Tag: fintech

Don't Use Lead Investors and Proxies in Crowdfunding Vehicles

Don’t Use Lead Investors And Proxies In Crowdfunding Vehicles

On By crowdfundattnyIn Crowdfunding, Crowdfunding Vehicles2 Comments

Some high-volume portals use a crowdfunding vehicle for every offering, and in each crowdfunding vehicle have a “lead investor” with a proxy to vote on behalf of everyone else. This is a very bad idea.

Lead investors are a transplant from the Silicon Valley ecosystem. Having proven herself through  successful investments, Jasmine attracts a following of other investors. Where she leads they follow, and founders therefore try to get her on board first, often with a promise of compensation in the form of a carried interest.

A lead investor makes sense in the close-knit Silicon Valley ecosystem, where everyone knows and follows everyone else. But like other Silicon Valley concepts, lead investors don’t transplant well to Reg CF – like transplanting an orange tree from Florida to Buffalo.

For one thing, Reg CF today is about raising money from lots of people who don’t know one another and very likely are making their first investment in a private company. Nobody is “leading” anyone else.

But even more important, giving anyone, lead investor or otherwise, the right to vote on behalf of all Reg CF investors (a proxy) might violate the law. 

A crowdfunding vehicle isn’t just any old SPV. It’s a very special kind of entity, created and by governed by 17 CFR § 270.3a-9. Among other things, a crowdfunding vehicle must:

Seek instructions from the holders of its securities with regard to:

  • The voting of the crowdfunding issuer securities it holds and votes the crowdfunding issuer securities only in accordance with such instructions; and
  • Participating in tender or exchange offers or similar transactions conducted by the crowdfunding issuer and participates in such transactions only in accordance with such instructions.

So let’s think of two scenarios.

In one scenario, the crowdfunding vehicle holds 100 shares of the underlying issuer. There are 100 investors in the crowdfunding vehicle, each owning one of its shares. A question comes up calling for a vote. Seventy investors vote Yes and 30 vote No. The crowdfunding vehicle votes 70 of its shares Yes and 30 No.

Same facts in the second scenario except the issuer has appointed Jasmine as the lead investor of the crowdfunding vehicle, with a proxy to vote for all the investors. The vote comes up, Jasmine doesn’t consult with the investors and votes all 100 shares No.

The first scenario clearly complies with Rule 3a-9. Does the second?

To appreciate the stakes, suppose the deal goes south and an unhappy investor sues the issuer and its founder, Jared. The investor claims that because the crowdfunding vehicle didn’t “seek instructions from the holders of its securities,” it wasn’t a valid crowdfunding vehicle, but an ordinary investment company, ineligible to use Reg CF. If that’s true, Jared is personally liable to return all funds to investors.

Jared argues that because Jasmine held a proxy from investors, asking Jasmine was the same as seeking instructions from investors. He argues that even without a crowdfunding vehicle – if everyone had invested directly – Jasmine could have held a proxy from the other Reg CF investors and nobody would have blinked an eye.

When the SEC issues a C&DI or a no-action letter approving that structure, terrific. Until then I’d recommend caution.

Questions? Let me know. 

What eBAY Tells Us About Secondary Markets For Private Companies

On By crowdfundattnyIn Blockchain Technology, Private Companies, Private Securities1 Comment

The securities of private companies are illiquid, meaning they’re hard to sell.

Since 2017 I’d guess a billion dollars and a million person-hours have been spent by those who believe blockchain technology will create liquidity for private securities. Joining that chorus, a recent post on LinkedIn first noted that trillions of dollars are locked up in private securities, then claimed that blockchain technology (specifically, the technology created by the company posting) could unlock all that value.

This is all wrong, in my always-humble opinion. All that money and all those person-hours are more or less wasted.

My crystal ball is no clearer than anyone else’s. But when I try to believe that blockchain will create active secondary markets I run up against two facts:

  • Fact #1: Secondary markets for private securities have been perfectly legal in this country for a long time, yet there are very few of them.
  • Fact #2: The New York Stock Exchange and other exchanges around the world were vibrant even when they were using little slips of paper.

Those two things tell me that it’s not the technology that creates an active secondary market and hence that blockchain won’t change much.

An active secondary market is created when there are lots of buyers and lots of sellers, especially buyers. When millions of people wanted to buy Polaroid in the 1960s they didn’t care whether Polaroid used pieces of paper or stone tablets. Conversely, put the stock of a pink sheet company on a blockchain and you won’t increase the volume.

As described more fully here, there are a bunch of reasons why there aren’t lots of potential buyers for a typical private company:

  • It probably has a very limited business, possibly only one product or even one asset.
  • It probably has limited access to capital.
  • It probably lacks professional management.
  • Investors probably have limited voting rights.
  • There are probably no independent directors.
  • Its business probably depends on one or two people who could die or start acting like Elon Musk.
  • Insiders can probably do what they want, including paying themselves unlimited compensation.
  • No stock exchange is imposing rules to protect investors.

All that seems obvious now and was obvious in 2017. But now I’m thinking of another company with lessons about secondary markets: eBay.

If there’s anything even less liquid than stock in a private company, it’s a used refrigerator, a bracelet you inherited from your grandmother, the clock you haven’t used for 15 years.

All those things and thousands more were once completely illiquid and therefore worth nothing. eBay changed that, almost miraculously adding dollars to everyone’s personal balance sheet. Just as every ATS operating today seeks to create an active market for securities, eBay created a market for refrigerators, bracelets, and clocks. Quite amazing when you think about it.

eBay didn’t create the market by turning refrigerators, bracelets, and clocks into NFTs. To the contrary, when you sell something on eBay you have to ship it, physically, using the lowest of low technology. eBay created the secondary market simply by connecting buyers and sellers using Web2. Just like another company that has created a pretty active market, Amazon.

