Our team helps Plum users to micro save on average £150 a month in a way they barely notice,” said Victor Trokoudes, one of Plum’s Co-Founders. “We saw how TransferWise reduced the friction for sending money globally and provided consumers with a cheaper, superior product.”

Plum’s founders recognized that consumers have long been overpaying on a raft of financial services and products, facilitating abnormal profits for banks and financial services. They are committed to bringing a holistic financial assistant to the mass market by help users to save and earn interest on their savings. Plum will by tell you if you are being ripped off by your utility provider, if you’re overpaying on a loan or bank overdraft and will simply ask you if you would like to switch to save money. All a customer has to do is reply ‘yes.’

This is facilitated through partnerships with energy provider Octopus which gives Plum users the chance to switch to a green energy provider and lower their utility bills by around £250 a year, and Habito which helps Plum customers to find their first mortgage or remortgage opening up the possibility for savings in the thousands a year. Users are also able to earn a return of 3% via Plum’s partnership with P2P lender RateSetter.

While it is Plum’s AI algorithm that powers users automatic savings, the user can also determine how much they save by adjusting Plum’s saving mood from normal to ambitious, a feature that 30% of Plum users have activated, indicating the ambition of consumers to save more.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

Top 10 Equity Crowdfunding New Investment Opportunities for Investors and VCs in 2018

Top 10 Investing Opportunities for Investors and Venture Capitalists in 2018

By Robert Hoskins

Top 10 Equity Crowdfunding Investment Opportunities for Investors and VCs in 2018

What technologies will represent the best equity investment opportunities for investors and venture capitalists in 2018?

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Go Mainstream
2. Seeing Is Believing: VR and AR Become Critical Business Tools
   
3. Obey the Sound of My Voice: Voice-Driven Apps Filter Out the Noise
   
4. Apples and Oranges: Ag-Tech Disrupts the World’s Oldest Industry
   
5. Industrial and Agricultural Drones Set to Take Off
   
6. Is That a Doctor in Your Pocket? Digital Revolutionizes Healthcare
   
7. Here, There, Everywhere: Blockchain Applications Finally Take Hold
   
8. Boldly Going Where No Company Has Gone Before: Space-Tech
9. Cyber Security for Critical Infrastructure Becomes Vital
   
10. Autonomous Driving Picks Up Speed

1. Artificial Intel/Machine Learning Go Mainstream

Driven by exponentially faster computing power and cloud computing, “teaching machines” is becoming easier and more scalable, enabling AI to go mainstream across a wide range of industries: including consumer marketing and retail, entertainment, digital health, and newer areas like autonomous driving and advanced robotics.

More and more startups are building applications which will solve real world problems by applying AI in areas that can truly have an impact on the quality of our lives.

2. Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Business Tools

Did you know that in operating rooms across the US, brain surgeons are already using Virtual Reality (VR) to rehearse and simulate surgery in order to be more effective?  VR and Augmented Reality (AR) is not just about show business, entertainment, and 3D gaming, but also about saving lives, industrial solutions, and infrastructure.

VR and AR are about to go mainstream and will be used across a wide range of sectors from sports analytics to building airplane wings. These are definitely interesting technologies to keep an eye on!

3. Voice-Driven Apps Filter Out Background Noise

Have you ever tried using Siri in a car going over 50 Mph?  Or talking to Alexa with the kids making noise in the background? Good Luck! As we all know it does not work.

However, the era of voice driven computing is coming. In the last 10 years, the world has moved from primarily using keyboards to swiping and using touch-screens. In the next five years users will move to talking to our devices as the primary mode of man to machine communication.

Core voice recognition software has become almost perfect at understanding the human voice and getting our words correct. The missing ingredient is its ability to enable our machines to get a clear signal and cancel background noise so that Siri really can HEAR what we are saying.

4. Ag-Tech Disrupts the World’s Oldest Industry – Farming

The world’s oldest industry of growing crops has not been known for its technological flexibility. However, these days Agriculture-related technologies are blooming for different reasons.

Traditionally farming is a family owned business and we now see how second generation of farmers are much more techie and open to adopt advanced farming technologies. In addition, the last two years have seen mass consolidation between leading players in AgTech creating deep pockets and a big appetite for acquisitions.

