Is Title IV Reg A+ Equity Crowdfunding the Right Fundraising Tool for Your Growing Business?

A Checklist of Goals for Businesses Considering Raising Money with a Title IV Reg A+ Crowdfunding Campaign

By Robert Hoskins

Is Title IV Reg A+ Equity Crowdfunding the Right Fundraising Tool?

Austin, Texas – Trying to figure out if Title IV Reg A+ Equity Crowdfunding is the right fundraising tool to help your company move to the next level? Most people consider Reg A+ to be one step below issuing an IPO (Initial Public Offering) at a fraction of what it usually costs, thus it is also known as a Mini-IPO.

Most financial analysts consider existing businesses with several years of operations and generating significant revenue from multiple product/service lines to be the best candidates to launch a Reg A+ crowdfunding campaign. Smaller investment bookrunners will argue that even startups and small businesses are good targets to raise money using Reg A+, especially if they have goal of going public in 18-to-24 months based on certain revenue milestones.

Top Title IV Reg A+ Crowdfunding Questions:

1. Do you have a strong management team?
2. Do your founders or investors have any “Star Power?”
3. Do you need to raise more than $1 million?
4. Have you developed an effective 30-second elevator pitch?
5. Have you developed a 3-minute crowdfunding pitch video with a strong call-to-action?
6. Have you developed a “Pitch Book” for investors?
7. Do you have a lead investor of $25k+ or more?
8. Have you raised at least $100,000+ or more from prior investments?
9. Is your business growing at 20% or more month over month?
10. Have you generated at least $100,000+ of lifetime revenue?
11. Is your business projecting  2x to 3x year-on-year profit growth?
12. Can you provide investors with a 3x to 10x ROI over the next 3 to 5 years?
13. Is your market valuation worth $5 million or more?
14. Is your market capitalization realistic from a VC’s point of view?
15. Have you run a successful rewards/perks-based crowdfunding campaign?
16. Do you have a database of at least 5,000+ customer email accounts?
17. Do you have a database of at least 1,000+ investor email accounts?
18. Have you generated at least 3 or more press articles in the trade press?
19. Do you have a $20,000 or more for a advertising/crowdfunding PR budget?
20. Do you have a strong LinkedIn resume and a large social media following on Facebook and Twitter?

If you cannot answer “yes” to the majority of these questions, then your business may not be ready to launch a Reg A+ equity crowdfunding campaign. These are many of the milestones that private equity investors and venture capitalists like see in a pitch deck to make your company worth serious consideration for a seed stage or private equity investment. If not, use this list to set some goals and objectives for your business and work hard to achieve them.

Title IV Reg A+ vs. IPO

If you think you are serious about issuing a Reg A+ offering, it would be wise to read through the following white papers on Title IV Reg A+ vs. IPOs. Learning how a bookrunner works with various investment banks, institutional investors, venture capital and private equity firms can provide valuable insight into how Wall Street has been raising money for startups for the past 100 years.

The white papers will also provide key insights into how much money it will cost as well as the actual fundraising process including what it takes to put together a “Pitch Book” and how to market it via “Dog and Pony” investment road shows. The key to raising for a company’s management team to travel from city to city meeting with potential investors to pitch Reg A+ investment opportunities.

• A Guide to Title IV Reg A+ – White Paper
• IPO (Initial Public Offering) Guidebook – White Paper
• Managing Key Investors in IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) – White Paper
• Fatal Flaws in Selecting an IPO (Initial Public Offering) Underwriter Selection – White Paper

Title IV Reg A+ Background

The SEC has previously stated that the primary purpose in adopting Reg A+ was to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive procedure for small business use in raising limited amounts of needed capital. Reg A+ issuers submit a paper-based offering statement to the SEC; this offering statement is essentially an abbreviated version of an IPO prospectus and it must be “qualified,” or cleared, by the SEC and delivered to prospective purchasers.

In addition to SEC review, Reg A+ offerings have traditionally been subject to review under state securities laws (also known as “Blue Sky” laws). In comparison, a traditional registered IPO listed on a national exchange is exempt from Blue Sky requirements. Securities sold in a Reg A+ offering are freely transferable in the secondary market, though Reg A+ issuers are not subject to Exchange Act reporting requirements.

Title IV Reg A+ as Outlined by 2012 JOBS Act

Title IV of the 2012 JOBS Act directed the SEC to expand Reg A to exempt offerings of up to $50 million in equity, debt or convertible securities. The law mandated that issuers relying on this new exemption would be required to file audited financial statements with the SEC on an annual basis.

However, without infrastructure currently in place for A+ securities to trade on national exchanges, lawmakers left it within the purview of the SEC to settle the state jurisdiction question by establishing the definition for “qualified purchaser” in the rulemaking process.

