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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Crowdfunding Industry Petitions the SEC to Raise Title III, Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg. CF) Private Equity Fundraising Cap to $20 Million

Crowdfunding experts cite zero fraud; competent issuers have been able to raise serious capital from investors that believe in their products or services; and, retail investors, for the first time in recent history, now have a transparent, systematic way to invest in startups

Sherwood Neiss, Crowdfund Capital Advisors, testifies at the SEC

In a letter to the SEC dated July 19^th, the Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) industry’s largest equity crowdfunding platforms and industry influencers provided data and analysis to support increasing the Regulation Crowdfunding cap to $20 million.

The letter comes after SEC Chairman Clayton said in a live chat with FINRA President and CEO Robert Cook, “I continue to worry that retail investors do not have access to as broad a slice of our capital markets as I would like them to have. Said another way, you have private capital and public capital. Retail investors can really only participate in the public capital, and to the extent private capital has become so robust, you’ve shrunk opportunities. That bothers me a bit. If that trend continues, a much more select group is participating in the growth of the economy.”

The following bullet points below and the following analysis is provided to support the increase in Reg. CF.

Since the launch of Regulation Crowdfunding:

• Over 1,000 companies have filed with the SEC to raise money on online platforms that are registered with FINRA to facilitate capital formation.
• Over $137M has been committed to these issuers. 95% ($130.4M) of that capital was funded and invested into 715 companies (68.5% success rate).
• These 715 companies are supporting 4,172 jobs and producing over $249 million n revenue.
• Issuers have filed in almost every state in the Union.
• Issuers have been funded in 80 industries, according to Morningstar’s Global Equity Classification Structure.

The fundraising cap should be adjusted because:

• There has been zero fraud, competent issuers have been able to raise serious capital from investors that believe in their products or services, and retail investors (for the first time in recent history) have a transparent, systematic way to back companies they believe in.
• Successfully funded companies are supporting and creating valuable jobs and providing substantial economic activity in a broad range of locally important industries all around the United States.
• The initial cap of $1 million was meant to be adjusted. Only once since the launch of Regulation Crowdfunding has this been adjusted and at the time only by $70,000. Such de minimus adjustments do not fully allow meritorious issuers to fully benefit from this new form of online finance nor expand the opportunity for issuers seeking to raise in excess of $1 million.
• The current $1 million level is now far below what startups and SMEs need for seed stage capital. May 2018 data indicates that the median sized funding round for Angel or Seed stage companies in the US is $2 million. This means that even for the smallest funding round the current limits do not allow an issuer to raise their entire round via Regulation Crowdfunding. This dramatically increases costs and time spent on raising capital by US businesses. This reduces the number of American innovators and job creators in the United States.
• While the “funding gap” that Regulation Crowdfunding was meant to address is filling the void. The funding “opportunity” really comes from those small/medium firms that are seeking to raise up to $20 million. Raising funds under $20 million has become increasingly challenging as Venture Capital/Private Equity has moved upstream over the past decade. Raising the cap will allow issuers that wish to utilize this form of online finance the ability to raise in excess of $1 million and tap their local investors without having to deal with the costly, time consuming process of either filing a full prospectus with the SEC or spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a private offering.
• Many companies forego Regulation Crowdfunding in favor of Reg D, 506(c), because of the low Reg CF limit. This has the effect of reduced disclosure to investors, since Form D provides less information even than Form C. In addition, ordinary investors are cut out of some of the most attractive deals that have already attracted institutional funding, which seems unfair and counter to one of the goals of Reg CF.
• Both the United Kingdom and Germany have adjusted their caps to 8 million EUR (US$9.4 million). The United States should not be a follower, but instead a leader.

People are being asked to call their Senators and Representatives to ask them to support increasing the cap and helping small businesses access capital, create jobs and foster local innovation.

# # #

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.

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

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

By Robert Hoskins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

 

Texas Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Crowdfunding Campaigns

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

By Robert Hoskins

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

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

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

Families: 

Help for Gary and Tammy Telles in Port Aransas

Keliy Anderson-Staley in Houston

Samantha Rae Zontini in Richmond

Watson Family in Houston

Terry Wickwire Homeless Relief

Mike Cutler Hurricane Fund

Christenson Family Hurricane Relief

Elise Smith in Rockport Hurricane Relief

Erika & Jamal in Houston

Dustin and Family in Friendswood

Chambers of Commerce:

Rockport Fulton Chamber of Commerce

Schools:

KIPP Houston High School

Harmony Public Schools

Emergency First Responders:

Helicopter Rescue Texas Disaster Relief for Houston Area

Businesses:

eXp Realty Agents and Brokers Hurricane Relief

4 Paws Farm/ I Love My Dog Team

Houston Goodfellas

General Funds:

Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Response

GoFundMe Hurricane Harvey Relief

YouCaring Houston Flood Relief Fund

GlobalGiving Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

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

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

Name(required)

Cell Phone

Email(required)

Please describe who you are, what the hurricane did to your family/home, where you live, when you expect to survey the damage, how much money you need, what you plan to spend the money on and we will contact you ASAP:(required)

Submit

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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.

