RealtyShares Equity Crowdfunding Site Raises $32.9 Million for Midwest Commercial Real Estate Projects in Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin

Buckeye commercial real estate investment opportunities are showing a significant level of activity, with $12.25 million raised for 30 deals in Ohio, concentrating around the Cincinnati and Cleveland metropolitan areas

By Robert Hoskins

Chicago, Illinois – 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. For example, the equity crowdfunding site for commercial real estate deals has released new data showing the extent of crowdfunded investments in several Midwest real estate markets.

Commercial real estate developers, sponsors and borrowers in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois have raised $32.9 million to date from RealtyShares’ network of investors

To date, commercial real estate developers, sponsors and borrowers in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois have raised $32.9 million to date from RealtyShares’ network of investors, offering a source of financing for real estate projects by leveraging technology to connect potential investors with expertly vetted real estate deals.

“RealtyShares fits into a world in which it is more difficult than in previous decades to secure a loan for development from a bank, and where technology is creating possibilities for people across the country to assess information and connect with one another,” said Gerald Fogelson, Advisor to RealtyShares, CEO of Fogelson Group and an inductee of the Chicago Real Estate Hall of Fame. He recently joined the team bringing decades of real estate knowledge and experience to the emerging tech company.

Thus far 114 deals have been funded in the region through RealtyShares, with an average deal price of $288,000. Deals of up to $1.5 million have been financed in both Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago, Ill. Anchoring RealtyShares’ position in the region, $14 million has been raised for 53 deals in Illinois, with several investors targeting properties in and around Chicago. Buckeyes are also showing a significant level of activity, with $12.25 million raised for 30 deals in Ohio, concentrating around the Cincinnati and Cleveland areas.

“What we’re seeing now is that investors throughout the United States are interested in investing in markets like the Midwest, where small businesses and entrepreneurs are looking beyond their friends and family networks to raise money,” said Fogelson. “RealtyShares makes all that possible.”

Platinum Real Estate Holdings has been one of the leading deal sponsors in the Midwest, with twelve Michigan properties funded through RealtyShares platform totaling $378,000.

“Our business is built on acquiring and flipping low-cost homes in the metropolitan Detroit area on a short time frame,” said Anthony Rea, owner of Platinum. “RealtyShares has enabled us to raise financing quicker and more efficiently than traditional bank loans, which is a major asset in a market with low inventory and high demand from buyers.”

Hamilton Real Estate Capital is also among the Midwest developers that have funded multiple real estate projects through the RealtyShares marketplace. “Working with RealtyShares has given us access to a new group of investors in a straightforward and quick process,” Eli Glanz, Principal at Hamilton confirmed.

The Midwest continues to be a target market, especially in states where the company’s rates are competitive against traditional financing options.

“The Midwest is a very hot market,” said Kelly McDonald, the Vice President of Residential Debt at RealtyShares. “There is substantial inventory and a concentration of older neighborhoods that could use updates. We’re seeing homes that have been owned for 30 years that have a lot of potential.”

To date, the RealtyShares network of investors has funded upwards of $300 million across more than 550 investment opportunities on the platform, funding residential and commercial projects in 35 states.

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.

RealtyShares offers securities through North Capital Private Securities Corporation, member FINRA/SIPC.

For more information on how to become a real estate investor or to seek capital through the RealtyShares marketplace, please visit www.realtyshares.com.

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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.

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Mainstreet Student Living Launches $1.8 Million Crowdfunding Campaign to Fund New Student Housing Community at Southern Wesleyan University

Dedicated to a student-centric approach, Mainstreet Student Living develops communities that allow students an opportunity at a true live and learn environment

 By Robert Hoskins

Carmel, Indiana – Mainstreet Student Living has announced a new initiative to raise funds for a new student living community in Central, South Carolina. Helping with this effort is Oregon-based CrowdStreet, a crowdfunding marketplace and software platform that connects accredited investors with institutional-quality real estate investments, and Mainstreet Capital Partners, a U.S. registered broker-dealer that is focused on, but not limited to, opportunities in health care development, health care acquisitions, health care operations and student housing.

Mainstreet Student Living is an innovative investment, development and management firm of student housing communities throughout North America

Mainstreet Student Living is the premier investment, development and management firm of student housing communities throughout North America. Dedicated to a student-centric approach, Mainstreet Student Living develops communities that allow students an opportunity at a true live and learn environment. Our redefinition of the student experience fuels design innovation, creative investment opportunities and provides students with a life-changing experience.

