Thank you to the panelists and audience members who braved a biblical downpour to attend the SOLD OUT Harvard Business School Club Innovations in Real Estate: Crowdfund Investing program last night at the UJA Federation of NY Conference Center. Former New York Governor David Paterson kicked off the evening with his typical wit and insight before our panel of Crowdfunding industry experts shared their experiences and knowledge with an extremely engaged and thoughtful audience.
Our panelists:
- Jason Fritton of Patch of Land and William Skelley of iFunding, two of the earliest Crowdfunding innovators and most successful Title II portals
- Elvin Ames of Golden Eye Investments and Erin Wicomb of Mavrix Group, two experienced and successful real estate developers who have recently turned to Crowdfunding to raise capital
- Scott Lichtman, a real estate investor who has himself invested in Crowdfunded deals and did a super job putting the conference together
Thus, all sides the Crowdfunding triangle were represented: portals, developers, and investors. And Jason, William, Elvin, Erin, and Scott – not to mention Governor Paterson – acquitted themselves with flying colors, demonstrated why they have been so successful generally and specifically why they have been leaders in Crowdfunding.
Some of the issues discussed:
- The build-out of the Title II portal market, and how it is likely to segment into verticals
- How portals successfully distinguish themselves
- What investors look for in a portal and a project sponsor
- The legal basis for Crowdfunding, and its significance in the marketplace
- Why Crowdfunding is attractive to developers
- How portals can participate in community development and “do well by doing good”
- How portals market and price their services
- How developers distinguish their projects
- What due diligence means in a Crowdfunded environment
Judging by the number and quality of questions from the audience following the presentation, there are likely a few dozen more Crowdfunding entrepreneurs this morning than there were yesterday. Including one statistician, who asked about the standard deviation of Crowdfunding investments.
Thanks again to everyone. I hope to stay in touch with all of you. Questions? Let me know.