Reinvigorate American Capitalism Through Crowdfunding

Reinvigorate American Capitalism Through Crowdfunding

In this episode, we dive into the world of crowdfunding and see how it can reinvigorate American Capitalism with our special guest Mark Roderick. Crowdfunding is an exciting and transformative concept that simplifies capital formation through the Internet. Mark, a corporate lawyer with extensive experience in helping entrepreneurs raise capital, shares his insights on how crowdfunding has the potential to revolutionize investment opportunities.

With the internet expanding opportunities in raising capital, similar to how it revolutionized the retail and dating industries, Mark explains how crowdfunding can connect entrepreneurs with investors in unprecedented ways. Specifically, he delves into the Jobs Act of 2012, which created different types of crowdfunding, including the highly successful Rule 506 C that allowed real estate professionals to advertise and raise billions of dollars. With Mark’s guidance, we also explore the three essential documents in real estate deals that are vital for legality and protection against potential challenges. Join us for this enlightening episode as we uncover the power and potential of crowdfunding with the knowledgeable and experienced Mark Roderick.

Key Points from This Episode:

  • Crowdfunding has the potential to revolutionize real estate investment opportunities.
  • The Internet greatly expands opportunities for raising capital and connecting with investors, similar to how it has revolutionized retail and other industries.
  • Mark has extensive experience in helping entrepreneurs and real estate professionals raise capital.
  • Mark is knowledgeable and experienced in navigating the complexities of crowdfunding laws and helping real estate professionals comply with new regulations.
  • The Jobs Act of 2012 created three types of crowdfunding, including the most successful one, which was a change in the previous rule that prohibited the advertising of real estate syndications.
  • Rule 506 C allows for advertising and requires verification of accreditation for investors.
  • This change enabled real estate professionals to raise billions of dollars of capital, making it a spectacularly successful source of funding.
  • As a corporate lawyer, Mark can provide legally sound and easily understandable documents to ensure compliance and avoid legal troubles in the crowdfunding process.
  • While Mark can assist with legal aspects, he is not able to directly help with raising funds. Established real estate crowdfunding sites like RealCrowd or CrowdStreet may be a viable option for experienced individuals to access an existing investor base.
  • For those starting out, crowdfunding requires active digital marketing efforts. Simply creating a website is not enough to attract investors; it is a marketing business that requires proactive efforts to generate interest and secure investments.
  • Three essential documents in real estate deals – the subscription agreement, limited liability company agreement, and the disclosure document (PPM) – play a vital role in keeping the process legal and protecting against potential legal challenges.
  • Crowdfunding thrives in spaces where limited information is available and can make deals more efficient and known to a broader audience.
  • Crowdfunding is not well-suited for fully efficient markets like single-family home mortgage loans or large-scale development projects where most major investors have access to in-depth information about the deal.


About Mark Roderick

Since the JOBS Act of 2012, Mark Roderick has spent all of his time in the Crowdfunding space, and today he is one of the leading Crowdfunding and Fintech lawyers in the United States. He writes a widely-read blog, which offers a wealth of legal and practical information for portals and issuers. He also speaks at Crowdfunding events across the country and represents industry participants across the country and around the world.

Reinvigorate American Capitalism Through Crowdfunding

How Can Sponsors Raise More Money When A Deal Goes South?

When a real estate deal goes bad as many are doing now, should limited partners have the right of first refusal to invest rescue capital on the same terms as anything the sponsor can bring in to save the deal?

My podcast guest today, attorney Mark Roderick, calls it ‘pre-emptive rights’ and, as you will hear, he explains it can make the best of a bad situation.

But what does that look like in reality?

Here’s the script:

***

Email #1: From Sponsor to Limited Partners (Investors):

Subject Line: We’re stopping distributions and need more money from you

Sorry investors, we screwed up because we [select from the following]

  1. Didn’t manage the property aggressively enough to account for a downturn.
  2. Underwrote debt levels to eternally low interest rates on variable rate terms and now can’t afford the doubling of our debt costs.
  3. Our original loan is maturing, the value of the property has gone down, debt costs have skyrocketed, rent growth is not what we assumed in our proforma, and the bank will only lend us 60% of our original loan amount.
  4. Cap rates are now nearing 6% not the 4% we projected.
  5. Thought this time was different.