5. Industrial and Agricultural Drones Take Off

Over the past couple of years, more and more buzz is hitting the airwaves about Amazon and others using drones to deliver packages to your doorstep or bring you fast food on demand.

While this sounds pretty cool, more interesting and profitable uses of drone technologies probably lie within industrial and agricultural markets.

Drones are already playing critical roles in facility security, mining, oil and gas exploration, crop protection and surveying landmass. Building industrial scale drones with light-weight, long-lasting batteries, which are robust and reliable seems to be a temporary roadblock, but companies that can advance these technologies are worth watching closely.

6. Digital Healthcare Puts a Doctor in Your Pocket

As much as we try not to overuse this term, artificial intelligence is actually a powerful factor in the rapidly growing digital health sector. Enable regular people as well as healthcare personnel crunch historic data sets from electronic medical records from way back when — to the latest data that is now being collected from wearables in order to increase our quality of life and perhaps even prevent deaths.

The same will be true for computer vision and machine learning technologies that enable the bio-tech and life sciences industries to begin extracting new insights and diagnostics from images.

7. Blockchain Applications Finally Take Hold

Timing is everything! In the buzzword competition of 2017, blockchain was the hands-down winner.   Since then, there have been missteps and pivots for this important financial technology. Many Venture Capitalists (VCs) have been disappointed with their investments in this sector; however, now is the time to begin taking a fresh look as this technology matures and evolves beyond Bitcoin across multiple applications such as: sharing economy, data security, logistics, and of course, banking and finance.

8. SpaceTech Goes Where No One has Gone Before

The Space Tech sector is usually dominated by governments and states , but is rapidly opening up to private ventures and prestigious VC funds are seeking to begin building space portfolios that will enable these ventures to take off.

In terms of funding needs, what used to be super-expensive is becoming much more affordable, with standardization of hardware protocols as well as general cost reductions of consumer electronics. Satellites can now be built and launched for less than half a million dollars, creating exciting opportunities to commercialize the technology.

9. Cyber Security for Infrastructure Becomes Critical

Are you worried about your car getting hacked? How about cyber criminals sneaking in through your air conditioner or refrigerator?  Cybersecurity is not new; and in fact, the investing landscape is quite crowded, and the playing field is highly competitive.

The key shift in Cyber Security for investing in the next few years will be a move from protecting IT infrastructure to protecting all infrastructure. Companies are now designing full-proof solutions to protect everything such as automobiles, electric grids and everything in between.

10. Autonomous Driving Picks Up Speed

Everyone knows that autonomous driving is coming. The question is when?  Thanks to the development of core technology and expertise of leading Autonomous Driving companies such as Waze and Mobileye, the world is sure to become a global hub of automotive innovation.

(Source: Jon Medved, OurCrowd’s CEO)

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

Crowdfunding PR’s 2017 List of the Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites in the U.S. and Global Markets

Searching for the Best List of Crowdfunding Sites and Platforms to Launch a Successful Rewards or Equity Crowdfunding Campaign in 2017?

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

New York City, New York – Each year Crowdfunding PR releases a list of the top 100 crowdfunding sites in the United States based on their website traffic ranking. Traffic ranking is important because the more website visitors that are visiting any given crowdfunding site on a daily basis, the less money a crowdfunding campaign manager needs to spend to attract the eyes of potential investors, crowdfunders or donors to support their crowdfunding campaigns in order to make them successful.

Crowdfunding PR’s 2017 List of the Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites in the U.S. and Global Markets

Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites in the U.S. for 2017:

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for Real Estate Crowdfunding Campaigns

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for Rewards or Perks Crowdfunding Campaigns

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for Donation Crowdfunding Campaigns

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for P2P Lending and Personal Loans

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for University/College Crowdfunding Campaigns

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for Title III, Reg. CF Crowdfunding Campaigns

Top 2017 Crowdfunding Sites for Title IV, Reg. A+ Crowdfunding Campaigns

Crowdfunding Site’s Competitive Analysis

Crowdfunding PR recommends that the best way to leverage these Top 100 Crowdfunding Lists is to get a yellow tablet for taking notes, then go to each site on each of the most appropriate lists and begin to build a competitive analysis that compares the different crowdfunding sites based on fees, rules and funds dispersement rules. Also, take a look at the crowdfunding website’s current total visits, average visit duration, pages per visit, and the visitor bounce rate. These stats will show you how much time a potential investor, crowdfunder or donor spends shopping for great crowdfunding projects like yours to support.

