Equity Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding, the Statue of Liberty and the Future of Finance

Crowdfunding, the Statue of Liberty and the Future of Finance

Mar 24, 2014 | , ,

Crowdfunding is booming. The industry has come a long way since the first crowdfunding projects surfaced a few years ago. Going forward, crowdfunding is likely to take on many forms, expand globally and become the preferred model for investment. Given the recent surge in its activity and popularity, here is a quick beginner’s guide discussing the origins and different types of crowdfunding platforms available for investment today. What Is Crowdfunding? Crowdfunding is the pooling of resources to create or maintain an initiative from a large number of backers—the “crowd.” Projects supported through crowdfunding, usually online by means of a web platform, can range from nonprofit or charity organizations, political campaigns, creative projects (i.e.- supporting an artist, gallery, director, film etc.) or a financing campaign to fund a startup company. The Oxford dictionary definition for crowdfunding reads: [Noun] The practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. History of Crowdfunding Crowdfunding has a long and rich history with roots going back hundreds of years. Crowdfunding originates in the concept of crowdsourcing,...

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6 Tips on How You Can Invest in the Next Billion Dollar Exit

6 Tips on How You Can Invest in the Next Billion Dollar Exit

Mar 16, 2014 | , ,

2013 was a record year for the Israeli high-tech sector as the value of M&A deals and IPOs reached an eight-year high of $7.6 billion. Although there were several exits in the hundreds of millions of dollars (the average exit was for $170 million, the highest in decades), most of that sum was for a small number of mega-exits in high-tech. Of the 45 Israeli exits last year, Google’s acquisition of popular social driving app Waze for about $1 billion made the most headlines. Why Waze was valued over $1 billion What was the big deal about Waze? Well, for starters, it’s not every day you hear about titans like Google and Facebook going head to head in a race to buy out a company. Furthermore, the lucrative deal is one of the largest high-tech acquisitions in Israeli history. Google’s acquisition of Waze put Israeli technology back on the front stage of the international startup scene, signaling new growth for Israeli high tech that was clearly evident in the months following the deal. Until recently, most investors thought it would be impossible to build a billion dollar consumer company in Israel. The Google-Waze deal opened...

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The 3 Most Common Crowdfunding Concerns (Part 2): “It’s Too Complicated & I Don’t Have Enough Time!”

The 3 Most Common Crowdfunding Concerns (Part 2): “It’s Too Complicated & I Don’t Have Enough Time!”

Feb 20, 2014 | ,

Today, OurCrowd is featuring Part 2 of a special 3-part series from Matt and Wayne, the founders of Crowdability Crowdability provides individual investors with independent research and education on equity crowdfunding. With their free service, they aim to simplify the process of discovering and evaluating crowdfunding opportunities. In this series that they’ve created especially for OurCrowd, Crowdability will address investors’ 3 most common concerns about Equity Crowdfunding. ——————————————————————— In Part 1 of this Series, we addressed a concern about whether equity crowdfunding makes sense for ordinary people who aren’t intending to invest millions. Today we’ll address another common concern – namely, that early-stage investing is too difficult, or takes too much time. These are valid questions.  Early-stage investing certainly isn’t easy… For one thing, since the companies raising funds are private, they’re not obligated to disclose details of their operations or financial results.  Gathering this critical information can be challenging and time-consuming, and interpreting it can be even harder. That said, there are many ways to make the process faster and easier… Let’s look at three of them now....

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OurCrowd’s Portfolio RESERVE: Making investing easier by putting the investment process on autopilot

OurCrowd’s Portfolio RESERVE: Making investing easier by putting the investment process on autopilot

Feb 19, 2014 | , , ,

OurCrowd launched a new webinar series called ‘Teach-In Tuesdays’. In this series, we’ll explore investing in early-stage Israeli companies, identify and explain influential tech trends, stay up-to-date with the crowdfunding industry, and examine actionable insights from our own experience running OurCrowd’s investment platform. Yesterday, we held the 2nd installment of the OurCrowd Teach-In Tuesdays series on OurCrowd’s new product, Portfolio RESERVE, and how interested investors can use it to make a one-time investment with minimal paperwork to guarantee you never miss an opportunity. Additional topics about the Portfolio RESERVE covered in the webinar: You decide how much you’d like to invest in OurCrowd companies Get automated allocation to future investment opportunities One time funding, limited paperwork You retain ability to opt-out of any deal ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: To stay updated on future events and the best news from the Startup Nation, sign up for our newsletter, email us, and follow us on social media. To contact Danna Mann, follow her on Linkedin To contact Zack Miller, follow him on Twitter / Linkedin View the FULL program Download/view the presentation OurCrowd’s Portfolio RESERVE: Making investing easier by putting the investment process on autopilot...

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The Lifecycle of an OurCrowd Investment: Following a Company’s Progress from Due Diligence to Investment (and Beyond)

The Lifecycle of an OurCrowd Investment: Following a Company’s Progress from Due Diligence to Investment (and Beyond)

Feb 5, 2014 | , , ,

 OurCrowd launched a new webinar series called ‘Teach-In Tuesdays’. In this series, we’ll explore investing in early-stage Israeli companies, identify and explain influential tech trends, stay up-to-date with the crowdfunding industry, and examine actionable insights from our own experience running OurCrowd’s investment platform. Yesterday, we held the 1st installment of the OurCrowd Teach-In Tuesdays series on the investment lifecycle of a startup at OurCrowd, from dealflow to first investment to follow-on rounds. Additional topics covered in the webinar: How OurCrowd chooses which companies to invest in The tools we create for investors to do their own research What successful investors can do to maximize value AFTER an investment is made How our portfolio companies receive support from us in future investment rounds  ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Be on the lookout for our next webinar: OurCrowd’s Portfolio RESERVE: Making investing easier by putting the investment process on autopilot Tuesday, February 18th  (6:00 PM Israel / 11:00 AM NYC/ 8:00 AM San Francisco) >> Reserve your seat (recommended for investors) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: To stay updated on future events and the best news from the Startup Nation, sign up for our newsletter,...

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