“Innovation Finance” brought together some of San Diego’s finest for a session that put into perspective the $1.3 trillion dollar Regulation D market. We had the pleasure of having Richard Swart PhD, one of the most recognized speakers and thought leaders in crowdfunding and alternative finance to help local advisors and accredited investors understand the space and how to get involved.
Facts and Key Trends in Equity Crowdfunding Investment Platforms and Private Equity:
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- From October 2014 to September 2015, Equity Crowdfunding investment platforms raised $870 million for 6,063 companies. This was more than double the prior 12 months.
- Private investment is king – OurCrowd ($200 million in equity crowdfunding since launch in 2013) reports that venture capital has more than doubled since 2013 to $135 billion during 2015.
- After a record-breaking 2014, IPO activity globally fell in 2015 to a six-year low, according to Renaissance Capital.
- Venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and equity crowdfunding are all showing steep growth.
- Startups are staying private longer, with unicorns (companies valued at more than $1 billion) gone from rare to more frequent (Uber, Zocdoc, SoFi).
- Preqin reports that in 2015 the aggregate value of venture capital deals increased for the third successive year to stand at $135.8bn, up from $93.5bn in 2014 and more than double the $57.1bn in 2013
- Mergers and Aquisitions are hot – strategists at UBS said that M&A activity has been “feverish,” climbing above $4 trillion for all sectors for 2015.