Mainstreet Student Living is seeking upwards of $1.8 million on behalf of MS Vita SWU, LLC through a private placement offering solely to accredited investors under Rule 506(c) of Regulation D promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933.

“We are excited about our first online fundraising experience and to partner with CrowdStreet for this initiative,” said Justin Farris, managing director of Mainstreet Student Living. “Our mission is to transform collegiate lives and, with this initiative, it enables us to pursue high-quality opportunities to further growth and innovation in student housing.”

The 68,000 square-foot, on-campus student living development at Southern Wesleyan University will boast 114 units, 243 beds and feature a state-of-the-art clubhouse, study lounges, a resident lounge with television, a fully-functional kitchen and much more. The $9.3 million community is projected to be complete in August 2017.

Southern Wesleyan University was founded in 1906 and is a student-focused learning community devoted to transforming lives by challenging students to be dedicated scholars. The main campus totals approximately 350 acres and current enrollment totals 1,883 students. In addition to the main campus, Southern Wesleyan University has six other satellite campuses located throughout South Carolina.

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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 Rolls Out Title III Equity Crowdfunding 2-Month Prep-Work Programs to Launch More Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns

The crowdfunding prep work program helps entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses amass a large crowd of followers on social media and utilizes PR to generate hundreds of articles on leading newspapers, TV/radio stations, trade publications and leading blogs

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas (May 16, 2016) – Want to learn how to launch a successful Title III crowdfunding campaign on one of top 100 equity crowdfunding sites? To help crowdfunders achieve this elusive goal, Crowdfunding PR (http://crowdfundingPR.wordpress.com) announced a special two-month Crowdfunding Prep Work Program that will significantly improve a crowdfunding campaign’s success rate by amplifying its founder’s social media profiles and by utilizing an effective crowdfunding PR campaign to generate hundreds of stories in the electronic news media prior to the crowdfunding campaign’s launch.

How to Plan a Successful Crowdfunding PR Campaigns, a Step-by-Step Process

One of the biggest challenges that most crowdfunding campaigns face are weak social media credentials and the lack of a large group of social media followers that are needed to support crowdfunding campaigns with donations and/or investments. Building strong, professional Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles and amassing the largest possible group of followers on social media networks is crucial to conducting a successful crowdfunding campaign.

The second biggest task is generating stories on electronic news media outlets and blogs prior to launching a crowdfunding campaign. Not only can a well-orchestrated crowdfunding PR campaign generate hundreds of free, positive trade press articles to support the fundraising effort, but the same targeted, search engine optimized press releases will continue to drive new investors, potential customers and sales/distribution partners to the business long after the crowdfunding campaign ends.

“What many entrepreneurs and startups need to recognize is how important social media is in the world of crowdfunding,” said Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR’s Director of Crowdfunding Campaigns. “The very first thing that an investor/donor does when they read through a crowdfunding profile they like is to look up the company and its team members on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to check out their credentials. Having a strong resume on LinkedIn, lots of likes on Facebook and an army of followers on Twitter is crucial to determining the strength of the team and the likelihood that they have the tenacity and skill set to deliver on their crowdfunding campaign’s promises.”

“Next, most investors/donors will do a Google search to see what they can find online for both the company and its team members,” Hoskins continued. “With a two-month crowdfunding prep-work campaign there will be several pages of search engine results that link to the client’s website pages, their social media posts/profiles and the crowdfunding campaign’s prep pages that will point to their live fundraising campaign on Kickstarter.com, Indiegogo.com, GoFundMe.com or any of the other 2016 Top 100 Global Crowdfunding sites.”

If you would like to speak with a crowdfunding PR, social media and/or marketing expert regarding your crowdfunding campaign please call Robert Hoskins at (512) 627-6622 or fill out the contact form at: https://crowdfundingpr.wordpress.com/about-crowdfunding-pr-campaigns/ to setup a telephone consultation.

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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 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.