 

 

 

 

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.

India’s Leading Crowdfunding Platform Has Announced the Launch of a New Initiative Called the ‘Doctors for Good’ Program

ImpactGuru.com’s volunteer doctors impact thousands of lives with their practice by examining patients and conducting clinical evaluations

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Mumbai, India – ImpactGuru.com, India’s leading crowdfunding platform has announced the launch of a new initiative called the, ‘Doctors For Good’ program on National Doctors’ Day. As a part of this program, Impact Guru will honor the role of doctors in our community, whose daily efforts save the lives of millions of people struggling with illnesses, diseases and injuries.

ImpactGuru.com, India’s leading crowdfunding platform has announced the launch of a new initiative called the, ‘Doctors for Good’ Program

The initiative coined by ImpactGuru.com will educate doctors regarding the benefits of crowdfunding for patients who require funds to treat serious illnesses, diseases or injuries like cancer, organ failure, etc. Surgeries coupled with post-surgical care and treatments, have resulted in many families incurring costs of over tens of lakhs of rupees. Patients and their families have traditionally resorted to taking loans or borrowed the funds required at high interest rates from private lenders or family. With the introduction of crowdfunding platforms, many families have been able to successfully raise sufficient funds for such medical treatments.

With this initiative, ImpactGuru.com invites doctors, hospitals, and clinicians as they conduct training sessions in the form of webinars or workshops. These workshops will educate them about how crowdfunding can help patients access and afford quality and reliable medical services from trusted practitioners. The ‘Doctors For Good’ program, will also help provide quick financial assistance to anyone with a medical cause. This program aims to help thousands of lesser privileged patients, access proper and quality treatment without being burdened by the expenses through the enrolled doctors.

Additionally, the doctors that volunteer for this program will also help verify cases and medical reports, as they impact thousands of lives with their practice by examining patients and cases by conducting clinical evaluations. They will impart medical advice to campaigners raising funds through ImpactGuru.com, while sharing their expert opinions on various medical topics via the platform’s website and other communication channels.

Speaking about the program, Piyush Jain, Co-Founder and chief executive officer of ImpactGuru.com said, “Over the past six months we have seen a surge in medical fundraisers. In the last two months itself, we were able to raise around 75 lakhs for many patients on our platform. Most campaigners are not aware of their potential to raise funds to help treat their family members and friends. They approach us with low expectations and are left overwhelmed by the massive response they receive. Through this initiative, we want to multiply the impact by involving more doctors to help us reach more patients and save more lives. We understand running a fundraiser while taking care of an ill family member is not easy, which is why we have a fully equipped team that provides 24×7 support to each campaigner, and we wish to render these services for those in need.”

Dr. Sasmita Panda – Medical officer Shri HN Reliance Hospital said, “I’ve had many patients come to me looking for advice on how to arrange for funds to get the treatment done immediately. In most cases, the surgery has to take place immediately, but is delayed only because of lack of funds. There are times when the patient’s life is lost while waiting for funds. I’ve recommended crowdfunding to many, who have managed to raise 50% to 100% of funds in a week and gotten the required treatment. I think in the time of a rising number of cancer cases, crowdfunding can be a life-saver. It is a great alternative to the hassle faced, after approaching insurance companies or banks.”

Impact Guru offers a complete crowdfunding solution that combines social or donation crowdfunding, rewards crowdfunding for medical or personal causes, nonprofits, and social enterprises for all their fundraising needs – be it small or large. The company was incubated at Harvard Innovation Lab’s Venture Initiation Program in USA in 2014. Impact Guru has offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and San Francisco.

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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.

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.