The 2nd Tier of Title IV Reg A+ Offerings

The SEC’s final rule was adopted on March 25, 2015, and became effective during the summer of 2015. In the rule, the SEC expanded Regulation A into two tiers: Tier 1 for offerings of up to $20 million and Tier 2 for offerings up to $50 million.

By removing key procedural obstacles and introducing common-sense investor protections, this new Reg A+ framework creates a viable capital-raising alternative for issuers that want to remain independent and innovative. Below are some of the key provisions included in the SEC’s Reg A+ rule:

• Testing the waters: Issuers may solicit interest in a potential offering with the general public, either before or after the filing of the offering statement.
• Blue Sky: Offerings made under Tier 2 are generally exempt from state securities law registration and qualification requirements. And while Tier 1 offerings would still be subject to state Blue Sky regulations, the states’ new Coordinated Review process has dramatically reduced the burdens associated with this process.
• Offering Circular: Issuers can confidentially file statements for SEC qualification. Offering circular must include audited financial statements and balance sheets for the two most recently completed fiscal year ends. The Offering Circular format is narrative disclosure, similar to what is required from smaller reporting companies in a prospectus, but more limited in certain respects.
• Proceeds: For Tier 2 offerings, there is an annual offering limit of up to $50 million in equity, debt or convertible securities, including no more than $15 million from selling security holders. For Tier 1 offerings, the annual limit is $20 million, with not more than $6 million from selling security holders preceded or accompanied by a preliminary offering circular.
• Transferability/Liquidity for Investors: Securities sold in these offerings are not “restricted securities” under the Securities Act, and thus are freely tradable in the secondary market.
• Ongoing Reporting: Issuers that conduct a Tier 2 offering must electronically file annual and semiannual reports with the SEC, but those who conduct Tier 1 offerings generally have no ongoing reporting obligations.

Are Title IV Reg A+ Shares More Liquid?

Securities offered under Reg A+ are freely tradable, which makes them more valuable to employees, investors and founders.  This is beneficial for investors but also for issuer constituents, who may be early investors or insiders, seeking liquidity.  The issuers’ choice of venue is mostly to do with the size of the offering and the company’s market capitalization.

Need Help Preparing a Title IV Reg A+ Offering?

How Much Money Would You Like to Raise?

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What Crowdfunding Goals Do You Need Help With?(required)

Building a Company Website with Great SEO Developing a Strong Social Media Following Generating Positive PR Articles in the Press Completing One Successful Crowdfunding Campaign Developing an Email Database of ~5k+ Customers Developing a Database of ~1k+ Potential Investors Developing a Customer Acquisition Program Growing Sales and Distribution Channels Raising a $20k Social Media and PR Budget Our Business is Ready to Launch Something Not Listed Here

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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 on a regular basis 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.

In addition, due to the overwhelming demand from the general public for information on crowdfunding, he empowers entrepreneurs, startups and existing businesses with the internet’s most affordable crowdfunding training classes, which provide insight to startups around the world on a 24 x 7 basis.

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POMM Unveils New Android and iPhone Snap On Biometric Security Case With Up to 256GB of Encrypted Data Storage and a 1500 mAh Lithium Battery for 50% Longer Cell Operation

Customers Will Receive All-Day Power, Six Times More Built-In Local Encrypted Data Storage for Up to 32,000 Photos, 20 Hours of Video or 18,000 Songs as Well as Secured Apps for Sharing Files

By Robert Hoskins

New York, NY – To prevent more waves of worldwide smartphone hacking and embarrassing security breaches, POMM Inc. today rolled out a new type of biometric authentication and data encryption cell phone case that keeps data files private and secure from hackers.

POMM Biometric Security Case to Help Android and Apple iPhones Guard Against Hacker Attacks

POMM™ is a must-have add-on for Android Smartphone and Apple iPhone owners that want biometric authentication; a highly secured, personal data storage cloud; and hacker-proof cell phone applications. The POMM also comes with a slim built-in lithium battery that provides up to 50% more battery time.

POMM Spec Sheet: http://privatepomm.com/he/spec-sheet.pdf

Why Do Cell Phones Need Biometric Authentication?
This is an easy question to answer for government officials such as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump or celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton, Kaley Cuoco, and others, whose cellphone iCloud accounts were hacked leading to the discovery of susceptible software apps in over 1 billion Android and iPhones using HummingBad, Xsser or WireLurker.

Why are Smartphones Apps Susceptible to Hacking?
A large number of popular cell phones apps do not have critical user authentication protections. For example, “HTTP Request Hijacking” (HRH) affects at least 10,000 known apps on Apple’s App Store. And this is just one of a hundred ways to hack into what most people think are secure smartphones and Internet backup storage clouds.

