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.

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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.

Mindblower.com Disrupts the Crowdfunding World with Zero-Risk Crowdfunding Platform

Now anyone can crowdfund their business ideas and make money with no risk while crowdfunding backers get the perk they paid for — or their money back

By Robert Hoskins, Crowdfunding PR

London, UK – Since the dawn of crowdfunding there has been a struggle for inventors and dreamers to come up with the right crowdfunding success formula to hit their funding goal and turn their vision into a delivered product. Risking their money on developing a prototype, shooting the project video, marketing and public relations and all of the other expenses and effort necessary to launch a crowdfunding campaign — if they even get that far – comes with no assurances of success.

MindBlower.com Disrupts the Crowdfunding World with New Zero-Risk Crowdfunding Platform

Crowdfunding backers have their own risks to worry about. Projects like the Coolest Cooler, the Laser Razor, the Zano drone, Dragonfly Futurefon and so many other campaigns that promised incredible things failed to deliver on time — if at all — leaving backers high and dry. Years on, thousands of people have yet to receive the product they paid for or their money back.

There’s no question that crowdfunding has been a risky business for all concerned… until now.

That’s because MindBlower.com takes all of the risk out of crowdfunding for the backer and the would-be business person by assuming all of the responsibility in handling all of the details of production and fulfillment.

Ideas submitted to MindBlower by inventors undergo a double screening process and the best ideas are selected based on feasibility to produce, market viability and other key factors.

Ideas accepted by MindBlower are turned into crowdfunding campaigns on the MindBlower platform. Once the product reaches its crowdfunding goal, the MindBlower team is in charge of production and fulfillment, the single biggest point of failure for crowdfunding campaigns after they reach their goal.

The inventor receives a royalty on every product sold and the backer enjoys the peace of mind of a money back guarantee if they don’t receive the perk they purchased.

At the end of the day, inventors and backers have ZERO financial risk and inventors don’t have to exhaust their own resources in developing their ideas.

As they are fond of saying “It’s how crowdfunding was meant to be: A seamless, transparent and extremely efficient process that enables dreamers to bring great ideas to life with the help of the community.”

Two campaigns are underway and are wildly successful in exceeding their crowdfunding goals with new campaigns lined up to launch within the next 30-45 days.

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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.

Real Estate Crowdfunding to Take Center Stage at Crowd Invest Summit in Los Angeles

Real Estate Crowdfunding to be Major Focus at Country’s Largest Crowd Investment Conference

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, California – Crowd Invest Summit, the country’s largest crowdfunding investment conference, taking place on September 6th and 7th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, has announced that it will be expanding its focus on Real Estate Crowdfunding.

Since the signing of the JOBS Act in 2012, Real Estate Investing has been the fastest growing segment of the new Crowdfunding Industry. According to CBRE, the real estate has more than a $1.7 trillion dollars worth of dry power ready to be invested in residential and commercial real estate deals.

“We expect over 3,000 attendees at Crowd Invest Summit this September, a significant portion being investors who are looking to learn about new opportunities,” said Alon Goren, co-founder of Crowd Invest Summit. “Real Estate investing has been a major focus at the summit, and because of overwhelming demand, this September we’re expanding on the topic.”

Crowd Invest Summit will feature the crowd investment industry’s top leaders, investors and firms covering real estate investing over the span of two days in September:

“As one of California’s preeminent real estate and business law firms, we are excited to partner with Crowd Invest Summit for its first-ever discussion on the emerging issues and opportunities presented by the ever-growing real estate crowdfunding market,” said Chuck Jarrell, Partner, Allen Matkins. “Crowdfunding has become an integral part of real estate investing and a topic that will resonate well with conference attendees.”

“We are excited to be back at Crowd Invest Summit this September to discuss how we’ve quadrupled our investor base by combining technology and marketing with an institutional approach to real estate investing,” said Michael Episcope, Principal, Origin Investments.

“Commercial real estate is no longer reserved for the wealthy. Now, everyone has the ability to passively invest in multi-million dollar properties, all thanks to crowdfunding,” said Matt Schuberg, CEO, RealCap. “We are very excited to come back to Crowd Invest Summit in September to bring these types of opportunities to the masses.”

“401(k) and IRA accounts provide access to 12 times more investment dollars than checking and savings accounts,” said Todd Yancey, CSO of IRA Services. “We are excited to explain the process to real estate investors at Crowd Invest Summit how to easily access that capital.”

