Digitzs Shatters Glass Ceiling and Hits #1 Spot On CNBC’s Top 50 Crowdfinance Index

Digitzs Crowdfunding Round Closes Soon On Crowdfunder; Female Founded Fintech Company Disrupts Payments and Equity Crowdfunding

By Robert Hoskins

Santa Monica, California – Digitzs reached the coveted number one spot on the CNBC Crowdfinance 50 Index with over $7 Million in commitments for the niche payment processing startup. Digitzs is the first female founded company to reach the number one position since the index launched on CNBC in early 2015 and holds the number one position for the largest capital raise by a female founded company since Title II of the JOBS Act came into effect in the fall of 2013.

The CNBC Index tracks real time capital commitments received by the top 50 private U.S. companies via securities-based crowdfunding sites. Digitzs is currently fundraising on leading equity crowdfunding site Crowdfunder, and has raised more money than any female founder in Crowdfunder’s history.

According to Bloomberg, women-led technology companies are more capital-efficient, achieving 35 percent higher return on investment. “Digitzs CEO and Founder, Laura Wagner, is an innovative leader with grit, hustle and intellect,” noted Crowdfunder President, Steven McClurg. “She is driven to deliver near-term value for her investors, customers and co-founders.”

Wagner, a successful entrepreneur with 20-years in the payments space, has compiled a founding team of leaders in the space, including PayPal’s first CFO, David Jaques; former Head of Worldwide Payments for Apple, Edward Katzin and Visa’s Linda Perry (named Most Influential Women in Payments three years in a row); Ben Way, a world-renowned startup technologist, and Stacey Moore, an award winning technologist, strategist and entrepreneur.

“As the former head of Acquiring at Visa for 17 years, I am familiar with virtually every payment processor in the U.S., from small to large and everything in between. Digitzs has the most disruptive platform and business model I’ve seen to date,” notes Co-Founder Linda Perry.

“Virtually 100% of Digitzs’ startup funding thus far has come from team members, family, friends and the crowd,” noted Digitzs CEO & Founder, Laura Wagner. “As we bring this round to a successful close, we look forward to delivering unprecedented value back to our customers, investors and team.”

Digitzs makes payments painless for white label platforms that process ticket payments for events, donation payments for nonprofits and rent payments for property managers. Though viewed as the “Invisible Internet” by most consumers and end users, Accenture says niche cloud-based business management software platforms are a top-five 2016 trend. Digitzs’ team comes from PayPal, Visa and Apple and the company has amassed $1 billion in potential processing interest from potential platform customers.

Crowdfunder is one of the leading equity crowdfunding platforms for sourcing and funding early stage ventures with a network of over 130,000 entrepreneurs and investors. Crowdfunder provides the opportunity for direct online investment into single ventures. Companies listing on Crowdfunder are typically early-stage startups, many of which are backed by leading Venture Capital firms and private investors.

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(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.

Mr. Hoskins consults on a regular basis with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Mr. Hoskins is one of the crowdfunding industry’s foremost crowdfunding advocates and has amassed a huge social media following that is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns. Due to the overwhelming demand from the general public for crowdfunding information, he empowers entrepreneurs with some of the internet’s most affordable ($20) online crowdfunding training classes, which provide insight to startups around the world on a 24 x 7 basis.

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Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites in the United States, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and other Global Markets in 2016

Seeking the Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites
in the United States or the Rest of the World? See Our Updated 2016 Rankings!

Crowdfunding PR’s 2016 Top 100 Global Crowdfunding Sites

 By Robert Hoskins

[Click Here to Tweet this Top 100 List to Your Business Colleagues]

United States – We have updated our List of the Top 100 Global Crowdfunding Sites for 2016 in the United States, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and other global markets.  

Clicking on the website traffic ranking links below will take readers to one of the most insightful resources of information that details each website’s traffic ranking; the number of unique visitors per month; the average time spent on each site per visit; and the number of pages viewed per each visit.

Of more interest to crowdfunding campaign managers will be the precise ratio of social media, content marketing, search engine marketing, email marketing and display advertising that is being utilized by each crowdfunding site’s marketing campaigns to drive readers and investors to their crowdfunding profiles.

GoFundMe vs Kickstarter SimilarWeb Stats

Even though these numbers reflect the aggregation of all of a given portal’s crowdfunding campaigns marketing efforts, they offer direct evidence of what is working and what is not.  Note the difference on how much social media and display advertising is being used by the Top 10 Crowdfunding Sites compared the lower 90 crowdfunding sites. 

This information can be used by crowdfunding sites as well as their crowdfunders to get a thorough understanding on how to plan future marketing campaigns that will have a higher than average success rate.

