Developing A Hawaii Local Stock Exchange

08/12/2015

For those interested in the latest on local investing, I recommend Amy Cortese's http://Locavesting.com. She just came out with a summer update on local investing activity. Those of you in Hawaii might remember Amy at the first TEDxMaui in January 2012.

05/20/2015

I have been getting prompts from FB to update what has been going on towards creating a local stock exchange for Hawaii. So here goes:

Between the HI Legislative Task Force and the JOBS act there are a variety of legal strategies to raise money for local businesses from local investors. The challenge has been to create a critical mass of ventures seeking money with their acts together and open to the transparency required. An interim strategy has been to develop accelerators to help get companies ready and at the same time to create portfolios of companies. Investors would rather invest in portfolios where there has been some due diligence and ongoing discipline and business services (legal, accounting, marketing) support.

There are other developments nationally I will post some updates here as I get them.

04/05/2012

Here is a good quick overview of the JOBS Act signed in to law today. This is by attorney Jenny Kasten of Cutting Edge Capital. Follow her link for more on the crowdfunding component.

The President will be signing the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act on Thursday. The CROWDFUND Act is part of the JOBS Act. Here is a brief summary of the seven parts of the JOBS Act.

04/05/2012

The JOBS Act with major reforms to national securities laws is being signed right now by President Obama - watch at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-signs-jumpstart-our-business-startups-jobs-act

12/02/2011

There was a hearing today in Washington looking at a variety of ideas for lowering the costs of raising capital including the House bills that passed on November 3rd. The link has a two-hour video, and individual testimony. The Senators present were pretty positive, but they brought in witnesses who were primarily critical. The House did a better job of balancing both champions of change and skeptics.

United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

11/04/2011

HB 2930 - the crowd funding bill passed Congress on Thursday 407 to 17. Between this and other things we are learning, we are starting to think of calling what we are developing a "Marketplace for Community Finance".

From start to IPO: crowdfunding, accelerators, the new VC, secondary markets and more are changing everything.

09/16/2011

A lot of activity around crowd funding moving beyond donations - here is a summary of the best info with links.
http://www.crowdsourcing.org/editorial/the-sec-and-crowdfunding-a-readers-guide/6622

09/16/2011

Here is the web page for today's hearing with links to background on the speakers and a link to a two-hour YouTube video.

09/13/2011

I just signed a petition at http://www.startupexemption.com/

Last night President Obama delivered a speech to the nation in front of both houses of Congress. During his speech he laid out his plan to create jobs and jumpstart our economy.

09/13/2011

There is a Congressional hearing thursday 9/15 in D.C. on crowd source funding. The White House is saying that there is no need for Congressional action to create SEC exemptions. Not sure of the reason for the hearing, if so. See http://cuttingedgecapital.com/blog/

He will work with the SEC to create an exemption for public securities offerings of $1 million or less, with individual investment capped at $10,000.

09/09/2011

Obama's jobs initiative to help small businesses more easily raise $ includes amending SEC regs to allow new exception to filing requirements for raises up to $1 million with max per investor of $10k.

More athttp://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/Startup%20America%20Reducing%20Barriers%20Report.pdf