“Now more than ever real estate companies should focus on the fundamentals and principles in mitigating risks to investors capital. Crowd Invest Summit offers both Real Estate Companies and potential investors to engage first hand and learn more about the risks and rewards of investing in Commercial Real Estate,” said Rayaan Arif, CEO, FundingTree.

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LoanDepot Announces Closing of $150M Crowdlending Fund to Further Fuel Its Record-breaking Performance with Investments in Technology and Product Development Projects

As a national marketplace lender, the loanDepot platform is disrupting finance by dissolving the lines between mortgage and non-mortgage credit

By Robert Hoskins

Irvine, California – LoanDepot announced the closing of $150 million in term debt financing and intends to use the proceeds to further fuel its record-breaking performance with continued investments in technology and product development, and to leverage its balance sheet to hold certain loan assets.

loanDepot matches borrowers through technology and high-touch customer care with the credit they need to fuel their lives

“Capital investment in consumer lending and in the mortgage industry is very tight and highly selective,” says Anthony Hsieh, chairman and chief executive officer at loanDepot. “Investors are interested in category leaders with scale who succeed in all credit cycles. This deal confirms the strength of our business model and the positive momentum of our brand. It also signals the competitive advantage loanDepot has in accessing capital in today’s market as we pursue our long-term growth strategy.”

As the nation’s second-largest nonbank consumer lender, loanDepot heads into the second half of 2016 with second-quarter fundings reaching nearly $10 billion in home, personal and home equity loans. Total fundings for the first half of 2016 are up 16 percent compared to the same time last year. The number of loans funded by loanDepot in the first six months of 2016 increased by 33 percent compared to the same period last year, further demonstrating the value of the company’s personal loan platform and cross-selling opportunities between loan products.

“Working capital and liquidity are essential for today’s nonbank lender, and only available if you have scale, a solid track record and a great reputation,” says Hsieh. “loanDepot is a strong and stable company responsible to our customers, employees and shareholders. We’ll continue reinvesting back into our platform in a variety of ways, including technology, the customer experience and product development. We believe this approach strengthens our position as the leading modern lender as the industry heads into the next generation of lending.”

In November 2015, the company postponed its initial public offering. This capital debt financing is the continuation of its capital strategy and commitment to pursue long- term growth plans.

Launched in 2010, loanDepot has achieved 80 percent year-over-year average annual growth from 2010 to 2015. The company continues to make significant reinvestments into its proprietary technology and marketing platform, credit and risk models, and product delivery systems.  The company operates from eight business centers and 150+ loan stores across the nation. loanDepot was the first nonbank consumer lender to offer home, personal and home equity loan products nationwide.

loanDepot matches borrowers through technology and high-touch customer care with the credit they need to fuel their lives. As a fast-growing national marketplace lender, the loanDepot platform is disrupting finance by dissolving the lines between mortgage and non-mortgage credit.

The company has funded over $70 billion in loans since inception. loanDepot is passionate about emerging financial technology and dynamic product delivery supported by excellent customer service to empower consumers.

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Los Angeles-based Real Estate Equity Crowdfunding Platform Raises ~$24 Million to Fund Debt Investments and Pre-funded Real Estate Loans

Targeting one of the fastest growing verticals within the lending marketplace, Patch of Land’s real estate equity crowdfunding site has emerged as one of the industry’s most innovative companies

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, CA – PatchofLand.com announced that it has raised $23.6 million to finance one of the leading crowdfunding solutions for the real estate industry that brings together borrowers and lenders through a simple online interface.

The oversubscribed Series A round was led by SF Capital Group, a private investment firm focused on direct equity and debt investments in the financial technology space. Neil Wolfson, President of SF Capital Group will also join the Board of Directors of Patch of Land. Ron Suber, president of Prosper Marketplace, a leading online marketplace for consumer credit, also participated in the Series A round as a strategic investor.

Patch of Land Real Estate Crowdfunding Raises $23.6 Million to Expand Debt Investments

“We are very pleased to have completed this round of financing,” said Jason Fritton, CEO Patch of Land’s CEO. “We look forward to working with SF Capital Group and welcome Neil to our board. Our ability to attract sophisticated investors such as SF Capital and industry thought leaders like Ron Suber clearly validates the strength of our business model. Neil and Ron understand marketplace lending and their collective advice and network of contacts will be integral to our continued growth and success.”

As one of the biggest issuers, by volume, of 506(c) real estate debt investments, Patch of Land will use the capital from the Series A financing to aggressively increase its market share and further expand the company’s leadership position through additional investment in the technology and data systems that power the marketplace. The company will also utilize these funds to hire additional leading real estate and technology professionals.