What is Biometric Security?
Biometric security allows smartphones to authenticate a user’s identity using fingerprint, iris, face and palm scans as well as certain types of pulse, blood oxidation, body temperature and voice recognition to verify that cell phone users are valid, alive, well and not suffering from coercion.

What is a Private, Secured, Local Storage Cloud?
POMM (Privacy on My Mind™) is a mini-computer encased inside a durable, impact resistant cell phone case that performs biometric authentication as well as implements advanced encryption algorithms. Data is stored in a local, private, and very secure cloud versus Internet-based clouds that are favorite targets of ID theft, hacker attacks and other cyberspace criminal abuse.

Who Needs a POMM?
Hundreds of millions of computer-age, modern economy cell phone users worldwide who want to feel secure in accessing, managing, and updating their digital data files.

When Will the POMM Be Available?
POMM is ready to go to market now and is currently raising $10 million by selling shares via a Title IV, Reg. A+ Equity Crowdfunding Campaign to begin mass production and achieve market penetration. Investors that purchase shares can also receive one of POMM biometric security cases. To learn more, please visit http://pommoffering.com.

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TriFan 600’s Equity Crowdfunding Campaign Raises $4 Million to Fund New Six-Seater Heli-Corporate Jet

New business plane resembles a drone with three rotor blades that takes off like a helicopter, but looks like a corporate jet

By Robert Hoskins

Denver, Colorado – XTI Aircraft Company (XTI) is pioneering the first use of crowdfunding for commercial airplane development, and at the same time continuing its engineering work on the TriFan 600. In just two weeks, equity crowdfunders have reserved shares for more than $4 million to support the development of an airplane with the speed, range, and comfort of a business jet and the ability to take off and land like a helicopter.

TriFan 600 allows pilots a vertical takeoff and landing capabilities

“The response to our announcement of the equity crowdfunding plan and to this revolutionary aircraft itself has been overwhelming,” said XTI Vice Chairman Jeff Pino. “People are captivated and excited by the world of possibilities this aircraft presents. They recognize that this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and want to get involved early as stakeholders.”

“We are connecting aspiring investors with the progressive companies of tomorrow,” said StartEngine Chief Executive Officer Ron Miller. “Investor response to XTI Aircraft has been extraordinary. The company is clearly on course to change the future of flight.”

XTI is currently gauging potential shareholder interest under the terms of Regulation A, popularly referred to as Reg A+, of the JOBS Act, and will decide later this year whether to file an application for a financing to be qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  If qualified, XTI will then open the door to official share purchases on the StartEngine website to begin as soon as year-end. The equity crowdfunding “Reservation of Shares” and actual investment in XTI (upon SEC approval) is also available to foreign investors outside the U.S., subject to applicable laws of their country.

XTI is also raising funds through venture capital, private equity and accredited investors, while finalizing diligence on its technical solution and starting discussions with vendors that will lead to building a prototype. The general public’s opportunity to become shareholders is time-limited. Learn more about how to”Reserve Shares” with investment amounts ranging from $250 to over $200,000 at startengine.com/startup/xti,

In development for over two years, the six-seat TriFan 600 will be the world’s first commercially certified vertical takeoff airplane and will provide true door-to-door travel, with speed, range and comfort comparable to that of a business jet.

XTI is backed by highly accomplished aviation industry all-stars, including founder and chairman David Brody. “We couldn’t be more appreciative of, or committed to, our future shareholders,” Brody said. “We thank each one of you for joining us on this journey.”

 

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(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. 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.

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.

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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Onevest Sets $2 Million Self-Crowdfunding Record; Uses Funds to Hire Top Talent

Financial technology company currently operates one of the leading startup investing marketplaces with over 80,000 entrepreneurs and 15,000 investors registered

By Robert Hoskins

New York City, New York – Onevest announced that reached $2M in financing for its Series A round after self–crowdfunding on its own platform.   The financial technology firm launched the 506c offering to celebrate the implementation of Title IV of the JOBS Act. In one month alone the company has been able to close what would normally take on average between 4 to 8 months in the offline world for a tech startup of its size.

New Equity Crowdfunding Platform, OneVest, Creates One-Stop Shop for Investors Seeking Startups in the United States

The company is currently operating one of the leading startup investing marketplaces with over 80,000 entrepreneurs and 15,000 investors registered.

Onevest has a unique approach, as it captures deal flow at the formation stage via its cofounder matchmaking property site, CoFoundersLab, which gives Onevest six months to one year in advance to build the relationship with the company before the entrepreneur is ready to seek a round of financing. Via CoFoundersLab, Onevest is onboarding over 2,000 registered entrepreneurs to its ecosystem every month.