In sum, we need you to pony up more equity so we can avoid losing the property to the bank.

***

Email #2: From Sponsor to Rescue Capital fund (pref equity, mezz debt, whatever)

Subject Line: Have we got a deal for you!

Our offering docs allow us to bring in additional capital under any terms. Our bank will only lend us 60% of the original loan amount so we need to shore up the difference. Can you help us.

***

Email #3: From Rescue Fund to Sponsor

Subject Line: We’re in!

Sure. We’ll come in with the 40% you need. We want second position behind the bank (ahead of your existing LPs) and if you miss proforma targets or fail to pay us on time, we’’ll remove you as GP and wipe out your LPs’ equity.

***

Email #4: From Sponsor to Investors

Subject Line: Great news! We’ve found some rescue capital.

You get first right of refusal on the terms we just got to protect your investment.

Terms are that your new capital will come in ahead of your old [or dilute it out completely], and if we screw up again, you get to remove us as GP.

Please accept these terms or someone else gets them.

Oh, and by the way, the Rescue Capital wants all or nothing so we need unanimous agreement from all Investors or we go with the Rescue Capital.

***

Is this an ‘offer’ or a ‘threat’?

Or is the dialogue different somehow?

At the end of the day, does having pre-emptive rights (right of first refusal) really mean anything?

Advocating for Intellectual Honesty in the Legal Sphere With Mark Roderick

In this episode… Why is intellectual honesty important for lawyers? By prioritizing what is morally correct over personal gain, lawyers strengthen the lawyer-client relationship and contribute to a fair and just society. Upholding the integrity of the legal profession and ensuring that justice is served depends on attorneys’ commitment to ethical principles — even when they don’t benefit from what they advocate.

As a math major, Mark Roderick was exposed to the world of math proofs and abstract thinking. Realizing he desired to work with people and help solve problems in the real world, he applied to law school. Unlike other professionals in the industry, Mark has a passion for doing what is right at all times — and seeks out others who value intellectual honesty over financial gain. Respecting your integrity, both in your profession and personal life, strengthens your relationships as individuals grow to trust you have their best interest in mind.

In this episode of 15 Minutes, Chad Franzen sits down with Mark Roderick, Principal Partner at Lex Nova Law, to discuss how sharing the same values impacts your work environment. Mark also talks about what inspired him to pursue a career in law, how his background in math has contributed to his career, and how he started his crowdfunding blog.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Chad Franzen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadfranzen

Gladiator Law Marketing – https://gladiatorlawmarketing.com

Mark Roderick on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/markroderick/

Lex Nova Law – https://www.lexnovalaw.com/

Crowdfunding & FinTech Law Blog – https://crowdfundingattorney.com/

Crow of people wearing masks

PODCAST: Is Coronavirus Impacting Crowdfunding?

Coronavirus is the epitome of what a “risk factor” is in any crowdfunding or real estate deal. As such, whatever the deal, issuers are required to warn potential investors about the riskiness of such an investment. If they don’t, then these businesses can get into serious trouble. Coronavirus compounds that issue even more. In this podcast, attorney Mark Roderick of Lex Nova Law provides some real world examples of what Covid19 disclosures are required in crowdfunding offerings and goes over some of the emergency rules that the SEC issued to facilitate Title III crowdfunding during the coronavirus crisis.

How Coronavirus is Impacting Crowdfunding

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates exactly why a list of “risk factors” should be included in offering documents when companies issue and sell securities. As Mr. Roderick notes on the podcast, crowdfunding itself can be the catalyst of what may actually restart the economy, but the proper disclosures are a must!

For example, if a company issued stock before the pandemic began, its duty to tell investors about the pandemic would depend on which version of Crowdfunding it used.

Are you aware of these specifics? If not, listening to this podcast will get you up to speed on important items you may not know about, yet are crucial to your crowdfunding efforts (especially if something goes wrong). In addition, are you aware of the temporary rules that the SEC has adopted to make Title III crowdfunding a bit easier in the short term in four major ways? You’d be wise to get a pen and paper and take notes regarding the significant points Mr. Roderick explains in detail in this episode.

Questions? Let me know.