Also Read: Top 10 Marketing Strategies for Crowdfunding Campaigns

Crowdfunding Site’s Marketing Mix

The crowdfunding sites at the top of each list are there because they spend a lot of their own money marketing their crowdfunding platforms. Click on each Country’s stats link, which will take you to the SimilarWeb’s profile for each crowdfunding site and will provide valuable information on how much traffic is being generated by:

Website Content

• Business Leads
• FAQ Sheets
• Landing Pages
• Press Rooms
• Product/Service Videos

Social Media Networks

• Facebook
• Linkedin
• Quora
• Reddit
• Twitter
• WhatsApp
• YouTube

Referral Sites

• Press Releases
• News Stories
• Back Link Sources

Digital Display Advertising

• Adf.ly
• AdMarketplace
• AppNexus
• AdSupply
• Google Display
• Google Pay Per Click
• Outbrain
• Skimlinks
• Taboola
• ZiffDavis

Search Engine Results

• Organic
• Paid

Direct Website Traffic

• Word of Mouth
• Brand Share Awareness

eMail Marketing

• CRM
• eMail Blasts
• eNewsletters

All of this information is great for allowing you to see which crowdfunding sites are doing the best job of marketing their platforms and what types of marketing campaigns their sites are using as well as what marketing strategies their crowdfunding campaigns are utilizing to launch the most successful crowdfunding campaigns.

Competitive Analysis on Your Competitors

Next, campaign managers should go to each crowdfunding platform and do a competitive analysis on crowdfunding campaigns with similar products and services. On most crowdfunding sites, you can sort by their categories by the most successful or least successful campaigns.

While researching your competitors jot down notes on a yellow pad on what you like about each successful crowdfunding campaign’s video, their crowdfunding profile, the body copy language used, their info graphics, product/service photos, perks/rewards, customer testimonials, FAQ sheets, press rooms, etc.

Do the same thing for crowdfunding campaigns that failed and note what you don’t like about the same categories. This process will give you great marketplace awareness about what works and what doesn’t and will give you the optimum amount of knowledge to position your products and services in the best positive light against the competition.

Next Steps?

When you’re ready to build a website, begin social media marketing, conduct PR campaigns and/or begin social media advertising and digital marketing campaigns, please give Crowdfunding PR a call at the number below. We offer a free 30-minute consulting call to get started.

Please click here if you’d like to see what an entry level
crowdfunding social media, PR and marketing campaign will cost

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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 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.

Life Science Equity Crowdfunding Site, Capital Cell, Makes Short List for Prestigious UK Business Angels Association’Best International Growth Business’ Award

The UKBAA’s Black-Tie Investment Awards 2017 Dinner will take place on July 6th, at the Dorchester Hotel, London, with over 300 leading innovators and investors assembled to celebrate

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

London, United Kingdom – Capital Cell, Europe’s first equity crowdfunding platform specialized in life science, has been shortlisted for the prestigious ‘Best International Growth Business‘ award at the UK Business Angels Association Investment Awards 2017.

Life Science Equity Crowdfunding Site, Capital Cell, Makes Short List for Prestigious UK Business Angels Association Best International Growth Business Award

Capital Cell is Europe’s first equity crowdfunding platform specialized in life science. Capital Cell opens life science investment to everyone by sourcing the most innovative early-stage life science companies, and presenting them on a regulated online investment platform. In recognition of their contribution to the European life science ecosystem, the company has now been shortlisted for the Best International Growth Business award at the UK Business Angels Association Investment Awards 2017.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Capital Cell has been recognized so early on in it’s expansion into the UK,” says Laura Ferguson, UK Director. “The reception to our arrival has been overwhelmingly positive from players throughout the life science ecosystem, including specialized investors such as Angels in MedCity, with whom we are collaborating closely, as well as the NHS innovation, science parks and startup incubators. It’s wonderful to have that traction formally recognized.”

“Capital Cell has proven itself as a platform for early stage investment in a very challenging environment,” Chairman Ian Tomlinson added. “We are extremely excited about scaling up in the UK, which is a global leader not only in life science innovation but also in equity crowdfunding. As an investment area, life science has the potential for both huge social impact and significant financial returns and the companies listed on Capital Cell are all trying to solve a major unmet medical need. By opening up these investment opportunities to more people we hope to be able to help the UK remain at the cutting edge of life science commercialization.”