Mr. Hoskins adamantly believes that the crowdfunding industry will empower everyone in the United States to rediscover the possibility of living the American dream with a little hard work, a great business idea and the dedication to researching, planning and launching a well-thought-out crowdfunding campaign. He consults on a regular basis with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

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SEC’s Proposed Amendments to Approve Nationwide Intrastate Crowdfunding and Raise Limit to $5 Million for Small Business

SEC’s Proposed Amendments to Rule 147 and 504 to Facilitate New Intrastate Crowdfunding and the Sale of Regional Securities Offerings

SEC Staff Proposes Amendments to Securities Rules 147 and Reg. D. 504

 By Robert Hoskins

 SEC’s Proposed Actions for Title III Crowdfunding

The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering whether to propose amendments to Securities Act Rule 147 and Rule 504 of Regulation D.  The proposed amendments would be part of the Commission’s efforts to assist smaller companies with capital formation consistent with its investor protection mission.

Proposed Title III Crowdfunding Amendments

Proposed Amendments to Rule 147

The proposed amendments would modernize Rule 147 to permit companies to raise money from investors within their state without concurrently registering the offers and sales at the federal level.  The proposed amendments to Rule 147 would, among other things:

• Eliminate the restriction on offers, while continuing to require that sales be made only to residents of the issuer’s state or territory.
• Refine what it means to be an intrastate offering and ease some of the issuer eligibility requirements in the current rule.
• Limit the availability of the exemption to offerings that are registered in-state or conducted under an exemption from state law registration that limits the amount of securities an issuer may sell to no more than $5 million in a 12-month period and imposes an investment limitation on investors.

Proposed Amendments to Rule 504

The proposed amendments to Rule 504 of Regulation D would increase the aggregate amount of securities that may be offered and sold under Rule 504 in any 12-month period from $1 million to $5 million and disqualify certain bad actors from participation in Rule 504 offerings.  The proposed rules would facilitate capital formation and increase investor protection in such offerings.

 

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Illinois Governor Rauner Signs New Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding Bill into Law

New crowdfunding legislation means more available capital forIllinois entrepreneurs and small businesses, resulting in more Illinois jobs being created by these entrepreneurs and small businesses

By Robert Hoskins

Chicago, Illinois – Governor Rauner has signed intrastate equity crowdfunding into law.  This new vehicle for raising capital empowers the small business community by allowing business owners and entrepreneurs to raise capital from a large number of people.  In exchange, investors receive a small equity interest in the business.

Illinois Equity Crowdfunding Intrastate Exemption

“Intrastate equity crowdfunding can be a game-changer for the small business community, it will allow business owners and entrepreneurs to invest in, and empower one another.  Many states, including Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan, have already passed legislation allowing companies to raise money in this way.  Passing this legislation has ensured Illinois businesses are able to compete on a level playing field with those in neighboring states,” said Elliot Richardson, Small Business Advocacy Council, CEO.

The SBAC and a coalition of chambers and business groups spearheaded a grass-roots effort to bring intrastate equity crowdfunding to Illinois.  Through the power of critical mass, the small business community worked with legislators and moved this important legislation.  “This is a tremendous step forward for Illinois small businesses and entrepreneurs. This will mean more available capital forIllinois entrepreneurs and small businesses, resulting in more Illinois jobs being created by these entrepreneurs and small businesses,” said attorney, Anthony J. Zeoli of Freeman & Peters LLP.

State Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, issued this statement, “As Co-Chair of the Small Business Owners Caucus in Springfield and primary bill sponsor, I’m thrilled Governor Rauner signed our Crowdfunding bill!  I know the business community has been anxious to see this legislation passed.  It has been a sincere pleasure to work with the SBAC on this and other measures over the years.  Illinois has so much to offer small businesses and today marks a milestone in finding new ways for small businesses to raise capital.”

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What is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding sites and platforms are a great way for Universities and Colleges to generate extra revenue and market their school’s brand name on a global basis

By Robert Hoskins

What is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is not a new concept. It has been used for thousands of years to collect small sums of money from the masses to pay for some of the most well known works in the world such as the Statue of Liberty.

The JOBS Act made it legal to use e-commerce sites to build crowdfunding profiles to collect money online from investors and utilize general solicitation  (advertising/marketing/PR) to raise money from the masses for the first time in 80 years. Funding that can be used provide seed investment capital to startups and help existing businesses expand their operations.

What States Have Legalized Equity Crowdfunding?

At the federal level, the final Title III equity crowdfunding rules guidelines have been stalled by the SEC, but at the state level Texas, Michigan, Georgia and 13 other states have passed Intrastate Crowdfunding Exemption rules that allow startups and businesses to raise money by selling equity shares online to raise seed investment capital. Other large states including California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania have proposed legislation, which is working its way through the legislative process.

