State Regulators Continue Their Misinformation Campaign on Crowdfunding—In an effort to Delay Implementation of the JOBS Act

Austin, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/11/2012 -- In an effort to increase access to capital to small business owners, the life blood of the American economy, Congress and the President passed the JOBS Act earlier this year. This bill was designed to help jump start small businesses by increasing access to capital and decreasing legal expenses. While the Crowdfunding provision of this bill is months away from implementation and currently not occurring in any form in the U.S., the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has launched a misinformation campaign about Crowdfunding, by associating a clear-cut fraud case with Crowdfunding.

"Crowdfunding isn't legal yet. We are still waiting for the rules to be written by the SEC and FINRA. So in reality what happened in the story is just fraud that was perpetrated under the current regulatory regime," stated Jason Best, Co-founder of the CfPA.

Crowdfunding, when it does go live (by law) must take place on SEC-registered websites only. These websites aren't live yet and hence isn't crowdfunding.

Unlike boiler rooms that can operate from hidden locations anywhere, all Equity Crowdfunding Platforms will be accredited and operating in full view of the social media crowd, which will be a very transparent process for every investor that does their homework and researches companies before making an investment. The Crowdfunding industry will be going to great lengths to educate the general public and significantly increase the world's knowledge of making wise investments.

"It is so farfetched to blame Crowdfunding, a yet-to-be employed investing mechanism, for a boiler-room scheme that was perpetrated over a year ago," said Dara Albright, CfPA Board Member and Founder of NowStreet Journal. "Equally absurd is suggesting that the increase in domain names containing the word, 'crowdfunding' is indicative of future fraudulent behavior. It is a clear violation of American democracy for regulatory organizations to launch smear campaigns and propagate falsehoods about industries it will soon help oversee."

"Security violations of the SEC's current regulations are enforced rigorously," said Sherwood Neiss, Co-Founder of the CfPA. "This trend will continue as the Crowdfunding industry establishes itself in the United States and is expected to follow a zero-fraud precedent that has been set in Australia for the past seven years and in the United Kingdom for the past two years."

All media outlets are encouraged to contact the CfPA with questions regarding the new SEC guidelines that are due out later this year and into the early part of 2013. Please review SEC's FAQ Sheet at: http://www.sec.gov/divisions/marketreg/tmjobsact-crowdfundingintermediariesfaq.htm?goback=%2Egde_4401102_member_114785550

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State’s largest Crowdfunding event to take place in tech hub Austin, TX and feature leading experts in the finance, venture capital and Crowdfunding sectors

Austin, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/11/2012 -- The Crowdfund Texas Conference (http://crowdfundtx.com), scheduled to take place on January 8, 2013 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin, has signed industry-leading public relations firm Leverage PR to spearhead communications efforts preceding the event. The conference will be hosted by Chris Camillo, a super angel investor and producer of upcoming documentary "Crowd of Angels," in association with the Crowdfunding Professional Association and Startup Texas, a region of the National Startup America Organization.

This preeminent event will bring finance industry experts together for in-depth discussions regarding the impact of debt- and equity-based Crowdfunding on venture capital and private equity. Although final SEC rules have yet to be published, equity Crowdfunding has garnered substantial attention from investors and the press. The JOBS Act passed this year allows small businesses to solicit investment from both accredited and unaccredited investors in the future.

"Each member of our account team at Leverage PR has taken it upon themselves to develop and maintain a high level of understanding into our company's emerging industry vertical," says Camillo. "This enables them to deliver on my PR goals in an efficient manner similar to that which I would expect from a well-informed and trusted member of my own team. Leverage PR's connections in the Crowdfunding space make it a natural fit to promote this event."

The conference will enable entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, accelerators and financial advisors to leverage new social investment platforms and network with leading Crowdfunding experts. The full-day event will feature educational meetings hosted by the world's leading Crowdfunding experts.

"We look forward to representing Crowdfund Texas and this milestone event," says Joy Schoffler, principal at Leverage PR. "Austin is the perfect location to host a conference exploring this innovative new funding mechanism. In today's economy, both existing small businesses and new startups are looking for alternative funding avenues to jumpstart their companies."

Camillo will also be filming speakers and conducting attendee interviews with leaders in the startup and investment community for the Crowd of Angels documentary that follows the men and women who led the fight to legalize Crowdfunding in the U.S.