Capital Cell has been trading in Spain for just over two years, and has successfully closed 14 life science crowdfunding campaigns, including the country’s largest life science crowdfunding campaign of over €1.2M, for a potential therapeutic cure for MS.

Scaling-up from this Spanish platform, Capital Cell UK has just launched at www.capitalcell.co.uk, with a range of companies solving unmet needs from malaria control to female fertility enhancement and autoimmune disease.

The UKBAA black-tie awards dinner will take place on July 6th, at the Dorchester Hotel, London, with 300 leading innovators and investors assembled to celebrate the best of UK business.

# # #

Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

 

 

 

FinMason Launches Fin-Tech Accelerator Program that Provides Startups with Free Access to Investment Analytics

The FinSpring accelerator is a six-month program for start-ups that share a mission of educating investors / advisors in order to help them make better investment and retirement planning decisions

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Boston, Massachusetts – FinMason, a Boston-based FinTech and investment analytics firm, is helping industry start-ups overcome one of the biggest challenges faced during the development stage – accessing high quality investment analytics. The firm announced the launch of FinSpring, an initiative that will provide free access to FinRiver, a set of flexible and lightning-fast investment analytics APIs.

Finmason – Institutional Grade Analytics that Investors Actually Understand

“FinTech start-ups face tremendous competition in the marketplace and pressure from their investors to quickly achieve their business goals,” said Kendrick Wakeman, CFA, CEO and founder of FinMason. “We feel that many start-ups and potential start-ups are held back because of the time and expense of building robust analytics platforms. FinSpring lets smart entrepreneurs put analytics anywhere in their product with just a simple API call, leaving them free to focus on prototyping, getting to market and solving consumer problems.”

The FinSpring accelerator is a six-month program available to start-ups that meet four criteria: share a mission of educating investors or advisors to make more informed investment and retirement planning decisions; operational less than two years; under $500,000 in revenue; and, have raised no more than $1 million in funding.

Wealth technology start-ups accepted into the FinSpring program will have access to more than 700 analytical data types, including risk and performance metrics, aggregate factor exposures, scenario analysis and stress testing.

“Part of the strength of the APIs is their simple structure,” said Bob Leaper who runs the FinSpring program at FinMason. “You send us a simple API call containing a list of securities, a list of their weights in the portfolio, and a string of request codes telling us what analytics you want. We then perform the calculations, package the results into a JSON object, and send it back to you. Usually, we do this in under 21 milliseconds. That instantly puts a start-up on even ground with the biggest firms in the world.”

FinMason is a Boston-based financial technology and investment analytics firm dedicated to providing tools that help financial advisors and their clients move forward with confidence. FinMason’s cutting-edge platform analyzes millions of global investments and delivers institutional-grade analytics at scale via three core products:

• FinRiver provides financial technology platforms with robust analytics and proprietary data sets via lightning-fast APIs;
• FinScore Pro provides financial advisors with a quick, intuitive and uncomplicated risk assessment tool that systematically develops a mutually understandable, bright-line agreement on risk from each client and prospect; and
• FinScope provides compliance teams with a way to screen through each client portfolio every night with robust analytics to detect problems before they become problems.

# # #

Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

GoSun Exhibits Fuel-Free Solar Stove at Consumer Electronics (CE) 2017 to Support Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

GoSun is introducing the world’s first fuel-free solar powered grill, utilizing energy from the sun to bake, boil, fry or steam a meal for six in less than one hour, at the Metropolitan Pavilion during CE Week 2017, July 12 and 13 in New York City

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

New York City, New York – In order to expand its clean-tech business, the GoSun outdoor solar grill is undertaking an equity crowdfunding raise with the assistance of SeedInvest that for as little as $500, anyone can own a piece of GoSun and its solar powered future. GoSun will be tapping is growing crowd of customers to support its crowdfunding campaign with more 11,000+ stoves sold in +60 countries, and major distribution agreements signed with major retailers such as ACE Hardware, Brookstone, Cabela’s, REI, Home Depot and in third world countries where there is no electricity, propane or natural gas to cook with.

