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.

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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.

 

 

 

 

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.

Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign Introduces Cool New Tool for Restaurants to Safely Devein Lobsters that Is Super Fast and More Thorough than Using a Broken Antennae

 The patent-pending Lobster Deveiner is currently the only tool on the market that can quickly and effectively clean any lobster properly

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Scott Mobley, firefighter and creator of the first Lobster Deveining Tool, is launching his first Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Mobley has created the first ever tool to devein lobster safely, quickly, and more efficiently than any other method. He has appropriately named his company “D Vein.”

Scott Mobley demonstrating how simple it is to prepare lobster using the Lobster Deveining Tool

As a fire fighter from Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue, Mobley has learned to cherish every day and make it count, as it could be his last. On his days off, Mobley enjoys fishing and diving, especially for lobsters. Since he was young, Mobley dreaded cleaning spiny lobsters with their broken antennae the old-fashioned way and now, 20+ years later, Mobley has created the first Lobster Deveiner designed to remove the intestinal tract without the hassle.

Mobley was inspired to create this one-of-a-kind tool from his love of fishing and catching lobster. This is the very first product ever invented to devein and properly clean lobster.

The Lobster Deveiner Tool is currently the only tool on the market that can quickly and effectively clean any lobster properly. This tool is patent-pending and works great and has been getting outstanding reviews and the feedback from all of the people in the lobster fishing business that have seen it.

“Let me just say, the days of dreading cleaning the lobsters we catch are long gone. Some people might just say, ‘Why not just use the free antennae?’  You could, but if you clean as many lobsters as we do, we recommend buying the $8 lobster cleaning tool.  It is just so much faster, easier and more dependable than using a broken antennae.”-B. Jax

“Saves a lot of time, works really well. Greatest invention yet for lobster season.”- LA Livin

D Vein will be available exclusively online via Kickstarter beginning Saturday, July 1 at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/219595839/911454420?token=d3f1f482. 

 

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A Splash Drone 3 that Can Fly in the Air, Float on Water, See Under Water and Carry a Payload Has Officially Launched a Crowdfunding Campaign on Kickstarter

Splash Drone 3 is the only waterproof drone equipped with a 4K camera and a Payload Release System designed to deliver a life vest to a swimmer overboard or fishing bait up to a kilometer away. It can land and float like a boat on water and see under water while transmitting the video signal for up to a kilometer away

By Robert Hoskins

Miami, Florida – The vast majority of drone owners fear flying over water for obvious reasons. Viral videos of drones crashing over lakes and beaches are far too common these days, but those days are now over. That’s because SwellPro is introducing the new Splash Drone 3 AUTO and Fisherman editions. The only drone that is waterproof, can float in the water, is equipped with a 4K stabilized camera and Payload Release System that can deliver a life vest or bait for up to a kilometer away.

Splash Drone 3, a waterproof drone that can fly in the air, float on water, see under water and carry a payload such as a life vest or a fishing bait up to 1,000 meters, is crowdfunding on Kickstarter

The Splash Drone 3’s new flight controller has redundant safety features that allow it to automatically return to its take-off position at the flip of a switch or auto-land in case of low battery voltage, much more effectively than its predecessor.

The Fisherman Edition comes with a Payload Release System that is geared towards fishermen, boaters and search and rescue personnel that want to deliver a life vest to a swimmer in distress or even bait to the desired location.

Both the Splash Drone 3 AUTO and Fisherman edition can fly in the rain, snow, land and float on water and see underwater while wirelessly transmitting the video signal back to the monitor on the newly designed remote control. The remote also vibrates to alert the drone pilot of any safety concerns like low battery levels or loss of navigation satellites.

The 4K video camera on the Splash Drone 3 AUTO is mechanically stabilized and can take 14 megapixel still photos with its distortion-free lens. While the Payload Release System of the Fisherman has a fixed camera that can carry up to 2.5 lbs pounds.