Map of U.S. States that have approved Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding Exemptions

                                                Source: CrowdfundingLegalHub.com

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What is an Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding Exemption?

Due to the SEC’s Refusal to Pass Title III Crowdfunding Guidelines, which are Three Years Overdue, 31 States Have Passed or Plan to Pass Their Own Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding Exemptions

By Robert Hoskins

Intrastate Crowdfunding Exemptions

List of States with Approved Equity Crowdfunding Exemptions:

The good news is that there are currently 15 states, including Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin  that have approved Intrastate Crowdfunding Exemptions. This represents 33% of the United States population or  106.3 million people.

List of States with Pending Equity Crowdfunding Exemptions:

Another 16 states including Alaska, Arizona (not reflected on map), Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia that have pending legislation.  This represents 38% of the United States population or 112.4 million people.

List of States Who are Asleep at the Wheel:

Apparently Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming are either asleep at the wheel or do not have internet access. This represents 19.7% of the United States population or 63.6 million people.

List of States that have Rejected Equity Crowdfunding Exemptions:

Only Florida and North Carolina have decided not to help small business get access to investment capital. This represents 9% of the United States populations or 29.8 million people.

100% of Colleges and Universities Can Solicit Accredited Investors

This means that 100% of colleges and universities in the United States can solicit accredited investors nationwide using an equity crowdfunding platform to fund their incubator and accelerator programs.

On a state level, 33% can solicit non-accredited investors now with another 38% hopefully coming online by the end of 2015. If that happens equity crowdfunding will be legal in 31 states where 71% of all Americans live.

      Source: CrowdfundingLegalHub.com

 What are Non-Accredited Investors?

In states where an Intrastate Crowdfunding Exemption has been approved by the state securities board or the state legislature, anyone 18 years or older who lives in the same state can invest in local school accelerator’s equity crowdfunding opportunities regardless of income or assets.

This means that even schools in rural areas with zero funding to support startups companies or incubator or accelerator programs can setup an equity crowdfunding sites and begin soliciting angel and accredited investors all over the United States.

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Texas Crowdfunding Rules Pass Unanimously 4-0 in Austin; Texas Becomes Largest Equity Crowdfunding Market in the United States

More than 20 million unaccredited investors in Texas will soon be able to invest $5,000 per year in equity investments for small businesses raising under $1 million

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – Texas, the 2nd largest state by population in America, formally approved an  Intrastate Texas Crowdfunding Exemption Rule, on October 22, 2014, in Austin, Texas with a resounding 4-0 unanimous vote.  Why? Texas has been an economic engine because our state government officials have always understood how to provide an environment where businesses can make money, even during tough economic times.

Texas Approves Intrastate Equity Crowdfunding Exemption for Non-Accredited Investors in Texas

Even though the Texas State Securities Board doesn’t like tout this fact, Texas has around 26 to 29 million people living here, with around 20 million residents over the age of 18. The fact that the new Texas Equity Crowdfunding Rule allows these people to invest up to $5,000 per year in private equity investments is significant.

Do the math. What is 20 million times $5,000? To keep it simple, we’ll do the math for you, but we’ll be honest and let you know the number was too big our Smartphone’s calculator.  We had to break out an Excel spreadsheet to make sure this figure was correct.

The pool of potential investment capital that will be available in November 2014 to start new businesses or expand existing ones will be around $100 billion per year.  So over the next 5 years, Texas has pretty much said to the rest of America, we love business so much we have put together an economic development slush fund of $500 billion.

And guess what? It won’t cost taxpayers a single cent. Even better is the amount of small businesses that entrepreneurs will be able to launch during that time frame.

And guess what? It won’t be Wall Street investment bankers that will be controlling or driving the growth of Texas. It will be hard-working ranch hands, oil & gas field workers and blue-collar construction laborers who  understand what the value of a hard-earned dollar is and who will certainly be able to decide what types of products and services they want to see brought to market.

Why is this important?  Ft. Worth is booming. Dallas survived a telecom meltdown. Houston has never been short on energy. Austin is a technology mecca second only to Silicon Valley in California. What do you think $500 billion worth of investment capital will do the Texas economy?