“The real estate lending marketplace is quickly transforming the way investors and developers interact, and Patch of Land is at the forefront of this change,” said Neil Wolfson, SF Capital Group’s President. “Patch of Land was one of the first companies to focus exclusively on real estate debt investments and the first to offer pre-funded loans, which dramatically shortens the time developers wait to get funded. The company is a true pioneer within this industry and its consistent and steady focus is clearly evident through the rapid growth of its portfolio. We are excited to work with this dynamic team and help them capture the tremendous opportunity they have identified.”

“I have witnessed first-hand the emergence and growth of marketplace lending. Real estate is one of the fastest growing verticals within all of marketplace lending, and Patch of Land has emerged as one of the most disruptive and innovative companies,” said Ron Suber. “I am very excited to help the company reach the next stage in its growth cycle.”

For over a year, Patch of Land has consistently grown its portfolio of short-term residential and commercial loans to qualified borrowers across America, quickly earning its place as one of the top real estate crowdfunding companies to launch since the JOBS Act was passed into law.

SF Capital Group is a private investment firm representing the interests of a single family. The firm invests across all asset classes with a flexible, long-term investment focus. SF Capital’s portfolios include allocations to traditional as well as alternative investments such as hedge funds and private equity. The firm also invests in direct equity and debt investments of private companies.

Patch of Land (POL) is a crowdfunding solution for real estate financing that brings together borrowers and lenders through a simple online interface. Patch of Land’s goal is to solve the problem of inefficient, fragmented, and opaque real estate lending by using technology, data-driven processes, and expert human touch to create transparency and efficiently underwrite projects.

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Manta Research Reports that Most Small Businesses are Still Unaware of Crowdfunding as an Alternative Finance Option

Most notably, 23 percent have funded a business project using an alternative lender, other than a traditional bank, but only two percent report having ever used a crowdfunding platform

By Robert Hoskins

Columbus, Ohio – Even though the alternative financing market is expanding at an exponential rate, a new Manta business survey reveals that two-thirds of small business owners still do not think enough funding options are available. Additionally, 69 percent feel the funding environment has not improved in the past 12 months.

Small businesses slow to jump on the alternative financing bandwagon, but interest growing
Alternative funding opportunities, including crowdfunding, are growing at a rapid rate, but the survey showcases a cautious approach by small business owners. Most notably, 23 percent have funded a business project using an alternative lender (other than a traditional bank), but only two percent report having ever used a crowdfunding platform. Lack of awareness and persistent misconceptions may be the cause.

Manta Research Reports that Most Small Businesses are Still Unaware of Crowdfunding

The majority of small business owners who have obtained traditional loans note uncertainty regarding crowdfunding and alternative lending options. Thirty percent of respondents are unsure of the risks, another 20 percent don’t understand the technology associated with these alternative sources and 14 percent report they simply do not trust them. A small number believe crowdfunding sites and alternative lenders are too complicated, while others fear business failure with less traditional financing methods (seven percent and six percent, respectively).

Traditional financing options still most popular with business owners
Manta’s survey revealed that, despite a diversifying lending environment, small business owners overwhelmingly prefer traditional financing options. More than 70 percent of respondents have sought traditional bank loans, savings, credit cards, or help from friends and family to finance their business, while less than a quarter have utilized an alternative lender (other than a bank).

“Small business owners have more diverse options today than ever before when it comes to funding their business,” said John Swanciger, CEO, Manta. “However, we’re seeing a gap between what’s available and the perception among small businesses that the lending environment has not improved. Even though traditional bank loans are difficult to secure, small businesses are still apt to rely on them.”

Of the small business owners who financed their business through alternative lenders, 38 percent did so because they did not qualify for traditional bank financing. Nearly 20 percent sought alternative lending because they needed a small short-term loan, while nine percent recognized the fast access and convenience associated with alternative lending options, and seven percent wanted ongoing access to a credit line.

The survey results also showed that when small business owners received alternative financing, the amounts they borrowed varied greatly. Most (40 percent) borrowed $10,000 or less. Others aimed higher, with 27 percent borrowing $50,000 or more. Remaining respondents were split — 17 percent borrowed $10,000 – $20,000 and another 17 percent borrowed $20,000 – $50,000.