Want to know how Kickstarter has just retaken GoFundMe as the world’s #1 crowdfunding platform? Click on the Global Rank number links below and then use the comparison tool to show side-by-side comparisons of SEO keywords, link referrals, and social media usage. See the bottom of the page for more crowdfunding marketing tips.

[Click Here to Tweet this Top 100 List of Crowdfunding Sites]

2016 Rank	© Front Page PR	Global Rank
#1 (2015: #2)	www.kickstarter.com	692
#2 (2015: #1)	www.gofundme.com	1,805
#3 (2015: #4)	www.indiegogo.com	2,126
#4 (2015: #3)	www.angel.co	4,550
#5 (2015: #5)	www.lendingclub.com	9,781
#6 (2015: #6)	www.justgiving.com	10,950
#7 (2015: #9)	www.ulule.com	15,943
#8 (2015: #7)	www.youcaring.com	22,315
#9 (2015: #8)	www.kiva.org	24,366
#10 (2015: #12)	www.crowdrise.com	24,617
#11 (2015: #10)	www.donorschoose.org	33,737
#12 (2015: #16)	www.fundingcircle.com	37,717
#13 (2015: #11)	www.pledgemusic.com	42,380
#14 (2015: #13)	www.tilt.com	51,509
#15 (2015: #50)	www.seedandspark.com	64,606
#16 (2015: #22)	www.circleup.com	68,095
#17 (2015: #24)	www.kickante.com.br	69,483
#18 (2015: #15)	www.crowdcube.com	73,968
#19 (2015: new)	www.seedrs.com	90,162
#20 (2015: #28)	www.gogetfunding.com	97,023
#21 (2015: #29)	www.fundrise.com	117,386
#22 (2015: #20)	www.firstgiving.com	117,598
#23 (2015: #17)	www.razoo.com	126,920
#24 (2015: #14)	www.giveforward.com	126,939
#25 (2015: #38)	www.seedinvest.com	135,275
#26 (2015: #18)	www.fundly.com	140,609
#27 (2015: #27)	www.zeczec.com	151,454
#28 (2015: #25)	www.crowdfunder.com	158,984
#29 (2015: #23)	www.fundable.com	185,100
#30 (2015: #19)	www.pozible.com	189,422
#31 (2015: new)	www.companisto.com	201,708
#32 (2015: new)	www.wiseed.com	211,628
#33 (2015: #21)	www.fundrazr.com	214,382
#34 (2015: #31)	www.experiment.com	217,304
#35 (2015: #53)	www.peerform.com	222,324
#36 (2015: #53)	www.startengine.com	227,165
#37 (2015: new)	www.seedmatch.de	227,277
#38 (2015: #86)	www.bnktothefuture.com	279,553
#39 (2015: new)	www.fundersclub.com	284,743
#40 (2015: #45)	www.ourcrowd.com	286,808
#41 (2015: #26)	www.equitynet.com	293,867
#42 (2015: new)	www.syndicateroom.com	293,940
#43 (2015: #32)	www.realtymogul.com	332,585
#44 (2015: #42)	www.pledgie.com	351,524
#45 (2015: #39)	www.slated.com	354,964
#46 (2015: #44)	www.fundanything.com	361,785
#47 (2015: #40)	www.patchofland.com	364,803
#48 (2015: #33)	www.geldvoorelkaar.nl	367,546
#48 (2015: new)	www.anaxago.com	392,914
#49 (2015: #48)	www.ppl.com.pt	407,009
#50 (2015: #30)	www.fundedbyme.com	410,994
#51 (2015: #41)	www.givezooks.com	443,766
#52 (2015: #76)	www.joinmosaic.com	472,517
#53 (2015: #43)	www.microventures.com	504,408
#54 (2015: #new)	www.invesdor.com	520,978
#55 (2015: #37)	www.offbeatr.com	526,705
#56 (2015: #36)	www.wefunder.com	586,450
#57 (2015: #57)	www.plumfund.com	603,093
#58 (2015: #65)	www.crowdstreet.com	616,566
#59 (2015: #49)	www.dragoninnovation.com	635,079
#60 (2015: #52)	www.opportunity.org	669,915
#61 (2015: #61)	www.flashfunders.com	693,854
#62 (2015: #58)	www.fundraise.com	744,583
#63 (2015: #46)	www.pave.com	748,172
#64 (2015: #64)	www.symbid.com	884,303
#65 (2015: #68)	pitchfunder.asufoundation.org	1,072,918
#66 (2015: #34)	www.onevest.com	1,098,541
#67 (2015: #66)	www.assetavenue.com	1,124,447
#68 (2015: #69)	www.artistshare.com	1,135,924
#69 (2015: #70)	www.nextseed.com	1,138,179
#70 (2015: #63)	www.piggybackr.com	1,162,479
#71 (2015: #62)	www.trucrowd.com	1,246,018
#72 (2015: #60)	www.barnraiser.us	1,288,466
#73 (2015: #54)	www.bolstr.com	1,477,216
#74 (2015: #59)	www.earlyshares.com	1,585,544
#75 (2015: #80)	www.pledgecents.com	1,597,425
#76 (2015: #82)	www.crowd2fund.com	1,776,210
#77 (2015: #47)	www.growvc.com	1,791,220
#78 (2015: #87)	www.acquirerealestate.com	1,989,566
#79 (2015: #71)	www.appsfunder.com	2,649,175
#80 (2015: #78)	www.dreamfunded.com	2,760,699
#81 (2015: #72)	www.assob.com.au	2,767,540
#82 (2015: #90)	www.massivemov.com	3,234,838
#83 (2015: #55)	www.investx.com	3,486,195
#84 (2015: #75)	www.faithlauncher.com	3,605,295
#85 (2015: #75)	www.crudefunders.com	3,792,211
#86 (2015: #84)	www.texasenetworks.com	3,923,796
#87 (2015: #51)	www.pubslush.com	4,078,981
#88 (2015: #73)	www.foodstart.com	4,358,969
#89 (2015: #56)	www.uinvest.com.ua	4,483,866
#90 (2015: #79)	www.propellr.com	4,516,046
#91 (2015: #85)	www.icrowd.com	4,629,191
#92 (2015: #67)	www.microgiving.com	4,757,890
#93 (2015: #81)	www.massventure.com	5,544,974
#94 (2015: New)	www.offerboard.com	5,968,517
#95 (2015: #99)	www.cMEcompete.com	6,363,051
#96 (2015: #83)	www.ipledg.com	6,460,243
#97 (2015: #93)	www.funderhut.com	6,764,561
#98 (2015: #97)	www.crowdfundingbank.com	7,068,480
#99 (2015: #77)	www.crowdfundingpays.com	7,667,040
#100 (2015: #88)	www.sterlingfunder.com	7,951,827