A complete list of event speakers is available at http://crowdfundtx.com/#speakers. Open tickets available for purchase will be extremely limited. For more information on event sponsorship and ticketing, please email info@crowdfundtx.com.

About Leverage PR
Leverage PR is a public relations and social media marketing firm with offices in Bellevue, Wash. and Austin, Texas that specializes in helping high-growth technology companies, financial services firms and dynamic thought leaders achieve their business objectives. With a background in launching successful startups and raising capital, the firm understands the challenges and opportunities companies face and how to produce results in an ever-changing environment. In addition to its full-service public relations packages, the company provides PR training and PR-on-demand (DIY) services. More information can be found at leverage-pr.com or by calling (512) 271-9489.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Brussels, Belgium -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/13/2012 -- Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) Principal, Sherwood Neiss joined 25 European crowdfunding platforms at the European Crowdfunding Network's (ECN) pre-launch meeting last week. The purpose of the meeting was to define the priorities for supporting the development of the crowdfunding industry in Europe. As a result of the meeting, one priority was set to building a Europe-wide framework for crowdfunding, similar to what the CCA team has built with the Crowdfunding Investment Framework that was used in the U.S. JOBS Act to increase access to capital for entrepreneurs in the U.S.

While crowdfund investing is legal in many EU countries, such as the UK & Netherlands that have an under $100k Euro exemption, each country has individual security administrations and regulations, therefore making a unified crowdfunding exemption akin to what we have in the USA ($1M) virtually impossible.

The ECN invited the CCA team to Brussels allowing Sherwood to inform attendees about the crowdfunding framework they implemented in the U.S. and to share best practices for lobbying for change when working with legislators to help implement a framework that would benefit European entrepreneurs, there-by creating jobs and allowing for greater prosperity in their individual countries.

"When countries give their citizens the tools to build businesses, everyone wins—jobs are created, financial assets are allocated to productive forces and eventually more taxes are collected. Crowdfund investment is one of the best tools a country can give entrepreneurs, it gives them the ability to raise capital and validate their idea, helping to reduce waste and market efficiently by building businesses that the market as a whole is willing to pay for," said Sherwood. "We are working with organizations and governments throughout the globe helping them to develop frameworks that allow them to achieve prosperity and success. We are very excited to sit on the Advisors Board of the European Crowdfunding Network, there are a great deal of very bright people that are working hard to change things for the better of all."

"Having Sherwood from CCA at the pre-launch event of the European Crowdfunding Network couldn't have been more valuable," said Eva Serlachius, Acting Co-Chair. "We are embarking on a new era of capital raising and the CCA team has shown us it is possible and now it is our turn to take it to the next level. Having the authors of the Crowdfund Investing framework in attendance discussing the JOBS Act and Crowdfunding provided immediate answers that we wouldn't have had without them."

CCA offers day-long 'how to implement crowdfund investing in your country' seminars teaching attendees:

1. An understanding of how the flow of capital is directly related to job growth
2. How technology has allowed the crowd to step in as the nation's financiers
3. How doing so will lead to less fraud and greater success
4. How local communities stand to gain the most
5. How to implement a similar framework with prudent oversight

More information on can be obtained by contacting a representative through their website at: www.crowdfundcapitaladvisors.com.

About Crowdfund Capital Advisors
Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) is an advisory, implementation and education firm founded by Jason Best and Sherwood Neiss (founders of Startup Exemption), the leaders of the Crowdfunding movement. CCA provides comprehensive advisory solutions for both the public and private sector - that enables clients to achieve maximum results. As part of the team that led the fight to make Crowdfunding legal, and through ongoing work with the foreign and domestic governments, SEC, FINRA, Crowdfunding platforms and industry leaders, CCA helps clients succeed in this new era of financing, in a way that few can match. CCA works with a variety of groups from professional investors, Crowdfunding platforms and professional services firms to foreign and domestic government agencies and entrepreneurs.

About European Crowdfunding Network
The European Crowdfunding Network is a European-wide initiative that aims at supporting and promoting crowdfunding as an alternative funding mechanism for small businesses. It is gathering committed supporters and community management resources for carrying its activities and operations. The target audience are crowdfunding platforms (this would include P2P finance platforms, equity crowdfunding platforms, donations-only platforms), Investors (individuals & Angels / VCs) and professionals (lawyers, accountants..).

http://www.europecrowdfunding.org

U.S. Press Inquiries:
Leverage PR
Leslie@leverage-pr.com
512-271-9489x701

European Press Inquiries: press@europecrowdfunding.org

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm