Duration:  57 mins | Full Transcript

Links

• Website:  MarciaDawood.com
• Website:  SEC's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee
• Website:  Mindshift Capital
• Book:  Do Good While Doing Well (Amazon) | Overview
• Rap Battle: Angel Investor vs Venture Capitalist Rap Battle
• Podcast:  The Angel Next Door podcast
• TedX:  Marcia Dawood | TEDxCharlotte
• Article: The No. 1 thing entrepreneurs don’t spend enough time doing

10 years ago in 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) was signed into law in the U.S. (and eventually a similar exemption was approved in Canada) to encourage more capital to flow to startups, support innovation, and, create jobs. It's significance cannot be understated as the rule change allowed private companies to raise capital by selling securities digitally for the first time via registered online platforms and dealer-brokers.  Regulation crowdfunding also democratized previously excluded retail investors (non-accredited) by allowing them to invest directly in startup ventures empowering a new era of digital finance.

A tremendous amount of advocacy and regulatory change efforts took place to make this happen, and since then, the original JOBS Act rules were improved for investment crowdfunding in the U.S., such as increasing the fundraising cap from US$1 million to US$5 million (not in Canada though, we've asked for years ahem).  But there are still many challenges and myths to be debunked. While venture financings are at an all time high in sectors like fintech, it does not mean that startups are awash with capital.  While there is growing interest among retail investors to participate directly in these offerings, and take control of their investment future, education and awareness still remains a top priority if industry is to grow in the right ways.  Having said that, in the United States, RegCF recently surpassed $1billion raised.  Canadian figures are more modest with at least CA$100 million in equity financings raised on a leading platform.

Today there's also a JOBS Act 2022 proposal on the table but will these changes be sufficient to support evolving technologies and their capabilities while also protecting investors?  Regulatory change is slow and regulators should support innovation and competition.  All stakeholders need to continue to support efforts to make capital markets whole, so EVERYONE can benefit from the advancements in technology or the wealth gap will continue to widen.

This is a not to be missed episode for anyone interested in the past or future of digital finance and capital markets.  Join investment crowdfunding pioneers in both Canada and the U.S. who discuss the 10 year journey from a wide variety of perspectives including the evolution of first generation marketing platforms to the arrival of second generation decentralized finance models powered by blockchain technologies.

Duration:  92mins

For anyone who needs to make complex decisions or wants to add more clarity into their lives by applying modern risk management techniques, then this one is for you. Join NCFA Founder, Craig Asano, who sits down with Alex Sidorenko, the CEO and Chief Risk Officer of the Risk Academy and Founder of Risk Awareness Week, one of the largest risk management conference programs in the world.  They discuss the commoditization of science, horoscope fairy tales, beating the bear and how intuition may not always be your best friend (in some scenarios).  Understand the difference between risk management for ‘box tickers’ vs modern techniques, generators vs users, virtual data, and how to think about risk management to electrify decision-support for any problem in your business or life.  Enjoy!

Duration:  69mins

On this week's episode of the Fintech Friday Podcast, our host Manseeb Khan sits down with Maria Konikov, Director of Operations at York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI). They talk about why education is crucial for entrepreneurs, how YETI offers tuition-free programs for Canadians, and what makes their diploma so special? Could it be because they have diploma program allows entrepreneurs to apply their learnings directly to their business and is taught by experienced professors who are also successful entrepreneurs? Enjoy!!  (Full Transcript)

Duration:  25mins

Duration:  62mins

Duration:  45 mins