Source: Feb 2016 SimilarWeb Website Statistics

Crowdfunding PR’s goal is simple. We want to make it possible for crowdfunders to shop for  crowdfunding platforms in a similar manner to the way media planners/buyers used to analyze ABC and BPA audit statements to buy advertisements in the business-to-business trade publication industry, where important media buying decisions were based on straight mathematics, not popularity or random guessing.

For example, would you rather run a crowdfunding campaign on a site where visitors are looking at 2-3 pages in around 3 minute’s time or a site where buyers are spending 6 to 11 minutes reviewing 6 to 10 pages?

This is the difference between shoppers who are visiting a site to see a particular crowdfunding campaign based on a marketing campaign versus people who are visiting a site to explore and actually shop around to find good deals to buy or invest their money.

This is why launching a campaign on Kickstarter or GoFundMe does not guarantee success. While Kickstarter, GoFundMe or Indiegogo may be the largest sites in the world, people are only spending enough time to shop through more than 2 to 3 crowdfunding profiles before they exit. While other sites like Razoo.com, DonorsChoose.org, and FundingCircle.com have visitors that stay more than 6 to 11 minutes and view 6 to 10 pages.

When researching, planning and executing successful marketing programs for both crowdfunding platforms as well as their individual crowdfunding customer profiles, it is extremely important to see what is driving the most traffic to any given crowdfunding site.  Success is usually determined not only by what site the crowdfunding campaign is being hosted on, but also the marketing programs being harnessed to drive potential donors/investors to a specific crowdfunding profile.

Clicking on each link above will allow media planners/buyers to understand what role direct traffic (content marketing), search engines (SEO, PPC Advertising), social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Quora), email marketing and display advertising (Google Display, Outbrain, AppNexus) are having on the success of crowdfunding campaigns.

For example, when planning a social media strategy, one of the most popular questions we get asked is – what social media networks are driving the most visitor traffic? Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram? The links above will make this answer crystal clear.

Not satisfied with your position on the list? Front Page PR’s team of crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing experts can help crowdfunding sites and crowdfunding campaigns plan the perfect mix of integrated marketing programs to significantly improve the amount of website traffic being driven to any given fundraising campaign or crowdfunding platform.

Feel free to call (512) 627-6622 with questions or request help to improve your website statistics before June.