Both the 4K camera gimbal or the Payload Release System can be interchangeable between the AUTO and the Fisherman Edition of the Splash Drone 3, but unlike the Fisherman Edition, the AUTO can also be flown from a mobile app that allows it to fly smart missions like Tap-To-Fly to location on the map, Follow-me Mode and Automatic Mission Plans.

“We’re very excited to launch our most advanced drone yet. With the release of the Splash Drone 3, drone pilots will be able to do what was virtually impossible before, get a video shot from under water and from the air in one flight. I’m proud of SwellPro’s innovation and how much we’ve advanced in the last two years,” said Eric Hu, CEO of SwellPro, the company that manufactures the Splash Drone in Shenzhen China.

“Two years ago creating a waterproof drone was only a dream, today I’m delighted to announce that this dream has become a reality. We’re reimagining a new flight experience by getting rid of the fear of flying over water,” Said Alex Rodriguez, CEO and drone designer at Urban Drones, a drone technology company based in South Florida and the distributor of the Splash Drone in the Americas and Canada.

The Splash Drone 3 AUTO and Fisherman has launched on Kickstarter and can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/splashdrone/splash-drone-3-a-fully-waterproof-drone-that-float

Delivery to early backers starts in early late July, 2017. Boaters, drone enthusiasts and water sports aficionados that take advantage of the Splash Drone’s Kickstarter campaign, will enjoy a much lower price and early delivery before it’s available for retail starting at $1399 for the Fisherman and $1699 for the AUTO.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

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

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following and is dedicated to supporting a wide variety of donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

ROBOSEA’s Bionic Unmanned Underwater Drone, BIKI, Zooms to More than 375% of Its Kickstarter Crowdfunding Goal

Full of tech features and operated through a controller or personal mobile device app, the unmanned underwater device with built-in GPS can maneuver nearly anywhere, at a depth of up to 196 feet, using advanced bionics technology

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, California -Boya Gongdao (Beijing) Robot Technology Co., Ltd. (Robosea) launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fund one of the world’s first bionic underwater drones, the BIKI, which is also the only underwater robot featuring automated balance, obstacle avoidance, and return to base. By supporting a 4K camera, BIKI presents you with the best view from underwater. BIKI is the smallest, but also the strongest. Through this intelligent robot fish, you can visualize the underwater world from a completely new perspective. BIKI is not only an almighty underwater drone but also a robot pet full of emotions. Now, just tell BIKI what you want to do!

BIKI is the world’s first bionic underwater drone that is also the only underwater robot featuring automated balance, obstacle avoidance, and can automatically return to its starting GPS coordinates

Robosea has implemented an advanced bionics technology into BIKI that they previously invented and developed for the first underwater robot with dual reconfigurable tail fin. This was used to operate in Antarctic Regions, where the underwater robot played a significant role in the anthropic exploration into unknown territory. And the BIKI unmanned underwater drone can easily be controlled with a physical controller or app on your mobile device.

BIKI’s bionic design minimizes the volume and weight that’s 30 percent more efficient than other UUVs on the market today and includes an infrared positioning sensor, allowing the drone, which resembles a fish, to avoid obstacles automatically and adapt to different complex environments intelligently.

“BIKI can maneuver just about anywhere, and with the use of our trademarked exclusive Robosea Algorithm and set in IMU (inertial measurement unit), it can keep its balance in the water – allowing BIKI self-stabilization to provide smooth videos and sharp photos through its camera platform,” said Dr. Minglei Xiong, CEO of Robosea.

4k video and pictures captured can easily be shared via live transmission to personal mobile devices and social media. In the case of a lost connection, a built-in GPS module makes BIKI automatically return to base or send real-time locations to mobile devices.

“You can also design your own routes for BIKI and, if transmission is somehow lost, it will automatically return to base – all the while sending its real-time location to your mobile device,” added Xiong. “In addition to 4K UHD video, BIKI also supports 16-megapixel photography at 30 fps that offers the best view from underwater – even when operating at high-speed motion or in darkness.”

BIKI operates for up to 90-120 minutes on a single charge, and can operate at depths of nearly 200 feet.

