Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission passed sweeping reforms of 
the rules governing exempt offerings (the “2020 Reforms”) to make it easier for issuers to move from one exemption to another, to bring clarity and consistency to the rules governing offering communications, to increase offering and investment limits and to harmonize certain disclosure requirements
Significant Exempt Offering Rule Reforms Approved by SEC to Facilitate Capital Formation
On November 2, 2020, the SEC adopted significant rule amendments to simplify, 
harmonize and improve the exempt offering framework to facilitate capital formation and investment opportunities in startups and emerging companies. The rule amendments were initially proposed in March 2020, and first conceived in a concept release in June 2019. The reforms simplify the integration
SEC Proposes Much Needed Finder Exemption, and Paul Anka Must Be Singing
Finders play a vital role in introducing startups to potential investors. Yet the general requirement that persons soliciting investors must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission as broker-dealers and be subject to the SEC’s broker-dealer regulatory regime has been a source of much uncertainty for finders and companies alike and has posed a serious
Private Market Investing Not Just for the Wealthy Anymore?
The Securities and Exchange Commission expanded the definition of “accredited investor” by adding new categories of investors that have sufficient investment knowledge and expertise to participate in private investment opportunities. The amendments mark a shift away from wealth as the sole focus of eligibility. The new rule is effective 60 days after publication in the
COVID-19 Capital Needs Addressed by Temporary Relaxation of Title III Crowdfunding Rules
Title III crowdfunding may be an attractive capital raising alternative during the current Coronavirus 
pandemic because it allows companies to use the internet to solicit potential investors and not be restricted to accredited investors. But some of the requirements under Regulation Crowdfunding may diminish its utility for issuers with urgent capital needs as a result
Proposed Three-Year Digital Token Safe Harbor May Bridge Gap to Decentralization or Functionality
It’s not often that an SEC Commissioner quotes Bruce Springsteen – not once, but twice – in a 
speech on securities regulation. But SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce did just that in a February 6, 2020 speech in which she unveiled her novel proposal for a digital asset safe harbor. The proposal would create a three-year
SEC Exempt Offering Concept Release Seeks Comment on Ideas to Ease Restrictions on Sales to Non-Accredited Investors
Non-accredited investors are estimated to constitute approximately 92% of the U.S. population. Yet 
restrictive rules governing exempt offerings have significantly limited their freedom to invest in private offerings and prevented or discouraged issuers from selling them privately offered securities. But in a recently issued concept release, the Securities and Exchange Commission has signaled a
In my Backyard: Real Estate Developers can Use Equity Crowdfunding both to Fund Projects and Convert Opposition
Real estate developers should seriously consider equity crowdfunding to fund development projects for two
major reasons, one of which has little or nothing to do with money. The first reason is that new securities offering legislation enacted in 2012 creates new legal capital raising pathways which allow developers for the first time to use the
SEC Reporting Companies Now Regulation A+ Eligible
On December 19, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued final rules to permit reporting companies under the Securities Exchange Act to offer securities under Regulation A (affectionately referred to often as Regulation A+), as mandated by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018. The rule amendments also provide that so
Gig Stock: Extension of Rule 701 Exemption for Compensatory Equity Proposed for Gig Economy Participants
Private companies in the gig economy like Uber and Airbnb would love to issue compensatory equity to their 
platform participants, just like they’re able to do with their employees. The problem is that the exemption from registration for compensatory issuances only covers issuances to employees and consultants of the issuer. Last July, however, the Securities