In my last post, I blogged about online funding platforms. In that post, I described the typical model of indirect investing through a special purpose vehicle (“SPV”) with the platform sponsor taking a carried interest in the SPV’s profits from the portfolio company and no 
transaction fee, as a means of avoiding broker-dealer regulation.
What’s the Deal with Online Funding Platforms?
Lately I’ve been approached by current and prospective clients about online funding platforms, either by folks interested in forming and operating them or those interested in raising capital through them. There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding how they work and what the legal issues are, so here’s my attempt to bring some
Weak First Quarter for U.S. Venture-Backed IPOs
The market for venture backed IPOs in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2015 was the weakest in two years, both in terms of number of deals and aggregate proceeds, according to pre-IPO institutional research firm Renaissance Capital, as well as a separate exit poll report by Thomson Reuters and the National Venture
New Regulation A+ Published in Federal Register — Will Become Effective June 19
The Regulation A amendments adopted by the Securities Exchange Commission on March 25 are 
being published tomorrow, April 20, in the Federal Register. That means the final rules and form amendments will officially become effective on June 19, 2015 (by rule, 60 days after such publication).
The new Regulation A, referred to widely as
SEC Adopts Final Reg A+ Rules for Mini Public Offerings of up to $50 Million without Registration
The SEC yesterday issued its highly anticipated final rules amending Regulation A to allow issuers 
to raise up to $50 million in any 12 month period through public offering techniques but without registration with the SEC or state blue sky authorities. The 453 page rules release features a scaled disclosure regime to provide issuers with
Why Valuation is Overvalued, Part II: Liquidation Preferences
In Part I of this two-part series, I explained how a favorable pre-money valuation can be undercut by a large option pool baked into the pre-money cap table. In this Part II of the series, I will concentrate on one other deal term that can serve to undermine a negotiated valuation: liquidation preferences. Failure to
Wisdom of the Crowd: SEC Issues Proposed Rules on Equity Crowdfunding
In a massive 585 page release, the Securities Exchange Commission on October 23 issued its long overdue proposed rules on equity crowdfunding to implement the statutory equity crowdfunding exemption set forth in Title III of the JOBS Act. As proposed, Regulation Crowdfunding implements and further clarifies the statutory requirements for equity crowdfunding, and in
Convertible Valuation Caps: Loved by Angels, Tolerated by VCs and Hated by Entrepreneurs
I’ve noticed a recent trend of angel investors demanding valuation caps on their convertible bridge loans, and I’ve received questions lately from startup and VC clients about them. So I thought this would be an opportune time to explain what 
all the fuss is about.
First, the basics.
Convertible Notes
A convertible note evidences a
SEC Report on Small Business Capital Reform
Last month, the SEC released its Final Report on the 2012 SEC Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation, the SEC’s annual forum to address perceived unnecessary impediments to small business capital formation. Participants typically include small business executives, VCs, government officials, trade association representatives, lawyers, accountants, academics and small business advocates. The Report contains
Tax Me Now: Founder Stock and the 83(b) Election
Of the countless details and decisions that the founder of a startup company is inevitably juggling as he launches his startup, one of the most important is making a timely Section 83(b) election. Under Section 83 of the Internal Revenue Code, an employee is not taxed on restricted stock received from an employer as