GoSun is introducing the world’s first fuel-free solar powered grill, utilizing free, green solar energy from the sun to bake, boil, fry or steam a meal for a family of people six in less than one hour

GoSun’s line of innovative solar cookstoves can bake, boil, or fry almost anything, just by using the power of the Sun’s solar energy. It’s clean and safe: there are no fossil fuels or wood, no smoke or emissions, no hot coals, no open flames, no explosive gas, and no grease or soot, which are major detriments in many undeveloped countries.

“According to the UN, over 3 billion people, are still cooking on fuels, such as Kerosene or wood, that are harmful to their health, contributing to deforested landscapes and a cycle of poverty,” explained Patrick Sherwin, GoSun Founder and CEO. “GoSun is committed to making game-changing clean cooking devices to power the good life in both developed and developing markets. The newly released GoSun Grill is designed to provide a convenient and accessible way to cook with free, clean, green solar energy while promoting sustainability and healthy cooking.”

How GoSun Solar Stove Works
The GoSun solar stoves incorporate a proprietary vacuum tube technology that allows for fast cooking, portability, simple operation, and safe and clean cooking, without propane or charcoal. Sunlight is focused by parabolic reflectors onto the vacuum tube that converts up to 80% of solar radiation into heat that builds up to temperatures of 550°F or 288°C. Despite the high cooking temperatures, the exterior of the grill remains cool. In addition, the vacuum tube also doubles as an insulator, keeping the food hot even with clouds, or in the freezing cold conditions.

How Much Does the GoSun Solar Stove Cost?
GoSun’s cookers are available online at REI, Home Depot, Brookstone or via GoSun’s website, at prices ranging from $279 to $799.

Solar Electric Hybrid Grill
“While we are excited about everything the grill can do, we realized it was lacking one capability – cooking at night,” stated Sherwin. “So we are also developing a solar electric hybrid grill that stores the sun’s energy enabling cooking at night.”

The storage solution includes a Photovoltaic (PV) panel to capture the energy during the day and an option electrical heating element to enable cooking at night. By placing the electrical heating element on the grill and leveraging the vacuum tube’s insulation capability, the hybrid grill cooks using only a fraction of the energy of an electric stove. The hybrid version of the grill will be available in 2018.

GoSun is an innovative manufacturer of solar cookers that can heat up to 550°F and cook a meal in as little as 20 minutes with no fuel other than the sun’s  free, green solar energy. What started as a simple inspiration has grown into the leading name in fuel-free cooking, delivering thousands of stoves in more than 60 countries. Visit www.GoSunStove.com for more information.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

New Cannabis Compliance Company Now Raising Seed Stage Capital via Equity Crowdfunding Campaign on GrowthFountain.com

Herbal Compliance Co.’s Reg. CF Investment Opportunity Allows Investors to Invest in the Booming Marijuana Industry to Help Recreational and Medical Marijuana Companies Stay within Legal Guidelines in 26 Different States throughout the United States

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas – The Herbal Compliance Co. announced the launch of its compliance consulting services for legal medical cannabis and hemp businesses. This unique company will also be partnering with GrowthFountain to$1 million by selling equity through a unique form of investor fundraising called Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF).

Twenty-six states and DC currently have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form

Herbal Compliance fills a need created by differences in marijuana legislation at the state and federal levels. While it is currently legal in 26 states and the District of Columbia to grow and sell marijuana for medical purposes, it is still illegal on a federal level, resulting in thousands of conflicts between state and federal regulations.

New Cannabis Compliance Company Launches Public Crowdfunding Effort with GrowthFountain

“Understanding the laws governing medical marijuana and hemp is our core competency,” explains Chuck Carpenter, Herbal Compliance’s President. “But we also offer other types of business consulting like inventory management, branding, and employee education. Our mission is to help companies in this new area of American enterprise to grow and thrive.”

To fully fund their startup, Herbal Compliance is using a new form of funding enabled by recent changes in securities law in the JOBS Act called Regulation Crowdfunding. The rules for this sort of investing went into effect May 2016, allowing non-accredited investors to participate in a funding round for a private company for the first time in history.

“We’re excited to help Herbal Compliance raise the money they need to grow,” says Abe Orden, GrowthFountain’s Operations Manager. “For the first time in 80 years, average Americans now have the opportunity to support and invest in local businesses and entrepreneurs they believe in.”