PODCAST: Title III Crowdfunding Changes with Mark Roderick

Crowdfunding continues to grow in popularity. It is a way to democratize the world of real estate investing, which historically has only been open to super-wealthy Americans. Its growth and positive outcomes have led to several changes being made in the space. Mark Roderick, our guest today, joins us to unpack these developments and the positive influence that they will have on real estate investing. In this episode, Mark presents an overview of the current crowdfunding space.

Title III Crowdfunding Changes with Mark Roderick

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Learn more about Mark and his expertise as a crowdfunding attorney
  • An overview of the crowdfunding basics and the difference between Title II, III, and IV.
  • Find out about some of the excellent changes the SEC has made related to crowdfunding.
  • How broker-dealers with a wide product mix make real estate accessible to more people.
  • ‘Title’ refers to the different types of crowdfunding as per the JOBS Act of 2012.
  • Why the Title III changes will make it easier to syndicate, even if you’re not a broker-dealer.
  • An explanation of what a funding portal is and the simple steps to set one up.
  • Learn about some of the drawbacks of establishing a funding portal.
  • Some of the changes Mark expects will happen with Title III advertising.
  • Other changes that the SEC has made around crowdfunding.
  • How Mark gives back and where you can get hold of him.

PODCAST: Is the SEC Democratizing Investment?

Democratizing investment. A huge step forward.

My guest today is Mark Roderick, founder of Lex Nova Law and one of the top online crowdfunding experts in the country. Mark and I discuss the very exciting changes proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulation crowdfunding, or Reg CF, the securities regulation that is really the first step taken by the S.E.C. towards democratizing investment. The additional changes proposed will give this regulation real legs.

Impact Real Estate Investing Podcast

Insights and Inspirations

  • Mark believes the latest round of changes to the crowdfunding rules will bring some fundamental changes to the industry including higher quality deals.
  • As the deals get better, so will the industry grow, and more investors join in.
  • He expects to see changes in the physical landscape in just 5 years as these rules begin to have a far-reaching effect.

Making Money in Multifamily Real Estate Podcast

Making Money in Multifamily Real Estate Podcast-logoCLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Today’s guest on the Making Money in Multifamily Real Estate Show is Mark Roderick, one of the leading crowdfunding and FinTech lawyers in the United States. He has in depth knowledge of capital raising and securities law and represents many portals and other players in crowdfunding. He has a blog, which provides readers a wealth of knowledge for legal and practical information. He also has a crowdfunding event across the country and represents industry…

Questions? Let me know.

The High Return Real Estate Show Podcast: Crowdfunding For Real Estate Investors 

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Jack gets the day off, and Shecky gets to have a one-on-one conversation with Mark Roderick, the leading Crowdfunding and FinTech lawyer in the US.

In this episode, you’ll learn…

  • What is Crowdfunding?
  • The two different kinds of Crowdfunding
  • What and who to look for in a Crowdfunding company.
  • How does Crowdfunding apply to Real Estate Investing?
  • Who are the big players in the Crowdfunding space?
  • The three types of Equity Crowdfunding

This episode is a MUST listen to anyone wanting to understand how technology is changing our investing landscape!

Questions? Let me know.

Podcast: Understanding Crowfunding with Mark Roderick

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Rules are always changing in the crowdfunding space. Make sure that it is the best way for you to raise private capital by understanding the mechanics of this process. In this episode, let one of the leading Crowdfunding and FinTech attorneys, Mark Roderick, get you up to speed with the new laws and technology, and how the internet has disrupted this industry. Mark also talks about three flavors of Equity Crowdfunding and the rules for each type. Get an investor’s point-of-view and determine factors that dictate how much money you need to raise.

Questions? Let me know.

Simple Wholesaling Podcast: Raising Money Online for Your Deals & More

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Mark Roderick appeared on the Simple Wholesaling Podcast to talk about crowdfunding and the laws and logistics of raising money online.

In this episode, Mark discusses:

  • Mark’s story
  • Raising capital online
  • Businesses that have been very successful
  • How entrepreneurs and the consumers are protected online
  • Portals he recommends
  • Where people should start if they’re interested to try crowdfunding
  • The “don’ts” when trying to raise money on the Internet
  • What accredited investor means
  • The types of returns entrepreneurs pay out to their crowd investors
  • The effects on the stock market when we have many options to invest in different things