It won’t happen over night, but neither did the oil boom. It was one thing to drill for oil and find it. It was another for the country to figure out what to do with oil and a wasteful substance called gasoline that no one knew what to do with because it was so volatile. But when Henry Ford won the right mass produce affordable Model T’s, Texas benefited from its early risk taking and bold move to start exploring and drilling for oil.

Did a lot of people drill wells that were dry where investors lost a lot of money? Yep. But the industry adjusted quickly on the fly and learned how to harness engineering, technology and sheer will power to weed out bad investments.

The same will be true of Equity Crowdfunding.  The power of the crowd to perform due diligence and the need for all equity investments to be done through a registered crowdfunding platform or portal will make it very hard for the Wolf of Wall Street types to do business. It won’t take the industry long to populate itself with crowdfunding classes, investment training programs and crowd checking services that investors can use to educate themselves and learn quickly how to vet deals.

What kind of deals can Texans expect? Franchises, high-technology, bio technology, clean technology, financial technology, real estate, oil and gas, defense technology, space exploration technology, etc.

Will people always make money? No, but deals like Oculus Rift might become common place.  In 2012, Oculus needed to raise money to bring a new type of 3D virtual reality computer gaming goggles to market. They did so successfully by raising $2.4 million via a Kickstarter campaign by pre-selling goggles for $300 a pair.

In May 2014, Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion. There was an immediate uproar from Oculus supporters because they didn’t benefit from the buyout because supporters didn’t own any private equity stock.  It was a true crowdfunding dream come true. News stories say that a $300 investment for a pair of 3D goggles and one equity share would have paid return on investment of ~$45,000, but after two years of waiting equity investing is still not legal in the United States for unaccredited investors.

Who was to blame for supporters getting screwed? The bullseye can be pointed nowhere else but squarely on the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), who has been holding America hostage during one of the biggest economic depressions America has ever seen.

The SEC can defy the President of United States and both Houses of Congress, but they are no match for hardworking Americans who are tired of watching the government run our country into the ground.

Honestly, can American’s skip four games of golf or quit buying scratch off lotto tickets for a month to take a wild risk on a crowdfunding investment? We sure can. And with some careful consideration, due diligence and investing in only products/service we understand, a new generation of micro venture capitalists will rise.

Why go to Las Vegas or continue to buy lotto tickets when you can shop for cool products and businesses online that you’d be willing to bet a couple of hundred bucks in order to make a fortune?  Suddenly the American dream will become a reality again.

Maybe not in the rest of America, but in Texas, entrepreneurs and startups will be able to go straight to the public with their investor decks and business plans. Just as Texas oil money, real estate and telecom/computer technology had a heavy influence in the development of the United States, so will the influence of crowdfunded millionaires that are sure follow the same rise to power as risky, gutsy Texas-based entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban and Michael Dell.

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 Texas Equity Crowdfunding Exemption:

Passed 10/22/2014 – Texas State Securities Boards Approves Texas Crowdfunding Exemption Rules

Texas Crowdfunding News:

10/25/14 – Ft. Worth Star Telegram – Texas sets the stage for crowdfunding

10/23/14 – Austin Business Journal – State Securities Board OKs new Texas crowdfunding rules

10/23/14 – San Antonio Business Journal – Texas greenlights new rules for equity-based crowdfunding

10/23/14 – Silicon Hills – Texas Approves Equity-Based Crowdfunding Rules

10/23/14 – Dallas Morning News – Texas OKs rules allowing small businesses to raise funds online

09/23/14 – San Antonio Express News – Texas Crowdfunding for the little guys

09/16/14 – Times Realty News – Texas Crowdfunding Investments Set for Vote in September

08/12/14 – Ft. Worth Star Telegram – Texas set to allow crowdfunding investments for small businesses

08/27/14 – Houston Chronicle – Texas crowdfunding conference hopes to draw a crowd

07/21/14 – Crowdfunding PR News – Front Page PR Offers Texas Crowdfunding Sites Advertising, PR and Social Media Marketing Campaigns to Market Equity Shares to Potential Investors

List of States with Intrastate Exemption for Equity Crowdfunding:

         State                          Population

1. Texas                           26,059,203
2. Michigan                       9,883,360
3. Georgia                           9,919,945
4. Washington                   6,897,012
5. Indiana                           6,537,334
6. Tennessee                      6,495,978
7. Maryland                       5,884,563
8. Wisconsin                      5,726,398
9. Alabama                         4,822,023
10. Idaho                                1,595,728
11. Kansas                             2,885,905
12. Maine                                1,329,192

If you were a new company planning to launch a business, what state would you pick?