Herbal Compliance’s campaign started on June 6, 2017 and will continue through Oct. 4, 2017. Their aim is to raise between $100,000 and $1 million with a minimum buy-in of $100 per investor.

The Herbal Compliance Co. provides companies in the legal medical cannabis and hemp business with services to ensure that they remain compliant with the law. Services include design and buildout, equipment fulfillment, regulator compliance, remote inventory control and reporting, vendor relationships, brand and marketing, and tax management and education.

GrowthFountain Capital LLC is a Regulation Crowdfunding platform aimed at simplifying fundraising and helping businesses build collateral. GrowthFountain is registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

Myomo Becomes the First Company to List on the New NYSE MKT as Result of Filing Title IV, Reg A+ Mini-IPO Offering with the SEC

With the powered brace, a paralyzed individual can perform activities of daily living including feeding themselves, carrying objects and doing household tasks, and many are able to return to work

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Cambridge, Massachusetts – Myomo, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MYO) announced the launch of its next-generation MyoPro® myoelectric arm orthosis (powered brace), the only lightweight wearable device that can restore function in the paralyzed or weakened arms and hands of individuals who have suffered a stroke, spinal cord or nerve injury, or other neuromuscular disability. With the orthosis, a paralyzed individual can perform activities of daily living including feeding themselves, carrying objects and doing household tasks, and many are able to return to work.

Even if you haven’t moved your hand and arm in years due to a neuromuscular injury or disease, it is possible that the MyoPro myoelectric orthosis may be able to help you use your arm and hand again

The product is currently being shipped to customers nationwide after a successful Title IV, Reg + crowdfunding campaign campaign conducted on Banq’s fundraising platform.

Also Read: Top 100 Equity Crowdfunding Sites in the United States

Following the intentions of the SEC, which enacted the formal rules passed by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act passed under the Obama administration in 2012, Myomo utilized Title IV, Regulation A+, also referred to as a mini Initial Public Offering (IPO), to raise a minimum target of $15 million.

Myomo is the first company to complete a mini-IPO under Reg A+. In accordance with a portion Reg A+ rules, Myomo stated its intent to list its shares on the NYSE MKT exchange soon after the Reg A+ offering closed and will be trading under the symbol “MYO.”

On opening day, NYSE MYO raised approximately $5 million by selling 665,498 shares of its common stock to the public at $7.50 per share. Share price crested on June 19th at $19.31 and is actively trading.

MyoPro 2 extends the capabilities of the previous device with significant enhancements, including interchangeable, extended-life rechargeable batteries for continuous daily use. Additional enhancements include an upgraded user interface, improved sensors and improved harness and finger grasp orthosis for more reliable and comfortable long-term wear.

MyoPro 2 is available in three models to match patient-specific needs:

• Motion E: powered elbow with static rigid wrist support;
• Motion W: powered elbow and a multi-articulating wrist with flexion/extension and supination/pronation; and
• Motion G: powered elbow, a multi-articulating wrist and a powered 3-jaw-chuck grasp.

“MyoPro 2 is the result of collaboration between our users, clinical partners and engineering team to help patients restore their activities of daily living,” said Paul R. Gudonis, Chairman and CEO of Myomo. “Early in our rollout, feedback from patients, physicians and the orthotics and prosthetics community has been very positive. We look forward to addressing the large unmet need in upper limb paralysis as we continue to bring MyoPro 2 to a larger market.”

Myomo, Inc. is a commercial stage medical robotics Company that offers expanded mobility for those suffering from neurological disorders and upper limb paralysis. Based on patented technology developed at MIT and the Company, Myomo develops and markets the MyoPro® product line of lightweight, non-invasive, powered arm braces to restore function in the paralyzed or weakened arms and hands of individuals that have suffered a stroke, spinal cord or nerve injury such as brachial plexus injury, or other neuromuscular disability such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or multiple sclerosis (MS).

It is provided through clinical relationships with VA medical centers, leading rehabilitation hospitals, and Orthotics and Prosthetics (“O&P”) practices. Several hundred have been successfully used by patients. It is the only device that, sensing a patient’s own neurological signals through non-invasive sensors on the arm, can restore their ability to use their arms and hands so that they can return to work, live independently and reduce their cost of care.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.