BIKI features include:

• Advanced Bionics Tech

With bionic design, BIKI UUV minimizes the volume and weight, and increases the efficiency by 30%.
Able to get into everywhere.

• Automated Balance

Principle: IMU (inertial measurement unit) and exclusive algorithm ROBOSEA™.
Result: keep balance in the water.

• Automated Obstacle Avoidance

Principle: infrared positioning sensor.
Result: adapt to complex environment intelligently.

• Automated Return to Base

Principle: built-in GPS module.
Result: automatically return to base and send real-time location to your mobile devices.

• 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) resolution of 3840 pixels × 2160 lines (8.3 megapixels, aspect ratio 16:9)
• Compact size (weight of 2.4 pounds, 10.47-inch length, 4.17-inch Width and 5.83-inch height)
• Durable open shell
• IMU (inertial measurement unit)
• ROBOSEA algorithm
• Underwater suspension
• 1.12 mph fishtail-driven design
• 196-foot maximum depth
• 55db ultra silent
• 150° Wide-Angle Lens
• 32 GB Internal Memory
• 2*114 Lumen Lights
• Wireless control and transmission
• Route customization
• 90-120 minutes of video shooting

BIKI also applies the technology of ABS crashworthiness and resistance-to-weathering, so no matter what difference in temperature from 32-158°F (0 to 70°C), corrosive offshore environments, or under long-term sunlight, BIKI will always remain in perfect condition.

Boya Gongdao (Beijing) Robot Technology Co., Ltd. (Robosea) is an entrepreneurial technology company focusing on highly-precise technology development, which mainly engages in R&D of underwater robot and automation equipment, as well as robotic technology training and service.

Robosea’s existing self-developed products include: underwater unmanned aerial vehicle, biomimetic robot fish, water quality monitoring and pollution regulating robots, etc. The founder of the company is Dr. Xiong Minglei from intelligent control room of engineering Institute of Peking University, who develop industry-university-research cooperation with a R&D team consisting of doctors and masters.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

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

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following and is dedicated to supporting a wide variety of donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

Facebook Rolls Out Crowdfunding Platform for Education, Medical, Pets, Crisis Relief, Personal Loss, Sports and Community Needs

However, with a crowdfunding platform commission fee of  6.9% + 30 cents per credit card transaction fee Facebook’s Fundraiser Service will be considerably more expensive than competitors such as GoFundMe, Indiegogo and Kickstarter

By Robert Hoskins

Menlo Park, California – Facebook is a place where people come together to connect with their communities and support one another in meaningful ways. Today, we are giving people another way to mobilize around causes they care about by expanding personal fundraisers to everyone over 18 in the US and by adding two new categories – community and sports.

Facebook Rolls Out Crowdfunding Platform and Fundraiser Service for Education, Medical, Pets, Crisis Relief, Personal Loss, Sports and Community Needs

Facebook began testing personal fundraisers, a new product that allows people to raise money for a friend, themselves or a sick pet directly on Facebook, in March. Since then, they’ve been inspired by the response to create them and the support felt by those they benefit.

People can create a fundraiser to quickly raise money on Facebook and easily reach their friends in a few taps, without leaving Facebook, and can share fundraisers to help build momentum. People can learn about the person who created the fundraiser and the person benefiting from the fundraiser, as well as see which friends have donated. Now people can raise money for any of the following categories:

• Education: such as tuition, books or classroom supplies
• Medical: such as medical procedures, treatments or injuries
• Pet Medical: such as veterinary procedures, treatments or injuries
• Crisis Relief: such as public crises or natural disasters
• Personal Emergency: such as a house fire, theft or car accident
• Funeral and Loss: such as burial expenses or living costs after losing a loved one
• Sports: such as equipment, competitions or team fees
• Community: such as neighborhood services, community improvements or environmental improvements

Nonprofit fundraisers continue to be available for people on Facebook to raise funds and awareness for 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

It’s easy to get started:

1. On mobile, tap the menu icon and select Fundraisers, or on desktop, go to facebook.com/fundraisers
2. Choose to raise money for a Friend, Yourself or Someone or Something Not on Facebook
3. Give your fundraiser a title and compelling story, and start raising money

All fundraisers are reviewed within 24 hours. Personal fundraisers are available on all devices, and have a 6.9% Facebook commission fee + $0.30 fee that goes to payment processing, fundraiser vetting, and security and fraud protection. Facebook’s goal is to create a platform for good that’s sustainable over the long-term, and not to make a profit from our charitable giving tools.

