He changed Wall Street with a pen—and gave Main Street a seat at the table. Meet the man who wrote the law that unlocked billions for everyday investors… and the data he's using to spot the next unicorns before anyone else.
Dive into the crowdfunding revolution! In this captivating episode of Angels, Exits, and Acquisitions, we have Woodie Neiss, a true pioneer who literally wrote the book (and the law!) on investment crowdfunding. Discover how his journey from Wall Street to Silicon Valley led him to champion the landmark JOBS Act, forever transforming how companies raise capital and how everyday investors access high-growth opportunities.
Key Points from the Interview:
• Pioneering the JOBS Act: Woodie Neiss shares his incredible story of co-authoring the "Crowdfunding Exemption Framework" that became Title III of the U.S. JOBS Act, which legalized equity and lending-based crowdfunding. This legislation transformed early-stage finance, enabling over 8,300 companies to raise more than $3 billion to date through 10,000 rounds of financing.
• The Evolution of Startup Investment: The discussion highlights how investment crowdfunding has created a new industry, changing how companies get funded beyond the traditional "friends, family, and fools" rounds and angel/VC investment. Notably, the profile of companies raising money online has shifted from predominantly pre-revenue startups to post-revenue established companies with average revenues of at least $1 million.
• Data-Driven Investment Insights: Woodie introduces Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) and their CCLEAR Regulation Crowdfunding Database, which aggregates 150 data points from over 400 active offerings daily . CCA uses AI and machine learning to analyze investor sentiment (number and amount of checks, average check size) and company valuations, providing crucial signals for identifying promising startup investment opportunities and informing strategic decisions for both investors and issuers.
Timestamps:
• 00:32 - Woodie Neiss's journey from Wall Street to PeopleSoft and Flavor RX.
• 02:54 - The genesis of the JOBS Act and the vision for investment crowdfunding.
• 05:28 - Pioneering Title III of the JOBS Act (Reg CF) and its profound impact.
• 19:00 - How Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) collects and analyzes vast amounts of crowdfunding data to identify investment signals.
• 25:44 - Insights into the changing landscape of companies seeking online capital and the potential for future "unicorns" in this space.
Connect with us:
• Connect with Woodie Neiss:
◦ Learn more and get his book, "Investomers": https://investomersbook.com/
◦ Crowdfund Capital Advisors: https://crowdfundcapitaladvisors.com/
• Connect with Jeff Barnes:
◦ Website: https://www.jeffbarnes.ceo/
◦ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffpbarnes/
#Crowdfunding #JOBSAct #StartupFunding #Investment #AngelInvestors #VentureCapital #EarlyStageFinance #Fintech #DataAnalytics #AIInvesting #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #CapitalRaising #Innovation #WealthBuilding
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