OurCrowd and LetsVenture Announce Collaboration on Setting Up New ‘India Investment Fund’ to Begin Investing in Indian and Israeli Entrepreneurs and Startups

OurCrowd will offer curated deals to Indian investor syndicates managed by LetsVenture, as well as showcase Indian startups on OurCrowd’s platform

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Bengaluru, India – OurCrowd, one of the landing equity crowdfunding in Israel, announced that it has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with LetsVenture, one of India’s largest angel investment syndicates for seed stage and venture capital for startups and growing businesses. As part of this partnership, OurCrowd will offer curated deals to Indian investor syndicates managed by LetsVenture, as well as showcase Indian startups on OurCrowd’s platform, giving selected Indian startups access to accredited investors globally and to business development opportunities.

OurCrowd will offer curated deals to Indian investor syndicates managed by LetsVenture, as well as showcase Indian startups on OurCrowd’s platform

OurCrowd and LetsVenture will be also be collaborating on an ‘India Fund’ to invest in Israeli, Indian and global startups. The investment into this fund would primarily be from family funds and high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in India and OurCrowd’s global network of accredited investors.

Leveraging LetsVenture’s domestic network, OurCrowd will offer Indian corporates access to the Israeli innovation ecosystem.

“Having made startup funding easy, our vision is to make angel investing easy with a focus on portfolio management (startup reporting, portfolio diversification and exits). The partnership with OurCrowd aligns with our vision of offering our investors access to some of the best startups across geographies including Israel, along with giving LetsVenture portfolio companies access to global investors for their next round of funding. In this partnership with one of the largest equity crowdfunding platforms globally, we do believe this is a win-win for both of us,” said Shanti Mohan, Co-Founder & CEO, LetsVenture.

In addition to this, LetsVenture will facilitate ‘Take to Market’ activities for OurCrowd’s portfolio companies to access the Indian market, the activities of which are under development by LetsVenture and are targeted to commence in 2018.

Commenting on the announcement, Jon Medved, OurCrowd CEO, said, “India is a critical growth market for our business with a huge number of very exciting startup investment opportunities in a range of sectors. Israel and India have a great joint heritage sharing many of the same entrepreneurial qualities that are the backbone of our economies. I am excited to be entering into this collaboration with LetsVenture, which I believe will deliver great value to our investors.”

Elias Ghosalkar, Director of Corporate Development at OurCrowd, added, “OurCrowd, with its strong global presence and established industry leadership is well poised to support the Indian startup eco-system and its stakeholders via its strategic collaboration with LetsVenture. This strategic collaboration helps build much needed bridges between the Israeli and Indian startup ecosystems, and opens the doors to tapping into high growth potential synergies. Indian investors, startups and corporates gain access to global expertise, know-how and innovation via the OurCrowd network, which will truly help put the ‘Startup India initiative’ on a fast track and further strengthen the economic linkages between Israel and India.”

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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.

Sony Global Education Launches a KOOV Indiegogo Campaign to Fund a Software Coding and Robotics Kit for the Next Generation of Innovators

KOOV is already available in Japan and China, and Sony is now looking to expand the program to the United States

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

San Diego, California – Sony Electronics in conjunction with Sony Global Education announced that the KOOV Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to fund a new coding and robotics kit for the next generation of young innovators has raised more than half of it crowdfunding goal.

The Sony Global Education team developed KOOV as a fresh approach to learning robotics and programming. KOOV is already available in Japan and China, and Sony is now looking to expand the program to the US in order to gain feedback and insight into the American market.

KOOV: The all-in-one coding, robotics and design kit for the next generation of innovators from Sony

KOOV is a robotics and coding educational kit made up of blocks, sensors, motors, actuators, and a companion app that teaches children core concepts about design, coding and robotics. The app also features a secure social space, where children can share their designs and code with other young inventors from around the world.

The blocks can be assembled into any shape, with the final figure capable of being controlled as a robot. The kit encourages learners to “Play” by building with 7 kinds of translucent blocks, “Code” by controlling the assembled figure through the KOOV app, and “Create” by embracing their creativity and imagination.

Sony Global Education believes that the teaching materials for robotics and programming will play a major role in cultivating STEM literacy and nurturing the next generation of problem solvers.

KOOV was built on the belief that STEM learning tools should be accessible to all children.  Through the use of inclusive colors, shareable design and the goal of building a foundation for future STEM learning, Sony hopes to attract parents of children 8 to 14 years old, with equal emphasis on boys and girls.

Pre-orders are available for a limited time beginning June 20th via Indiegogo, with product scheduled to ship to backers in early December. The suggested retail price is $359 for the Starter Kit and $499 for the Advanced Kit with limited quantities available at discounts of up to 40% for early backers.  Interested consumers can learn more about KOOV, and place preorders at https://igg.me/at/KOOV.

 

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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.