We’re constantly inspired by the good people on Facebook do, and we’re excited to learn more about how people use this new product so we can continue improving the experience.

Find out more about Facebook fundraisers at facebook.com/fundraisers.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

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

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

How to Use Crowdfunding PR, Social Media, Websites and Email Marketing to Launch Successful Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Title IV Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns

Crowdfunding PR helps crowdfunding sites and their campaign managers plan effective marketing campaigns that give fundraising efforts a higher than average chance for crowdfunding success!

By Robert Hoskins

What’s the best way to get the word out about a crowdfunding campaign?

Build an in-depth website including a well-provisioned press room full of information such as a primary PR contact info, logos, head shots of executives, press releases, press coverage, product photos, graphs, charts, white papers, and anything else that a reporter needs to write a news brief or a feature length article at 4:00 am in the morning without talking to anyone.

Always cover the: who, what, where, when, why and how much. Use the website as an electronic sales person that provides comprehensive FAQs that lead customers, crowdfunders and investors directly down the path that you want them to follow with regard to product/service education. The goal is to remove all fear, uncertainty and doubt from the sales equation.

Next, offer them a free white paper or something worth of value such as early bird discounts, VIP memberships, etc. that makes them want to share their email address and phone number with your team for future fundraising marketing efforts.

Use this process to build up an email list of 5,000 or more customers that have expressed a desire to purchase your products before the crowdfunding campaign launches. This step will be a major factor in determining its ability to achieve crowdfunding success on the very first day of the campaign.

Build an extensive social media network on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and as many other social media networks as possible. Grow your social media network by sharing the content from your developing website as well as distributing leading industry news stories for your industry.

And, as you are tweeting out the leading news articles, begin building a database of the reporters, their twitter handles and any subject matter experts quoted in the articles. Also note the frequently used buzzwords, catch phrases, and learn what formulas a reporter likes to use when they write a story.

Use these terms to SEO your crowdfunding profile so that customers who are searching for similar products and service to buy may find the crowdfunding campaign accidentally.

Follow reporters, industry analysts and subject matter experts and make friends with them, a process known as building media relations. Learn what they care about, what they do for fun, and what subject matters they like to talk about.

There is a huge difference in trying to pitch a reporter with a cold, un-researched email versus building a relationship with them before asking them to write a story for you. This strategy should also be used to target angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity and institutional investors.

The most important thing to let them know is that based on “my” extensive research, the articles that “you’ve” written, and the “buyers” that have invested/purchased my company’s product and services are a “perfect match” for your “editorial environment” or your current “investment portfolio.” And it is important to note, that this process usually takes around two-to-six months and needs to be done prior the crowdfunding campaign’s launch.

Issue well-written press releases on one of the top four paid wire distribution services. To reporters “free” or “cheap” wire services equal a potential fraudulent company since they are not willing to pay to use a real wire service and, if so, they may not be a reputable company.

Think of press releases as an extension of content marketing. Add links in the press releases to content on your website that goes into a much deeper discussion of the press release’s primary message. Include a “call-to-action” that tells readers exactly what you want them to do.

Also, write the press release as if you were writing the press release specifically to fit within a trade publication’s editorial environment. The easier it is for reporters and bloggers to cut and paste a story, the easier it will be for you to get media coverage.

And don’t think for a minute that a reporter will find your release by themselves. Instead email a copy directly to the reporter, which by now should now know who you are if you have been doing a good job of building a good media relations as detailed above.

