Equity and debt crowdfunding offerings, with retail investors, have been occurring in the U.S. since 2016. As of October 2021, over 1.2 million individuals have invested over $1 billion in startups and small businesses in all 50 states, across over 1,300 cities and towns. StartupNWA is hosting an introductory program of information sessions for both entrepreneurs/business owners and potential investors.

This session is designed especially for investors, and attendees will leave with answers to the following questions:

• What is equity and debt crowdfunding?
• What are the rules for me to invest in startups and small businesses?
• How much can I invest?
• How do I diversify my risk in this high-risk asset class?
• What are a few important questions I should ask when evaluating a high-risk investment in a startup or small business?
• What platforms can I use to make crowdfunding investments?
• If I want to experiment, how do I get started?

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Mr. Jason Best is a tech entrepreneur co-authored the policy framework used in Title III of the JOBS Act to legalize securities-based crowdfunding and co-led the 460-day campaign to change 80-year-old securities laws in the US. He provided US Congressional testimony twice, and attended the White House, Rose Garden ceremony for President Obama to sign The JOBS Act into law. Over $1B has been invested in over 5,000 startups using securities-based crowdfunding. He has worked in 45 countries to both invest in fintech founders and create Fintech regulation with The World Bank, US State Department and country governments/regulators. He co-authored the World Bank’s research “Crowdfunding’s Potential in the Developing World.” He has spoken at The White House, TEDx, South by Southwest, Aspen Institute, Brookings Institute, Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

Mr. Sherwood Neiss co-authored the Crowdfunding Exemption Framework, which became the basis of Title III of the U.S. JOBS Act to legalize securities-based crowdfunding. As the co-founder of GUARDD and Crowdfund Capital Advisors (“CCA”), he is at the forefront of the online investment industry. GUARDD is a SaaS financial disclosure tool that assists private companies in complying with state Blue Sky laws regarding secondary trading. CCA is a consulting firm serving certain governments and multi-lateral organizations, including Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and governments like Mexico, Chile, Malaysia, and Israel. Mr. Neiss co-authored the World Bank’s research report “Crowdfunding’s Potential for the Developing World,” co-authored "Crowdfund Investing for Dummies. (Wiley)," among other titles. He is the chief architect of the CCLEAR Regulation Crowdfunding Database that tracks and monitors over 5,000 pre-IPO startups across 450 industries in the USA. This data is transmitted to Bloomberg daily. He created the Online Investment Index that tracks the Top 50 Daily Regulation Crowdfunding offerings. Mr. Neiss serves on the advisory boards of several crowdfunding companies. Mr. Neiss was selected as a cohort for the 2021 AIPCA Accelerator. VentureBeat listed Mr. Neiss as one of the most influential thought leaders in crowdfunding. Before GUARDD & CCA, Mr. Neiss co-founded FLAVORx, Inc., acted as its chief financial officer, won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the Inc. 500 award three years in a row.

More Ways to Build Our Crowdfunding Community

If you're already excited about dipping your toes into investing or expanding your current startup portfolio through crowdfunding, check out a related event, "Community Capital: NWA & Tulsa - Invest in Local Startups," co-hosted by friends WeFunder, Startup Junkie, and WeWork Labs NWA on March 29th to engage in live investing and preview startups already raising in the community!

Register here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-capital-investing-in-nwa-tulsa-tickets-29097674828