Crowdfunding for equity, or Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), came about as part of the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. The legislation aimed to make raising capital easier for startups and small businesses while providing opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs.
Crowdfunding has had its teething problems and is still evolving. For starters, Reg CF took four and a half years to write and implement, only launching in the middle of 2016. Enter the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA). Established in 2012, just after the signing of the JOBS Act, the CfPA’s mission was to create a trade association for this new and emerging industry. Dedicated to equitable representation for the Crowdfunding industry globally, it also supports the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) on rule making.
In practical terms, CfPA provides the industry with education, professional networking opportunities and the tools needed to promote industry best practices.
CfPA’s board includes consultants, journalists, authors, technology experts, and Samson Williams, the current board president, an expert in Blockchain, AI, Cryptocurrencies and FinTech and the space economy! Samson is an Adjunct Professor at University of New Hampshire School of Law, and Columbia University, and is Chief Data Scientist, Milky Way Economy, LLC, monetizing the data of the Space Economy. You can hear Samson on all these subjects and more in this podcast.
‘The Crowd’ by gyro, licensed by Canva,