Only target publications and media outlets that contain a high composition of the desired target audience with the right purchasing authority and a high propensity to buy your product or service. In other words, if you wouldn’t spend any money to place an advertisement in any given publication, don’t waste your time trying to pitch your story to a reporter that writes for an audience that really has no interest in purchasing your type of product or service.

All of these crowdfunding campaign prep-work marketing strategies should be done at least two months prior to the crowdfunding campaign. The more months that are spent on prep-work before the campaign begins the better the company will be positioned to achieve success on their crowdfunding campaign.

This entire process will educate the founders and their crowdfunding campaign managers and allow the whole team to learn about the industry, their competitors and how to effectively position their product/service and make it desirable in a very competitive global marketplace.

Why? When potential donors/investors like a crowdfunding campaign’s product, the first thing they will do is research how many likes it has on Facebook, what kind of professional resume the founders have built on Linked and how many followers they have on Twitter.

Next, they will do Google searches on the founders’ names, the company name and its brand names. If they find very little or nothing when searching for information on the company, the crowdfunding campaign will be doomed because it means the company clearly does not understand marketing, social media or PR.

However, if there are several pages of Google search results with news stories, press releases, product photos and a huge following on social media, this means that the founders are dedicated, hard-working employees that have exemplified a better than average chance of being successful long after their crowdfunding campaign concludes simply because they understand marketing.

If all of these crowdfunding puzzle pieces are in the correct place, potential crowdfunders will be convinced that there is a very good chance of receiving the high-tech gadget they want to pre-order to help the company get off the ground.

 

What is the biggest unexpected problem crowdfunders face?

The single biggest problem that founders and crowdfunding campaign managers face is not putting together a realistic marketing budget. It will cost at least $20k to shoot a great crowdfunding video and spend several months mastering the marketing prep-work outlined above.

For example, if you went and hired someone off the street and paid them $7.25 times 40 hours a week times 4 weeks a month times 3 months in a prep-work marketing program, that would equate a marketing budget of $3,480.

The reality is that most good marketing people will bill out at least $25 per hour and great talent will bill out at $100 or more per hour.

So using this math, crowdfunding campaigns should plan to spend at least $15,000 for marketing, social media, and PR support and another $5,000 to shoot a great pitch video and write a well-written crowdfunding campaign profile with language that sells. The campaigns that are raising millions of dollars are typically spending at least $50,000+ on one or more forms of digital advertising networks.

There is a whole sub-crowdfunding industry that will offer press releases, backer programs, social media posts, etc. for a couple of hundred bucks. The problem is that they simply will not provide the success that crowdfunding campaign managers are hoping to receive.  These companies know that founders don’t have much money, but are willing to take whatever they can get.

The same is true for marketing companies that promise to work for a 35% post-paid commission after the campaign ends. The problem is that several days into a crowdfunding campaign that raises hardly any money, these commission-only companies will sever their ties, move onto the next campaign with a better chance of being successful and leave struggling founders hanging out to dry.

We get calls from angry crowdfunding campaign managers all the time that have gone through this disappointing experience. There is no such thing as a “Free Lunch.”

What do crowdfunders need do to achieve excellent results for their campaigns?

In our four years of working with founders on their crowdfunding campaigns, we have seen a trend that is worth pointing out. The single best strategy to prepare for any type of crowdfunding campaign for any founder, entrepreneur, startup or existing small business is to perform an in-depth competitive analysis on as many competitors as possible.

This means researching a minimum of 100 campaigns on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo. The same is true for equity crowdfunding campaigns. Examine successful campaigns as well as ones that have failed.

1. How are their crowdfunding pitch videos shot?
2. How are their crowdfunding profiles written?
3. What perks sold the best/worst and how were they worded and priced?
4. What was their original crowdfunding goal?

Even better is to search for companies that failed on their first campaign and then raised millions of dollars on their second campaign, such as the “Coolest Cooler,” and then examine what the changed between the first and second try.