More Top 100 Crowdfunding Site Lists:

• Top 100 Global Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 100 Equity Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 100 Real Estate Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 100 Reward/Perks Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 10 Donations Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 10 University Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 10 Texas Equity Crowdfunding Sites
• Top 10 Crowdfunding Cities

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SEC Lifts Ban on General Solicitation; Implements First Phase of JOBS Act for Reg. D, Title II Accredited Investors

SEC Lifts 80-Year Ban on the General Solicitation of Private Placement Equity Investments

By Robert Hoskins

Today, the United States finally inched its way toward the full implementation of the JOBS Act passed in April 2012, required by federal law to be in place by January 2013, but still not fully realized as intended by President Obama and the both houses of the U.S. Congress.

SEC Crowdfunding Call for Comments on November 15, 2013

“We want this new market and the private markets in general to thrive in a safe and efficient manner, and these rules we adopted and proposed are designed to facilitate that objective,” said Mary Jo White, Chairwoman of the SEC. “As we fulfill our mission to facilitate capital formation and maintain fair and efficient markets, the Commission must always focus on strong investor protections.”

Until the general solicitation ban was lifted, hedge funds, VCs, and startups had to quietly raise that money, soliciting by word of mouth and other forms of private communication. Now companies can buy ads, launch PR campaigns, leverage social media and openly announce that they’re seeking investors.

The addition of general solicitation is expected to fuel a new cottage industry of investor matching-making websites that aim to broaden the investment pool to financial stalwarts outside the stanchly protected investment circles of Silicon Valley.

“With general solicitation it will be much easier for investors to find companies they are passionate about supporting,” said Mike Norman of crowdfunding website, WeFunder. The new rule will hopefully open up the capital-starved startup market to the majority of investors. According to WeFunder’s website, only 3% of the US’s 8 million accredited investors are active in the tech startup space.

For example, leading startup investing platform, RockThePost, announced last week that its equity crowdfunding website will provide the following equity crowdfunding investment services:

1. Prominent featuring of startups publicly announcing investment rounds
2. Investor verification system that shifts the burden off startups
3. Secure transactions where Escrow accounts act as a safe haven for early committed investors
4. Full transparency – third party identity checks and legal business verification, crowdsourced due diligence, bank-level security
5. Smart matching of investors to startup investments that match their preferences

Equity crowdfunding sites such as Angelist, Circleup, Crowdfunder, FundersClub, RockThePost and Wefunder are important the nascent industry because according to the Center for Venture Research, only 258,000 investors have made an angel investment out of the 8.7 million accredited investor households eligible to invest in the U.S.

The general solicitation ban lift will allow startups to publicly fundraise via methods such as equity crowdfunding, harnessing the power of the internet and social media to reach potential investors in all corners of the country.

According to a Forbes article, many states have decided not to wait on the SEC. Kansas, the first state to enact laws requiring the registration of sales of securities to the general public 100 years ago, turned out to be the first in the U.S. to enact an “intrastate” Invest Kansas Exemption law. The state of Georgia passed the Invest Georgia Exemption that provides even more freedom for crowdfunding than the Kansas exemption. North Carolina’s House passed a crowdfunding bill that is expected to move to the full legislature in an updated form and be signed into law next year. The state of Washington is currently teeing up crowdfunding legislation and other states will likely follow suit.

Tanya Prive, a co-founder of RockthePost, points out that “One of the other issues I’ve seen is that there are plenty of startups with a large customer base that they cannot tap into for capital support under existing regulations. These people are the biggest fans and evangelists of the brand, who might be first in line to invest. Once the user base is able to engage with their beloved company in fundraising mode via an investment crowdfunding platform, the company will be able to capitalize on the crowd’s interest in their success and accelerate the fundraising process by converting customers into investors.”

“So although there are strings attached to the ruling, lifting the ban on general solicitation – an 80-year-old rule – will help investors connect with entrepreneurs, and vice versa. The decision also weighs in the favor of entrepreneurs and investors who live outside places like Silicon Valley, where old-school networking and personal connections are how financing deals typically happen,” said Eric Markowitz, crowdfunding reporter for Inc. Magazine. “By lifting the ban, entrepreneurs living outside traditional tech hubs may find it easier to connect with investors, raise money, and grow their start-ups without having to necessarily relocate.”

Although large players like private equity firms Bain Capital and Blackstone Group LP could take advantage of the chance to use television ad campaigns, many lawyers and regulators close to the industry have said that they expect smaller funds with fewer resources to test the new rule first.

“By allowing issuers to solicit to a broader group of potential investors, the SEC has showed its commitment to democratizing the investing process and putting an end to yesterday’s ‘old boy’ investor networks,” said Barry Silbert, founder and chief executive of SecondMarket Inc., a marketplace for private shares.

The next important date to watch for is October 31, 2013, when the 2nd wave of SEC crowdfunding guidelines are expected to be issued for Title III investors that will allow unaccredited investors to participate in private placement investments.