ArborCrowd Offers Investors Estimated 13%-17% IRR with 4-7 Year Hold Period on $69.7 Million Crowdfunding Real Estate Investment Opportunity

The business plan is to cultivate tremendous value upon sale of this property, while maintaining strong annual returns for new investors that want to invest alongside seasoned, experienced ArborCrowd institutional investors

By Robert Hoskins

Miami, Florida – ArborCrowd, one of the top commercial real estate equity crowdfunding sites, announced today a new real estate investment opportunity – known as the Lago Paradiso. A profitable and stabilized multifamily complex, this property is located in Miami, Fla., one of the most international and desirable marketplaces to live in the United States.

A new commercial real estate investment offering, Lago Paradiso is a value-add, multifamily lakefront apartment complex located in Miami

ArborCrowd investors have the opportunity to own a piece of a $4 million equity stake in Lago Paradiso. The Property has a targeted 13 percent to 17 percent Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and a projected hold period of four to seven years.

The goal of the business plan is to cultivate tremendous value upon sale of the Property, while maintaining strong annual returns for investors. This will be executed through a value-add repositioning, experienced property management and operational efficiency.

“ArborCrowd is the engine that brings successful real estate investments with the industry’s best sponsors and crowd investors,” said Ivan Kaufman, Co-founder and CEO, ArborCrowd. “The long-standing relationships that ArborCrowd has developed with institutional real estate investors has enabled us to attract a network of successful leaders who know how to source, manage and execute some of the best multifamily deals in the country.”

ArborCrowd’s investment model is unlike other crowdfunding platforms – the quality of the real estate is at the core of the business. Other models pool investors’ money into funds that are blindly allocated to different assets. ArborCrowd created a better way to invest by providing investors the transparency and knowledge to choose what deals their money goes into.

“Looking at just the returns of a property are not enough. ArborCrowd will only post what we believe is a strong investment offering. In order to be confident in the deal, we hone in on the depth and breadth of the sponsor’s experience,” said Adam Kaufman, Co-founder and Managing Director, ArborCrowd. “This commitment to only presenting high caliber deals is proving to be successful as all our previous deals funded quickly – with ArborCrowd’s last equity raise oversubscribed in just three business days.”

Lago Paradiso Deal Highlights
The Property was acquired in May 2017 for $69.7 million. Lago Paradiso is a lakefront apartment complex that consists of 27 buildings with 424 one and two bedroom units – currently 97 percent occupied.

Lago Paradiso, a new commercial real estate investment offering, consists of 27 buildings with 424 one and two bedroom units

The business plan is to create value by increasing rents through renovations, and by implementing new property management and operational expertise. Robbins Electra and its affiliates own and operate more than 22,000 units. This extensive management experience, particularly in Florida, means the Sponsor is well equipped to manage rent escalations while leveraging proprietary systems to improve operational costs.

Key benefits for ArborCrowd investors, include:

• Basis: As an off-market transaction, this property was acquired at a favorable purchase price.
• Proven Plan: Prior to the acquisition, 14 units were renovated and re-leased at higher rents. The current plan is to significantly expand this proven approach and accelerate renovations to generate even more cash flow and increase overall property value.
• Cash-on-Cash: The projected cash-on-cash return remains strong during the renovation period, approaching 10 percent in the second year. Once renovations are complete, the new units are expected to enable an even stronger cash-on-cash return throughout the holding period.
• Experienced Management: The deal sponsor is an affiliate of Robbins Electra, one of the fastest growing operators in the country. The key principal of the Property, Joseph Lubeck, is CEO and Co-Manager of Robbins Electra and has executed similar business plans with aggregate deal capitalization in excess of $3 billion since 1991.

Lago Paradiso is located 20 miles southwest of Miami’s Central Business District and South Beach. This helps to strengthen the demand for the Property.

Key stats of the Miami/South Beach area:

• Miami and South Florida is base to more than 1,100 multinational corporations, including American Airlines, Cisco, Exxon, FedEx, Microsoft, Sony, Visa and Wal-Mart.
• The metro area has high demand as occupancy rates are 97 percent with rents increasing in the past 5 years.
• The Property’s rent price point appeals to the middle and working class – one of the most stable tenant bases in multifamily. This base also achieves the highest rate of lease renewals. Overall, Miami ranked in the top 10 nationally for 2016 renewal rates.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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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.