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Kickstarter Refuses Equity Crowdfunding

Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 11:25 pm
by therriaultk
Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler says that equity crowdfunding will not be allowed on his platform.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is developing rules to legalize equity crowdfunding, which would allow regular people – nonaccredited investors – to fund companies in exchange for ownership shares.

Some regulatory questions remain, including what shareholder voting rights these rules will give to equity crowdfunding investors. Venture capitalists might also see less opportunity investing in a startup if 1,000 crowdfunders already own equity, according to John Taylor, head of research for the National Venture Capital Association.


The CEO instead expects Kickstarter to be used so that people can find support for their start-ups and possibly as a renewal of support in culture and the arts. As of today there are sites that specialize in equity crowdfunding, such as equitynet.com, startupvalley.com and crowdability.com.

Taking a similarly careful but more open approach, Indiegogo sees equity crowdfunding as an exciting possibility. However, as of today they are still waiting to see whether the finalized regulations will improperly protect business owners or be a hindrance to innovation before they adopt the practice.

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/06/18/indiegogo-equity-crowdfunding/?__lsa=053a-2b5e

What do you guys think of equity crowdfunding?

Re: Kickstarter Refuses Equity Crowdfunding

Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 3:00 pm
by sbriggman
I think it's a smart move on Kickstarter's part. It's very hard to be an industry leader in any industry. Since they are in the rewards space, best to hyper focus on this marketplace rather than dilute their efforts when it will be a huge rush to see who can be the industry leader in the equity space. Also, the team seems to care more about making an impact in the world than just making a chunk of cash.