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More News on the SEC’s New General Solicitation Rules:

1. SEC Lifts Ban On General Solicitation, Allowing Startups

2. SEC Approves JOBS Act Requirement to Lift General Solicitation Ban

3. Starting Today, Startups Can Broadcast Their Fundraising From the Rooftops

4. The General Solicitation Ban Lift Can Change Startup Investing Forever

5. Crowdfunding Will Flourish Regardless Of What The SEC Does

6. Game Changer: SEC Lifts General Solicitation Ban

7. Boon for Start-ups: SEC Lifts Ban on General Solicitation

8. SEC lifts longtime advertising ban for hedge funds, others

9. SEC Lifts Ban on General Solicitation in Certain Private Placements

10. S.E.C. Lifts Advertising Ban on Private Investments

11. SEC Votes to Ease 80-Year-Old Ban on Private-Investment Ads

12. SEC Lifts Ban on Hedge Fund Ads

13. SEC Lifts 80-year-Old Ban on Advertisements for Private Investors

14. SEC lifts advertising ban on private investments: How it affects you

15. SEC Votes to Lift Ban on Hedge Fund Advertising

Top 100 Crowdfunding Sites for Equity-based, Rewards-based, Perks-based and Donation-based Fundraising Campaigns

Click Here to Review the 2015 Top 10 Rated Crowdfunding Sites to Help Anyone Launch a Fundraising Campaign to Raise Money to Bring Creative New Business Ideas to Fruition

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – Thinking about launching a Crowdfunding campaign to raise money to fund your creative business idea and bring it to fruition?  The Crowdfunding Press Center provides regular news reports on new Crowdfunding sites that have opened their doors to help entrepreneurs and small businesses launch fundraising campaigns to help bring their ingenious business ideas to fruition.

Top 10 Crowdfunding Sites for 2014

The big question that most crowdfunding campaign managers want to know is what crowdfunding site is the best to launch their fundraising campaign? Kickstarter vs. Indiegogo, which crowdfunding site is better? Or would one of the other crowdfunding sites outlined below be a better match for their precise crowdfunding goals and objectives.

Directory of Recently Launched Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• 99Funding
• AlumniFunder
• BanktotheFuture
• Bellavate
• Big-Concepts
• ClickStartMe
• cMEcompete
• Crowd Valley
• Crowdcube
• Crowdfund It Today
• Crowdfunder
• Crowdit
• CrowdTilt
• Foodstart
• Fundable
• FunderHut
• Fundly
• give2gether
• GivetoBenefit
• iCrowd
• KrowdKidz
• Launcht
• Mini America
• PiggyBackr
• Pik a Venture
• PledgeCents
• RockthePost
• Seed&Spark
• SeedInvest
• Start a Cure
• Sterlingfunder
• UInvest
• VentureHealth
• WeFunder
• YouCaring

Directory of the Top Rewards-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• ArtSpire
• Crowdtilt
• Feed the Muse
• FunderThunder
• IndieGoGo Crowdfunding
• iPledg
• Kickstarter Crowdfunding
• MassiveMov
• RocketHub
• Springboard
• TechMoola

Directory of the Top Disaster-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Go Fund Me
• HelpersUnite.com

Directory of the Top Non-Profit-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Crowdrise
• Fractured Atlas
• Fundly
• Razoo
• Start Some Good
• USA Projects

Directory of the Top Music-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• ArtistShare
• Hifidelics
• PledgeMusic
• Sellaband

Directory of the Top Film-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Offbeatr
• Slated
• VODO

Directory of the Top Design-Based Crowdfunding Prototyping Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• FabLabs
• Inventors Warehouse
• NextFab Studio
• NYC Resistor
• TechShop

Directory of the Top Sports-Based Crowdfunding Sites:

• Involved Fan

Directory of the Top Publishing-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Magcloud
• PubSlush
• Unbound

Directory of the Top Photojournalism-Based Crowdfunding Sites

• Emphas.is

Directory of the Top Arts & Crafts-Based Crowdfunding Sites:

• Etsy

Directory of the Top International-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Buzz Entrepreneur – France
• Fund R Venture – United Kingdom
• Geldvoorelkarr – Netherland
• Indulu.be – Hungary
• New Jelly – Norway
• PPL – Portugal
• Starteed – Italy
• The Crowd Angel – Spain
• Ulule – France
• WazoKu – United Kingdom
• WEBclusive – Netherlands

Directory of the Top Crowdfunding Accelerators, Boot Camps, and Incubators:

• AlphaLab
• Capital Factory
• DreamIt Ventures
• Good Company Ventures
• Junto Partners
• Seed Hatchery
• TechStars
• Y-Combinator