“Today we have put a dent in the universe by changing the game of fundraising online. We are lucky and honored to be part of an industry that is revolutionizing what has been an old and outdated model that clearly needed a healthy disruption,” said Onevest’s Executive Chairman Alejandro Cremades.

The company is already putting the capital to work as it has hired a new CFO, Barry Shereck. Barry has more than 30 years of experience in financial management with early stage companies and has taken four companies public.

Onevest also announced the hire of Erica Duignan as the Head of Deal Flow to hone in on bringing high quality startups on its marketplace and to build a world-class team of venture associates. Erica is joining Onevest from the renown accelerator program Dreamit Ventures, where she was a Managing Director focused on company recruiting, fundraising and developing investor relationships.

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Fundamental Interactions Announces Title IV, Reg A+ White Label Crowdfunding Portal and Secondary Trading Software Solution

Fundamental Interactions Inc. has built out its core Nano Exchange platform to bring together the vanguard participants in crowdfunding and venture exchange on a new breed of stock exchange focused on initial public offerings and secondary trading

By Robert Hoskins

New York, New York – In March of 2015 the SEC adopted final Reg. A+ rules associated with Title IV of JOBS Act, bringing into effect a sweeping set of reforms that will allow small companies to offer their equity out for sale to the public. By exempting small companies from prohibitive state by state registration, reporting and accredited investor requirements, the rules pave the way for a whole new category of initial public offering and secondary market stock trading. Fundamental Interactions empowers the emerging crowd funding and venture market with an end to end Wall Street grade exchange platform to deliver the inherent benefits of this new market.

Fundamental Interactions Inc. has built out its core Nano Exchange platform to bring together the vanguard participants in crowd funding and venture exchange on a new breed of stock exchange

Fundamental Interactions’ Nano Exchange allows venture exchange and crowd funding companies to customize and deploy their very own exchanges where administrators can easily create and define new securities and conduct initial public offerings.

The system supports a variety of auction types and allows continuous securities trading in ongoing price-time, price-size order books. Unlike other institutional-grade exchange platforms, Nano exchange is accessible over a web and mobile friendly architecture driving flexibility and control over trading and administration and seamless presentation alongside other related service offerings.

The JOBS Act has spawned thousands of upstart crowdfunding sites seeking to participate in the coming wave of small business capital formation. “The Nano Exchange enables firms to leapfrog the field of new entrants in this space, with an advanced electronic marketplace for trading these new securities” says Julian Jacobson, President of Fundamental Interactions. “We operate multiple market centers, and our platform is deployed at over 50 institutional trading firms across three continents. We are excited to be at the forefront of this important new development in the American economy, and to put our technology to work for bringing capital where it’s most critically needed.”

Rising to challenges and opportunities posed by regulation, technology and market structure – Fundamental Interactions Inc. engineers global, multi-asset trading appliances which deliver targeted business solutions to exchanges, broker dealers and buy side trading firms. The company’s products fall into three primary categories: Trading Appliance, Nano Exchange and FastProxy.

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Crowdfundraiser Rolls Out New Regulation A+ Crowdfunding Sites to Support Equity Crowdfunding for Accredited and Non-Accredited Investors

The new rules for Regulation A+ of the JOBS Act allow for capital raising, with some stipulation, of up to $50,000,000 from both accredited and non-accredited investors for private companies

By Robert Hoskins

Seattle, Washington – Crowdfundraiser.com announced the official release of Regulation A+ crowdfunding kickoff pricing for new companies seeking capital. As of June 19, 2015, equity crowdfunding for both accredited and non-accredited investors is now legal.

Crowdfundraiser Readies Equity Crowdfunding Platform to Host Tier 2, Title IV, Reg A+ Mini-IPOs

The deals that will begin registration with the SEC in June and will take a few months to completely cycle through, but the law is now fully in place. The new rules for Regulation A+ of the JOBS Act allow for capital raising, with some stipulation, of up to $50,000,000 from both accredited and non-accredited investors for private companies.

“We are already seeing a great deal of interest from both investors looking to invest and companies seeking capital through the Reg A+ rules,” stated Jake Durrant, Crowdfundraiser’s Managing Director. “We are not expecting this interest to abate as the new tools at the disposal of small business represent one of the greatest opportunities for small business capital formation in a generation.”

Founded in 2014, Crowdfundraiser provides expert guidance for companies seeking to navigate the waters of equity crowdfunding. With a handful of in-house and experienced securities and transactional attorneys, the company has the resources to assist any company seeking access to capital through equity crowdfunding and Regulation A+.

The company includes experienced investment bankers as well as those familiar with microcap stocks, which should provide timely assistance for crowdfunded companies that need future liquidity for investors through the public markets.

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