WTIA Tech in Focus: Crowdfunding

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Joe Wallin

WTIA crowdfundingThe Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) is hosting an event that brings together industry experts to answer questions for startups regarding the new Washington state crowdfunding law.

Washington’s new crowdfunding bill will allow companies to up to $1 million from both non-accredited and accredited investors. However, there are strict rules that need to be adhered to in order to correctly execute a crowdfunding campaign.

Topics Discussed Will Be:

  • The contents of the crowdfunding bill
  • How to actually use the new bill
  • Implications to the startup community

Panelists include:

Joe Wallin | Attorney & Partner | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Bill Beatty | Securities Administrator | Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

Casey Dilloway | Co-Founder & President | Community Sourced Capital

Mitch Gitelman |Studio Manager & Co-Founder | Harebrained Schemes

 Moderated by:

 Cyrus Habib | State Representative | Washington State Legislature

Register Here

When: Tuesday, September 9, 2014
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Cost: Free For Members, $25 for non-members

Where: Clark Nuber
10900 NE 4th St #1700, Bellevue,WA 98004

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Talking to Dan Levitan

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Joe Wallin

Startup Interview

Last week I had the good fortune (thanks to Buzz Bruggeman (@buzzmodo)) to interview Dan Levitan (@levitan) of Maveron in front of a large group of people (meetup.com says more than 200!).

Rachel Lerman (@rachelerman) of the Puget Sound Business Journal wrote a nice story about it.

We captured audio of the interview.

I truly hope you enjoy this program as much as I did!

Listen to the Full Interview:

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The Ins and Outs of Crowdfunding Your Startup

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Joe Wallin

crowdfunding your startupA new state law signed earlier this year opens crowdfunding to ordinary investors, making it easier for startups to sell shares to raise money. Now you have the opportunity to get the latest updates from the state legislator, regulators, and crowdfunding experts who wrote, passed, and are implementing this law.

Gregory Paley–entrepreneurial mentor and advisor who teaches crowdfunding for SeattleSCORE–will open with an overview of the crowdfunding landscape for those unfamiliar. Next, representative Cyrus Habib and Joe Wallin will talk about the new law and its implications for entrepreneurs. Bill Beatty and Faith Anderson from the DFI will then discuss the newly written draft rules and the rule-making roadmap.

Attendees will have opportunity to ask questions to all the speakers and panelists during the Q&A, network with entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors, and discuss the proposed rules and potential challenges ahead.
panel

Panel also includes:

  • Lewis McMurran, McMurran Enterprise. Lobbyist who was instrumental in getting the crowdfunding bill through the State Legislature.
  • Burt Hamner, Cofounder and President of Hydrobee. Crowdfunding expert.

Register

When:
Thursday, August 7th, 2014
5:00 – 8:30 PM

Where:
North Seattle College HSSR Building

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Is Title III Equity Crowdfunding Going to Work?

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Joe Wallin

I was invited to appear on HuffPost TV the other day, to talk about crowdfunding.

The conversation quickly turned into a discussion of the potential negatives of crowdfunding, and the risks.

Then there was this article in Salon, with the subtitle: “Equity crowdfunding was supposed to be an economic boon. Instead it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

I actually agree with the article of the Salon piece, at least in part. Because of the way Congress wrote the equity crowdfunding rules, Title III equity crowdfunding is going to be very expensive. This is going to reduce its attractiveness as a fundraising alternative. This is too bad. But the answer is not to scrap the experiment. But to revise the rules to make experiment workable.

 

Posted in Financings, Public Policy | 1 Comment

Come Meet Dan Levitan of Maveron

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Joe Wallin

Dan LevitanSeattle is privileged to have a number of outstanding VCs. In the select group that have put our community on the national/global map for venture capital is Dan Levitan. If you are not familiar with Dan, he’s the guy who co-founded venture capital firm Maveron with Howard Schultz.

Dan has led many Maveron investments, including Seattle-based companies zulily, Trupanion and Cranium.  He has directed a number of successful exits, including eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY),  Potbelly (NASDAQ:PBPB), Auctionpay (acquired by Global Payments Inc. NASDAQ: GPN), Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA), Cranium (acquired by Hasbro NASDAQ: HAS), Quellos (acquired by Blackrock NASDAQ: BLK), Good Technology (acquired by Motorola NASDAQ: MOT), and Shutterfly (NASDAQ: SFLY). Forbes recently named him to its Midas List—the magazine’s annual ranking of the top 100 venture capitalists in the world.

If there was ever a time to explore the mind of an explosively successful venture capitalist, this is it.

We don’t limit ourselves to breakfast here – come join us for a chat with Dan in the afternoon, 4:30-6 PM.

Register

When:
Thursday, July 24th, 2014
4:30 – 6:00 PM

Where:
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 2200
Seattle, WA 98101

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