Directory of the Top Lending-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Funding Circle
• Kiva
• Lending Club
• Funding Circle
• SoMoLend

Directory of the Top Donation-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• Fundrazr
• GiveForward
• Pifworld
• Rally

Directory of the Top Equity-Based Crowdfunding Sites: [Click to Tweet]

• ASSOB
• Angel List
• AppsFunder
• CircleUp
• EarlyShares
• FundedbyMe
• GrowthGroup
• GrowVC
• I-Bankers Direct
• inCube Ventures
• MicroVentures
• OurCrowd
• Pozible – Australia
• Quirky

Directory of White-Label Crowdfunding Site Providers: [Click to Tweet]

• CrowdfundHQ
• CrowdfundingSite
• Crowd Fund Magic
• Crowdforce
• Crowdhoster
• Crowdtilt
• Fundrazr
• Hayduke Labs
• IgnitionDeck
• Invested.in
• Katipult
• Launcht
• Mimoona
• Selfstarter
• Thrinacia
• Towema.com

Directory of the Top Securities-Based White-Label Crowdfunding Site Providers: [Click to Tweet]

• Community Leader
• CrowdValley

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Related articles

• 12 Tips For Crowdfunding Your New Startup
• Top 10 Crowdfunding PR Tips for Fundraising Campaigns, Platforms and Websites
• Start A Cure Donation-Based Crowdfunding Platform Launched to Streamline Cancer Research Donations
• Kickback Machine: The World’s Best Tool for Researching Kickstarter Crowdfunding Platform Campaign Successes vs. Failures
• 12 Tips for Crowdfunding Your New Business
• Top 10 Value-Added Business Marketing Programs that Every Crowdfunding Platform, Portal or Fundraising Website Needs to Attract Potential Investors and Fundraising Profile Managers
• Front Page PR Unveils Crowdfunding PR Program for Crowdfunding Platforms that Pays for Itself
• Equity crowdfunding by unaccredited investors is legal in exactly one place in North America
• Crowdfunding: the good, the bad, and the ugly
• Kid-Friendly Crowdfunding Platforms – ‘Piggybackr’ Teaches Youth the Power of Crowdfunding (TrendHunter.com)

WestPark Capital to Sponsor CROWDIMPACT Live Social Enterprise Crowdfunding Event and Contest on April 23rd in Los Angeles

By Robert Hoskins

WestPark Capital, Inc. announced they will be the Title Partner of CROWDIMPACT ‘s upcoming competition for small businesses, with a focus on social enterprises, combining profit and social impact.  The involvement of key supporters representing over $100 million makes CROWDIMPACTone of the world’s largest social enterprise live presentation forums to date, and on April 23^rd, finalists will present their companies to judges deciding on over $30,000 in prizes for the top companies in Los Angeles, CA.

CROWDIMPACT Live Social Enterprise Presentation Forum & Social Enterprise Party

Using a proven model, CROWDIMPACT will operate similarly to Crowdfunder’s previous live events, CROWDFUNDxLasVegas and CROWDFUNDxLA, which collectively drew over 11,000 entrepreneurs and investors and over 900 early stage businesses.  Since February 20^th, over 150 companies have registered on Crowdfunder’s CROWDIMPACT online community.

“We are very pleased to take part in this exciting event that brings together great talents and companies from so many corners of the market.  The sharing of ideas and coming together of so many great businesses and professionals, each on the cusp of incredible things in their individual areas, is a unique opportunity that we are happy to take part in.  The event format suggests it will be as much fun as it is professionally rewarding.” says Jason Stern , Chief Operating Officer of WestPark Capital.

Crowdfunder’s CEO Chance Barnett adds, “Over the last 10 to 15 years, investors have come to understand that profit and social purpose can go hand-in-hand.  CROWDIMPACT helps top social enterprises across the globe to finally have a place to gain visibility in front of a community of impact-minded backers on the Crowdfunder’s social network.”

CROWDIMPACT brings together Crowdfunder’s business social network platform, WestPark Capital’s transactional, corporate finance, and advisory services experience, and innovative partners and communities that support and empower social entrepreneurship­­­­.  CROWDIMPACT Title Partners include Demand Media and Cal-X Crowdfund Connect.

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Want to generate news for your Crowdfunding PR campaign?  Select one of the following categories and post your press release:  Business , Cities, Communities, Crowdfunding Platforms, Education, Film, Music, Entertainment, Games, Videos, Social Good, Solar, Renewable Energy, Software, Hardware, and Technology Gadgets.   Don’t see your category listed? Tell us to add it and we will.

Both Crowdfunding platform owners and Crowdfunding campaign managers and PR staff can post their news and press releases into these free discussion forums to promote maximum social media exposure.

