Since the crowdfunding bill, officially called the HR-2930 Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act, was accepted by the House on November 2nd, and is expected to pass in the Senate any day now, we’re all wondering what this really means for small business fundraising. Is this the access to fundraising start-ups need from the SEC? With sites like Kickstarter, Kiva, IndieGoGo, and Rockethub, does the new act really matter?
As it stands, individuals who wish to fund their bright ideas may do so by collecting “donations” in the form of crowdsourcing, but they cannot sell stock or other securities to their benefactors through social media. In the 1930s, the Securities and Exchange Commission prohibited organizations from “general solicitation” for funding without a substantive relationship with accredited investors. Therefore, social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, cannot currently be used to reach people for funding unless the solicitation takes place in the form of a direct message. Third-party social media sites must be registered with the SEC as an official “broker-dealer” before users can legally accept transaction-based compensation or offer securities sales or stock in the company.
To read the full, original article click on this link: What Will the Crowdfunding Bill Do For Startups?