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Crowdlending Site, Kiva, Launches “Dreams” to Support Equality for All Women

On March 8th, Help Kiva Make a Difference by Backing the Dreams of Women around the World to Honor and Support International Women’s Day

 By Robert Hoskins

San Francisco, CA – Kiva.org wants millions of people worldwide to celebrate the 104th International Women’s Day on March 8, 2015. While many gains have been made, the dream of women’s equality is still far from reality. The truth. In the year 2015 inequality is still all around us. Opportunity is not equal. Education is not equal. Wealth is not equal.

But dreams… the dreams of all women are created equal. And that’s where you can start.  In honor of International Women’s Day – and the days that follow – Kiva has launched Kiva.org/Dreams to spotlight the power of women to create sustainable change when everyday people lend their support.

Please visit Kiva.org/Dreams to vote on which woman Kiva’s team should pick to lend $25 to enable her dream to come true. There is no cost to you. By choosing her, you help her to follow her dream of starting or growing her business, sending her children to school, and gaining financial independence.

 

Or search through Kiva’s portfolio of women entrepreneurs and select a woman and donate $25 in countries where any amount of money will make a huge difference in her daily life. Supporters will receive great satisfaction in knowing that they made a difference in someone’s life that really needed the money.

Without access to resources to attend school or grow a business, their dreams are far too often out of reach. This affects us all.  Women’s empowerment means economic growth for their families, communities and the world. A case in point: if women farmers had equal access to farming assets and finance, they could increase their crop yields up to 30% and 150 million people who go hungry every day would be able to eat.

By contributing to the success of an entrepreneurial woman who has overcome obstacles most of us cannot even truly imagine, we discover so much more about our own resiliency, possibility, and potential. Each of us has a part to play and together we can make dreams a reality for thousands of women around the world.

So, in honor of International Women’s Day and the power of women to create lasting change, please back a dream at Kiva.org/Dreams.

Kiva.org is the world’s first and largest crowdfunding platform for social good with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Since 2005, more than 1.6 million people turned their dreams into reality because 1.3 million people backed their dream on Kiva. Together, more than $675 million in loans have been crowdfunded, with a 98% repayment rate.

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Crowdfunding Site, OurCrowd.com, Shows the World that the Equity Crowdfunding Industry is Sailing into the Global Economy Full Steam Ahead

OurCrowd evolves from participating in early seed rounds to a leadership position by successfully pooling tens of millions of dollars from top tier venture capital firms

By Robert Hoskins

Jerusalem, Israel – OurCrowd leads equity crowdfunding deal that reels in $16M in Series E funding round for Borro.com, the UK-NY based, asset-backed online lender. OurCrowd was joined by Rocket Internet AG (RKET), Canaan Partners and Augmentum Capital in this funding round.

OurCrowd alone raised $6M of the capital invested, making this the single largest equity crowdfunding round ever completed and demonstrates how equity crowdfunding can complement and even lead traditional funding sources, such as venture capital.

“In under two years, OurCrowd went from participating in early seed rounds to now successfully  leading a $16M dollar major funding round together with top tier venture capital firms such as Canaan and the renowned internet company, Rocket,” said Jon Medved, OurCrowd’s CEO. “We are delighted to be investing in quality companies like Borro, which is redefining the Fintech industry.”

Launched in the UK in 2009 and in the US in 2012, Borro has defined a new category of online personal asset-based lending. Borro focuses on providing liquidity to individuals, entrepreneurs, and business owners who use luxury personal assets such as watches, jewelry, supercars, fine art, antiques and high-end handbags as collateral for short term loans.

“Seven years ago, I joined the first angel investor group at Lending Club (LC) and witnessed first-hand the exponential growth of online lending,” Medved added.  “Lending Club’s IPO in December of 2014 was a pivotal point in the online lending industry and has shown that there will be multiple winners with eventual multi-billion dollar market caps. ”

Paul Aitken, CEO and Founder of Borro, said: “We are delighted with our collaboration with OurCrowd. Their ability to lead this important funding round has proven that equity crowdfunding has indeed come of age. I was excited by the quality of the investors they have brought to the table and am looking forward to their adding additional value to Borro as we move forward.”

Borro was recently ranked #8 right behind Lending Club (NYSE: LC) #6 and OnDeck #7 (NYSE: ONDK) in KPMG’s 50 Best Fintech Innovators Report. OurCrowd ranked #22 on the list.  Borro is backed by a consortium of high caliber VC investors with significant expertise in online finance.

