The year 2014 could be The Year of the Startup. The SEC is poised to enact Title III of the JOBS Act, which would ease equity-based crowdfunding and loosen restrictions on the way businesses may solicit funds from investors. Arizona attorneys Michael Hool of Hool Law Group and Tom Curzon of Osborn Maledon were quoted […]
Your startup pitch video for Venture Madness 2014 does not have to be a professionally filmed production. In fact, the more genuine it is, the better chance voters will recognize you as the fledgling startup that you are. Skip the fancy stuff. You can create inexpensive footage on your own, using a smartphone, apps and […]
The elevator speech is the basis for the 90-second videos that Venture Madness judges and the voting public will use to advance startup companies through the brackets starting in February. The application videos are the most important part of the startups’ applications because not only will they be the voters’ first impressions, they will create […]
The concept of pooling resources to launch businesses, build buildings and support causes is nothing new. It’s been around for centuries, and in the last three years “crowdfunding” has become part of American pop culture thanks to sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, which have produced some of the most noteworthy successes and failures. It’s important […]
In October, the SEC released a 585-page document that proposes rules for crowdfunding under Title III of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act). To be fair, about 20 pages refer to letters of comment from various legislators and government agencies, so you’d read only about 560 pages. The JOBS Act was enacted in […]
Crowdfunding became part of the pop culture lexicon in 2013 after a few projects gained fame, thanks to platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Five basic types of crowdfunding have emerged: equity, reward, gift, debt and revenue. First a look at two crowdfunding success stories. Crowdfunding Success Story Pebble Watch exceeded its $100,000 goal by a […]
Arizona has ranked among the top states for entrepreneurial activity since 2000, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. In 2011, it hit No. 1 with 520 startups for every 100,000 people. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also recognizes Arizona as a top state: 8th for innovation and entrepreneurship 7th for business climate 5th […]