Indiana Joins the Elite List of States that Allow Equity Crowdfunding from Unaccredited Investors

Indiana entrepreneurs can raise up to $2 million and Indiana investors can invest up to $5,000 per opportunity

By Robert Hoskins

Indianapolis, Indiana – Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced the rules for crowdfunding in Indiana which will allow Indiana investors to direct their equity investments to homegrown Hoosier entrepreneurs through the Internet. Indiana entrepreneurs can raise up to $2 million and Indiana investors can invest up to $5,000 per opportunity.

Indiana Joins the Elite List of States that Allow Equity Crowdfunding from Unaccredited Investors

“Crowdfunding creates a new way for Hoosier entrepreneurs and investors to invest in Indiana,” said Secretary Lawson. “Previously, entrepreneurs could only solicit funding from wealthy investors, limiting their ability to grow their business and preventing smaller investors from taking advantage of up and coming opportunities. Now, all Hoosiers will have a chance to invest in Indiana.”

Crowdfunding began as an online fundraising strategy to facilitate the public donating  small amounts of money, often through social networking websites, to help musicians, filmmakers and other artists finance their projects. Indiana moves to the forefront of using the concept of crowdfunding as a tool to help facilitate the equity investment market. Through Indiana’s new crowdfunding rules, small businesses and entrepreneurs will be able to tap into the “crowd” in search of investments to finance their business ventures.

Congress passed the JOBS Act in April of 2012 authorizing the Securities Exchange Commission to write federal rules for crowdfunding. Those rules have not been finalized. The Indiana General Assembly passed crowdfunding legislation for the state during the 2014 legislative session and tasked the Secretary of State’s office with writing the rules. Secretary Lawson, Securities Commissioner Carol Mihalik and their team worked tirelessly to complete the rules by July 1 to give emerging Indiana businesses the tools they needed the day the law went into effect.

“Crowdfunding has potential to be a great capital formation tool for start-up businesses,” said Securities Commissioner Carol Mihalik. “Hoosiers need to be aware of the risks before they invest and they should always do their research before investing. As always, our efforts to fight fraud and impose consequences will continue regardless of the type of investment.”

For more information and to view the rules, entrepreneurs and investors can view Secretary Lawson’s website http://www.in.gov/sos/investinindiana. Investors and entrepreneurs

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How to Make Money and Create Jobs by Teaching Crowdfunding Training Classes in Your City, State or Country

Did you know that 50% of the 48 contiguous United States don’t have one single crowdfunding training class? That means anyone with a marketing degree can make $49 to $399 per student teaching people how to launch crowdfunding campaigns

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – One thing that amazes me about the crowdfunding industry is the lack of training programs or community outreach programs that are available on a nationwide basis.  There are plenty of crowdfunding professionals that offer training programs, boot camps and workshops in major metropolitan areas, but what about cities with a population of less than 500,000 people?

Teach a Crowdfunding Training Class in Your City or State to Help Small Businesses to Create New Jobs

In most cases, cities with a population of 100,000 or more people usually have a Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Council, SBA, SBDC,  and/or SCORE  offices that are setup specifically to help entrepreneurs and startups write business plans and find venture capital.

What surprises me the most about these organizations is that they don’t offer one single local crowdfunding training class on how to use crowdfunding  campaigns to raise money to get small businesses off the ground. Why is that?

There so many smart people out there that already teach business planning, business development, finance, marketing, etc.  Why not include a crowdfunding training class to teach entrepreneurs how to take advantage of the growing $10 billion crowdfunding industry?

Crowdfunding training classes, boot camps and workshops are charging anywhere from $49 for online classes to $399 for onsite conference training programs? Why not roll out these revenue generating programs to rural  America? Anyone familiar with the co-op business model should be able to quickly understand the concept of working with a whole community to share the cost of launching new businesses together.

 Anyone with a marketing background or public speaking experience should be able to read through the standard crowdfunding educational training program and with a little practice could teach millions of Americans how to launch successful crowdfunding campaigns to raise money to start new businesses.

To get a sense of the void of crowdfunding training classes available throughout the United States, please click on the state links below to see how many states have only one or zero crowdfunding training programs:

United States Crowdfunding Training Programs:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

American Territories:

• American Samoa
• Guam
• Puerto Rico
• Virgin Islands