The State of Equity-Based Crowdfunding…Primed, Capitalized and Waiting on the SEC

Capitol Hill Briefing on the
State of Equity-Based Crowdfunding

Please Join  for a Capitol Hill Briefing on:

WHO:            Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

WHAT:        The State of Equity-Based Crowdfunding
                       …Primed, Capitalized and Waiting on the SEC

WHERE:     Washington, DC – The Capitol:  HVC 201 A & B

WHEN:        Tuesday, February 19, 2012 from 12:00 p.m – 1:30 p.m.

WHY:           Attend Crowdfunding Panel Discussion 

Moderator: Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, SBE Council

Panel of Crowdfunding Subject Matter Experts:  

• Sherwood Neiss/Jason Best, Crowdfund Capital Advisors
• Candace Klein, SoMoLend
• Ryan Feit, SeedInvest
• Sara Hanks, CrowdCheck 
• Chris Tyrell, Nehemiah Investments
• Vince Molinari, GATE Technologies
• Kim Wales, Crowdfunding Professionals Association
• Judy Robinett, Entrepreneur, Advisor to Early Stage Companies
• Doug Ellenoff, Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole, LLP
• Chance Barnett, Crowdfunder

RSVP by February 15:   rsvp@sbecouncil.org  Please provide Full Name, Title and Association or Member/Committee Office

Purpose of Crowdfunding Briefing:

At this February 19 briefing, the nation’s principal leaders and experts on equity and debt-based financing will provide an in-depth review of the extensive build out and preparation that has taken place to help entrepreneurs’ access capital through online platforms, while protecting the investors who will finance these enterprises.  The group will touch upon the global advancement of equity-based crowdfunding, the significant challenges entrepreneurs still face in accessing capital and why it is vitally important that the SEC finalize JOBS Act rulemakings.

JOBS Act Background:

President Obama signed the Jump Start Our Businesses Start Up Act (JOBS Act) on April 5, 2012, which among other smart reforms to outdated securities laws, made equity-based crowdfunding legal.  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), however, has missed important deadlines in issuing rules that will govern this promising and transformative marketplace for entrepreneurs.

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Front Page PR Offers Free Crowdfunding Training Program for SCORE Chapters Nationwide

Recommended SCORE
Crowdfunding Training Program

By Robert Hoskins, Front Page PR

Front Page PR Crowdfunding experts offer free consulting services to help SCORE mentors develop low-cost Crowdfunding training programs that will teach entrepreneurs, startups and expanding businesses how to build a Crowdfunding campaign to raise enough money to get their company off the ground.

The good news is that there is zero risk, other than a little time and effort to build a profile. Unlike a real business launch where a business owner invests everything they have into a business and hope that it works, it is free to build a Crowdfunding profile on Kickstarter and Indiegogo and give it a whirl.

Crowdfunding allows small businesses to test the waters first, kind of like a free online focus group to see what customers think. It is very cost-effective to spend a little money on producing a video, shooting pictures of some prototypes, writing and issuing a couple of press releases and then marketing the Crowdfunding profile to their crowd of social media network contacts to see if fans will support the product via donations.  Compared to signing a three-year lease for retail space, buying equipment, hiring staff, and spending a lot of money on marketing only see a business fails in less than two-years time, Crowdfunding makes very good common sense.

If a Crowdfunding campaign fails, Crowdfunders can step back and analyze what went wrong and keep trying until they get it right and lose nothing in the process.

If the Crowdfunding campaign is successful, it allows them to establish a customer base from the very beginning.  Not only do they receive the investment capital they need to get their business started, but they have pre-sold hundreds to thousands of products to customers who actually want the product. A side benefit is that early Crowdfunding customers become brand champions during the campaign and actually help the Crowdfunder promote the product/service to additional circles of social media contacts because they like it and want to share it with their like-minded friends.

Once Equity Crowdfunding becomes legal, Crowdfunding donors can become investors that receive an equity stake in the company, not just a free product or perk.  After an equity Crowdfunding campaign is complete, a local retail store, restaurant or some other type of business opens up, its brand champions will not only continue to encourage their  friends to support the business, but they will receive a portion of the future dividends, revenue sharing, or some type of return-on-investment as the business grows.  For the first time in American history, 98%  more Americans will have the ability to steer the economy by investing in the products and services they really want to buy.  It is a win-win situation for everyone.

For SCORE mentors that have an interest in teaching their clients how to get involved in the growing Crowdfunding industry, we recommend setting up a conference call to discuss the following Crowdfunding topics.  In addition, we will share several different text books, guides and forms that will be very useful in walking business owners through the Crowdfunding process.  Please contact Robert Hoskins to setup a conference call to learn more.

