Crowdcheck Blog

The financial statements and corresponding discussion of financial condition of an issuer undertaking a securities offering under Regulation CF is arguably the most important set of information for an investor to make an informed investment decision. While the story of the company is critical for gaining investor interest, it is the financials that help an investor understand the potential for financial return. The financial statements and discussion are required disclosures under Rule 201 of Regulation CF. However, according to CrowdCheck’s research, approximately 35% of Regulation CF issuers are conducting, or have conducted, offerings with non-compliant…

The overlooked Reg A requirement that could land you in hot water https://dealflow.com/seriesd/overlooked-reg-requirement-land-hot-water/

Over the next few weeks, CrowdCheck will be posting a series of blog posts regarding issuer compliance with the disclosure requirements of Regulation CF. We believe this series will be important for prospective issuers and platforms, and ultimately investors. Of the ninety-six Form C filings as of September 1, 2016, very few have actually met the disclosure requirements under Rule 201 of Regulation CF. This is important for a variety of reasons. First, issuers operating under the belief that they qualify for Regulation CF may actually be in violation of Section 5 of the Securities Act. To qualify for Regulation CF, the issuer must provide all of the information…

A few weeks ago, the State of Ohio was thrust into notoriety in the crowdfunding community because the state issued notices to Reg CF issuers organized in the state that they would be required to pay a notice filing fee for their offerings. In response to those notices, CrowdCheck sent a letter to the Ohio Division of Securities (the “Division”) requesting clarification of the filing rules and fees, as well as asking the Division to ease the process for Reg CF issuers. The Division has replied to that letter and provided guidance for Ohio based issuers offering securities under Reg CF. The full letter is available here. First, the Division makes clear that…

*Our summer intern, Diana Leung, who will be heading to Georgetown University in the fall, weighs in on disclosure compliance.   The brilliant start-up companies that define crowdfunding are transforming the meaning of the American Dream. Citizens not only have an equal opportunity to achieve prosperity through the traditional conduits of society but can now do so through their own original thoughts and ideas. Entrepreneurial success is no longer limited by the confines of well-established industries nor to the incredibly wealthy – from biodegradable toothbrushes to microwavable notebooks, crowdfunding is bringing creativity to fruition. But, crowdfunding still…

Read CrowdCheck General Counsel Huiwen Leo's article featured on Locavesting! http://www.locavesting.com/featured/for-investors-the-key-to-crowdfunding-success-is-due-diligence/

Many small companies considering undertaking an offering under Tier 2 of Regulation A may find it advantageous to conduct their offering without the use of a registered broker-dealer. Perhaps they have a core base of supporters that would be interested in investing, or they have the ability to undertake their own online, and offline, marketing campaign to get investor interest. However, one potential pitfall of this strategy is that a handful of states require the company to register with the state as an issuer-dealer — essentially the company itself must be registered like a broker-dealer in the state.  CrowdCheck has put together a helpful summary of the…

After extensive time spent reviewing the communication rules under Regulation CF and their interplay with other securities laws, as well as consulting with the SEC, CrowdCheck has released its comprehensive memo on communications and publicity by issuers prior to and during a Regulation CF offering.  The communication rules for Regulation CF differ substantially from corresponding communication rules for offerings under Regulation A and Rule 506(c) of Regulation D, and from IPOs. We hope this memo will bring some clarity to the communications rules for platforms and issuers.

As we have previously discussed, the Regulation CF disclosure requirement for the financial condition of the issuer has the potential to get inexperienced companies in trouble. It is in this section of the disclosure that optimistic entrepreneurs may provide misleading information by not providing the full details of performance measurements, or by not including information on the assumptions underlying any financial projections. Such statements may be misleading in their own right, or may omit information necessary to make the provided information not misleading – also known as securities fraud (see paragraph (c)). As we have also previously discussed,…

Being in the crowdfunding space, my Twitter feed regularly fills up with “how-to” information on promoting crowdfunding campaigns, and who to hire for their experience running social media campaigns. While these outfits may know what they are doing when it comes to donation/rewards crowdfunding, much of what they offer is not compliant with Regulation CF. Social media campaigns and promoting the offering are very important for a successful raise under Regulation CF, but there are strict rules about what can be said and issuers need to be careful to not turn their entire website into an offer of securities. The underlying rationale for the advertising rules…