Investing alongside OurCrowd is Rocket Internet AG, a German internet company based in Berlin that builds online startups and owns share of various internet companies including Foodpanda/Hellofood, Home24, Jabong, Jumia and Lamoda.  Other Borro investors include Canaan Partners (investor in Lending Club) and Augmentum Capital (investor in the UK’s top lending marketplace, Zopa). Borro has recruited notable financial industry veterans to its board of directors who bring a significant amount of experience to the company, including Nigel Morris (co-founder Capital One) as Chairman and Paul Grattan (ex-CEO Egg, First Direct.)

Borro launched in 2009 in the UK, and has gone on to open offices in New York and Los Angeles.  It is the leading online platform for luxury asset-backed lending and has defined a new lending category in a climate where loans to individuals, SMEs and entrepreneurs were few and far between. Borro offers loans from $5,000 – $2,000,000 secured against luxury assets including fine art, antiques, jewelry, luxury watches, fine wine, prestige and classic cars and other high-value assets. Borro investors include: Canaan Partners (Lending Club), Eden Ventures, Augmentum Capital. Borro’s board of directors includes Nigel Morris (co-founder Capital One) as Chairman, and Paul Gratton (ex-CEO Egg, First Direct).

OurCrowd is the leading hybrid venture capital equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors who wish to invest in Israeli and global early stage companies. Managed by a team of well-known investment professionals and led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, OurCrowd selects opportunities, invests its own capital and brings these startups to its accredited membership. Members choose those deals they invest in via OurCrowd-managed partnerships.

OurCrowd investors must meet stringent accreditation criteria and invest a minimum of $10,000 per deal. OurCrowd provides post investment support to its portfolio companies, assigning industry experts as mentors and taking board seats. OurCrowd has raised over $100 million in equity crowdfunding for its 57 portfolio companies which include leading companies, such as: BillGuard, Consumer Physics (SCiO), BioCatch, Abe’s Market and ReWalk, OurCrowd’s first portfolio company to complete a successful IPO on the NASDAQ.

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Finance-Technology Company Receives $2 Million Crowdlending Loan from Denver-Based P2Binvestor

New Peer-to-Business lender pools investment from more than 350 accredited investors to provide receivables-based, no equity loss loans for businesses

By Robert Hoskins

Denver, CO – Representing one of the largest single crowdlending transactions ever, P2Binvestor (P2Bi) announced that the crowdlender provided a $2 million line of credit to a Boulder-based Finance-Technology (Fin-Tech) client.  This credit line adds to P2Bi’s rapid growth and puts the young company on a run rate to achieve a lending portfolio of $25 million by the end of its fiscal year.

New Peer-to-Business lender pools investment from more than 350 accredited investors to provide receivables-based, no equity loss loans for businesses

P2Bi is a crowdlending platform that provides working investment capital via three types of asset-based loans to small and midsize businesses:

1. a receivables-purchase product;
2. an asset-backed line of credit, and;
3. a credit line secured by future contractual revenue.

“Our easy online application process, quick funding decisions, competitive rates, and crowdfunding model are what set us apart,” said Krista Morgan, P2Bi’s Co-founder and COO. “But at the end of the day, clients love doing business with us because we are genuinely interested in helping them grow. Securing growth capital shouldn’t be a cumbersome process. We make it easier for borrowers.”

The company and its crowd of accredited investors have the capacity to fund multi-million dollar credit lines, lend to companies in all 50 U.S. states, and work with businesses in various industries including technology, staffing, natural foods, manufacturing, and more.

P2Bi provides access to this pool of working capital for innovative, growing companies. It eliminates many of the barriers associated with traditional financing and the high costs associated with subprime commercial lending. The company uses technology and crowdfunding to lower its effective cost of capital to clients.

Established in 2012, P2Bi officially went to market in January 2014. To date, the company has originated financing to clients in six U.S. states in various industries that include technology, energy, staffing, natural foods, and construction.

P2Bi and its crowd of accredited investors provide businesses with flexible capital that can grow with them; line increases are available as clients need them. The company stands behind its financing by offering a rate guarantee that allows clients to transition, penalty free, to a credit line or term loan with another financial institution if they find a better interest rate.

“P2Binvestor’s funding is a long-term solution that also helps us tremendously in the short term as we aggressively scale our product. It allows us to defer an equity raise, which would have been otherwise unavoidable,” said a company spokesperson for P2Bi’s newest client and recipient of the $2 million credit line. The Boulder company asked not to be named as it prepares for its official public launch.

Both companies are alumni of Finovate, a prominent demo-based conference for innovative startups and established companies in the fields of Banking and  Fin-Tech. Finovate hosts a two-day showcase each spring and fall where leading Fin-Tech companies and startups present their technology business models.

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