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SCORE Crowdfunding Training Outline

I. Introduction to Crowdfunding

• Rewards – Usually first shipment of the product

• Perks – VIP treatment, photos, meetings, visits

• Donations – Giving money to needy people or community outreach programs that help others

• Equity – Investing money to obtain an equity stake in a company: equity, revenue share, debt, etc.

• Title II vs. Title III – Accredited investors Q1; Unaccredited Q4 2013

• Crowdfunding Service Provider – Selecting the right platform based on target audience composition

II.  Building a Crowdfunding Campaign Statement

• Mission – what is the primary business directive?

• Management Team – who will be running the business?

• Bios – what experience qualifies Crowdfunders for this management role?

• Goals & Objectives – overarching goals and objectives needed for success?

• Strategies – what strategies will be used to achieve goals?

• Universe – how large is the market opportunity?

III. Crowdfunding Campaign Elements

• Company/Product Names – Making the A-list without an explanation

• Videos – passionate testimonial(s) from the campaign managers

• Photos – photos or preliminary designs of products

• 3D Prototypes – early versions of what finished product will look like

• Patents – file a patent to protect your intellectual property

• FAQ Sheets – know your industry well to get the facts straight

• Marketing Campaigns – determining the right mix of adv, PR and social media

• Manufacturing – don’t wait until the last minute to line things up, plan for success from the beginning

IV.  Crowdfunding Budget Needed

• How much do you want? – Ask for a realistic amount that is fair and achievable

• What to do plan to do with it? – Provide a simple budget to show how the money will be spent

• Step-by-Step – Raising money in steps builds credibility

• Crowdfunding Timeline – details a timeline from money allocation to final delivery

• Crowdfunding realty check – it requires work to become successful

V. Building and Leveraging Donor Databases

• Inside Circle – Friends, Family, and Business Colleagues

• Social media – Extended circles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Meetup, Twitter, Youtube, etc.

VI. Pledges and Rewards

• Reward Levels – small, medium and large

• Pre-selling products – to establish market demand

VII. Building Crowdfunding Campaign Buzz

• Publicity – using press releases to generate positive publicity

• Social Media – leveraging the power of large crowds

• Event Marketing – what to do during the bottom of the U

VIII. Approaching the Finish Line

• Thank You Notes – Thank donors for their money

• Quick Replies – Answer Crowdfund campaign comments quickly

• Ask for Referrals – Don’t be afraid to ask the crowd for help

IX. Mission Complete

• Success – Satisfaction of achieving your goal

• Business – Next comes the hard part, building a functional business

• Fulfillment – Managing time, effort, budget and scalability

• International – Requires additional shipping time and costs

X. Failure 

• The Upside of Failure – Unlike most many startups that lose everything when their business is not successful,  Crowdfunders can use a Crowdfunding campaign as a very cost-effective focus group prior to a hard launch

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Private Equity, Angel Networks and Broker Dealers Ready for Crowdfunding

‘Rich Man’s Crowd Funding‘

by My Say, Contributor

Private Equity, funds, angel networks and broker dealers are embracing the technology underpinning crowdfunding with its standards of deal presentation and distribution channels to potential investors.

According to Jouko Ahvenainen, Chairman and co-founder of Grow VC, “At Grow VC Group we work with many broker dealers to offer our platform as a service for their use. Through GrowVC they can easily transfer many offline activities and investors to an online marketplace as a strategy to get more investors and make their operations more effective.”

The use of this technology by broker dealers was presented to the National InvestmentBanker Association in Spring 2012 and today we have seen recent movements with SoMoLend and CrowdFunder signing up with the leading broker dealer Gate Technologies, whose back end crowdfunding platform is run by visionary CEO Vince Molinari. We will see the two to three dozen dedicated crowdfunding for equity sites partner up with broker dealers in Q1 2013 and start pursuing SEC broker dealer transactions under the “Rich Man’s Crowd Funding” option in wait for crowdfunding for equity to become legal.

Leading players in the market like Crowdfunder, SeedInvest, CircleUp, Launcht, WeFunder, Fundable, Indiegogo, Rockethub and Crowd Valley will be the new broker dealers joining the industry in 2013 although Kickstarter will not enter this segment. These firms are the new blood in the market and are leveraging this technology.

“I believe the jury is out on who the winners will be in the long run relative to the crowd platforms,” says Steven Cinelli. “Much like an investment bank, issuers will opt for those platforms that build a history of getting deals done. It’s all about successful distribution.”

CircleUp has already done half a dozen projects as a broker dealer with their license held by WR Hambrecht & Co. The fact crowdfunding for equity is delayed pushes these sites to start brokering “Rich Man’s Crowd Funding.”

Read more…