The second most important thing that successful crowdfunding campaigns need to have is enough support from family and friends to raise the first 30% of the crowdfunding goal.

Nothing is worse than a campaign that only raises $100 during the first several days.

This is why smart founders will set their goal as low as possible so that they can raise 50% of the goal on the first day. A low goal doesn’t mean they can’t raise a million dollars!

What is the number one piece of advice for anyone wanting to do a Kickstarter or Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign?

We highly recommend taking out a yellow writing tablet and going to Crowdfunding PR’s free crowdfunding training classes at https://crowdfundingtrainingclasses.wordpress.com.

Crowdfunding PR Offers Crowdfunding Training Classes to Help Campaign Managers Plan Cost-Effective Marketing Campaigns Using Social Media, PR, Email and Content Marketing

Reading through these free tutorials will educate founders on the various components of the crowdfunding process. For each section, founders should write down their thoughts about what they might want to do to raise money for their own crowdfunding campaign.

Next, take advantage of Crowdfunding PR’s free 30-minute telephone consultations for founders that are considering launching a crowdfunding campaign. If they are willing to learn about crowdfunding first and then write down their initial thoughts on what they might like to do with their campaign, it will lead to a much better first conversation on what they want to achieve with their Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Title III/Title IV equity crowdfunding campaign.

Call Crowdfunding PR at (512) 627-6622 to setup a call!

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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.

RealtyShares Partners with Blue Mountain Property Management in $3 Million Equity Crowdfunding Real Estate Investment Deal in Utah

Blue Mountain will begin purchasing more than 200 underperforming homes for rehabilitation/sales in Salt Lake City area

By Robert Hoskins

San Francisco, California – RealtyShares, a leading online marketplace for real estate crowdfunding, has raised $3 million from its investor network for a Salt Lake City residential property development fund with Blue Mountain.

RealtyShares Partners with Blue Mountain Property Management in $3 Million Equity Crowdfunding Real Estate Investment Deal in Utah

A Utah-based real estate firm focused on the acquisition, rehabilitation and sales of homes in the Greater Salt Lake City area, Blue Mountain will begin purchasing more than 200 underperforming homes through the fund. As a vertically integrated firm, they are equipped to manage all aspects of the purchase, rehabilitation, stabilization and sale of high potential properties. This is the fourth single-family home fund of this kind that Blue Mountain has raised through the RealtyShares platform.

“Crowdfunding has been a great time management tool for us,” said Kenneth Thomson, President of Blue Mountain. “While the money is coming from multiple investors, we only have to deal with RealtyShares. It saves us time so we can do what we do best – finding great homes to renovate. And because it is sometimes quicker to acquire capital through crowdfunding, we’re able to potentially negotiate better prices on properties.”

For more than ten years, Blue Mountain has been targeting properties below market value and rehabilitating them for rental or resale. The firm expects to acquire up to ten properties a month with the raised equity capital. Proceeds from the sale of renovated homes will be reinvested in the fund for additional properties through the 30-month term.

“This fund can enable investors from across the country to tap into Utah’s real estate market,” said Mark Masterson, Director of Investments at RealtyShares. “With low unemployment, a strong jobs market, and low inventory, the Greater Salt Lake City housing market has been attractive from the standpoint of an investor. Blue Mountain has been able to use their extensive infrastructure and sourcing capabilities to provide updated housing options that can be attractive to retail homebuyers and renters alike.”

The return ultimately realized by investors will depend upon the distributions from the projects and the value of the properties whenever they are sold. To date, RealtyShares’ network of accredited investors have funded more than $150 million worth of investments for over 2,000 properties.

RealtyShares is transforming the real estate investment landscape by connecting borrowers and sponsors to debt and equity capital from accredited and institutional investors, across an array of financing products. Private investments are highly illiquid and risky and are not suitable for all investors.

Through the RealtyShares website, these investors can browse investment opportunities, perform due diligence, invest online and have 24/7 access to an investor dashboard to watch how their investments are performing.

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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.