If any ATS operating today had a thousandth of the registered users eBay has, its founders and investors would be even rubbing their hands with glee.

As a Crowdfunding advocate, I wonder what the world would look like if all those dollars and person-hours had been spent improving the experience of initial investors rather than pursuing secondary markets and blockchain, things dreams are made of. As the shine comes off blockchain maybe we’ll find out.

Questions? Let me know. 

Title III Crowdfunding

When Should A Crowdfunding SAFE Or Convertible Note Convert?

On By crowdfundattnyIn Convertible Note, SAFELeave a comment

Convertible notes and SAFEs often make sense for startups because they don’t require anyone to know the value of the company. Instead, the company and early investors can piggyback on a later investment when the value of the company might be easier to determine and the size of the investment justifies figuring it out.

Which raises the question, when should the convertible note or SAFE convert?

In the Silicon Valley ecosystem that’s an easy question. Per the Y Combinator forms, a convertible note or SAFE converts at the next sale of preferred stock, which necessarily involves a valuation of the company.

That works in the Silicon Valley ecosystem because (i) in the Silicon Valley ecosystem investors always get preferred stock, and (ii) the Silicon Valley ecosystem is largely an old boy network where founders and investors know and trust one another.

As I’ve said before, the Crowdfunding ecosystem is different. There are at least two reasons why the Y Combinator form doesn’t work here:

  • For a company that raises money with a SAFE in a Rule 506(c) or Reg CF offering, the next step might be selling common stock (not preferred stock) in a Regulation A offering. The SAFE has to convert.
  • Say I’ve raised $250K in a SAFE and think my company is worth $5M. If I’m clever, or from Houston*, I might arrange to sell $10,000 of stock to a friend at a $10M valuation, causing the SAFEs to convert at half their actual value. All my investors are strangers so I don’t care.

Which brings us back to the original question, what’s the right trigger for conversion?

Half the answer is that it should convert whether the company sells common stock or preferred stock. 

Now suppose that I’ve raised $250K in a SAFE round. The conversion shouldn’t happen when I raise $10,000 because that doesn’t achieve what we’re trying to achieve, a round big enough that we can rely on the value negotiated between the investors and the founder. What about $100,000? What about $1M?

In my opinion, the conversion shouldn’t be triggered by a dollar amount, which could vary from company to company. Instead, it should be triggered based on the amount of stock sold relative to the amount outstanding. So, for example:

“Next Equity Financing” means the next sale (or series of related sales) by the Company of its Equity Securities following the date of issuance of this SAFE where (i) the Equity Securities are sold for a fixed price (although the price might vary from purchaser to purchaser), and (ii) the aggregate Equity Securities issued represent at least ten percent (10%) of the Company’s total Equity Securities based on the Fully Diluted Capitalization at the time of issuance.

You might think 10% is too high or too low, but something in that vicinity.

Finally, the conversion should be automatic. Republic sells a SAFE where the company decides whether to convert, no matter how much money is raised. In my opinion that’s awful, one of the things like artificially low minimums that makes the Reg CF ecosystem look bad. You buy a SAFE and the company raises $5M in a priced round. The company becomes profitable and starts paying dividends. You get nothing. You lie awake staring at your SAFE in the moonlight.

*Go Phils!

Questions? Let me know.

Regulation A: What Country Do You See When You Wake Up?

On By crowdfundattnyIn Regulation A, Regulation A Plus Primer, SEC, Uncategorized2 Comments

sara palin

A company may use Regulation A (Tier 1 or Tier 2) only if the company:

  • Is organized in the U.S. or Canada, and
  • Has its principal place of business in the U.S. or Canada.

I’m often asked what it means for a company to have its principal place of business in the U.S. or Canada. The first step is to identify the people who make the important decisions for the company. The next step is to ask what country those people see when they wake up in the morning. If they see the U.S. or Canada, they’re okay. If they see some other country, even a beautiful country like Norway or Italy, they’re not okay, or at least they can’t use Regulation A.

Seeing the U.S. or Canada via Facetime doesn’t count.

A company called Longfin Corp. ignored this rule and suffered the consequences. The people who made the important decisions for the company saw India when they woke up in the morning. The only person who saw the U.S. was a 23-year-old, low-level employee who worked by himself in a WeWork space. In its offering materials the company claimed to be managed in the U.S., but a Federal court found this was untrue and ordered rescission of the offering, $3.5 million in disgorgement, and $3.2 million in penalties.

Harder questions arise if, for example, three of the directors and the CFO see the U.S. when they wake up, but two directors and the CEO see Ireland.

On the plus side, a U.S. mining company with headquarters in Wyoming definitely can use Regulation A even if all its mines are in South America. The “principal place of business” means the location where the company is managed, not where it operates.

Questions? Let me know.

Podcast: Understanding Crowfunding with Mark Roderick

On By crowdfundattnyIn Podcasts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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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.

IRS Issues New Guidance on Taxation of Cryptocurrencies

On By crowdfundattnyIn Cryptocurrencies, UncategorizedLeave a comment

MSR Update

The Internal Revenue Service just issued more guidance on the taxation of cryptocurrencies. The guidance comes in the form of Revenue Ruling 2019-24 and a set of FAQs. Officially, the guidance applies only to Federal income taxes. However, states are likely to follow the IRS rules.

Revenue Ruling 2019-24 is about hard forks in a distributed ledger. The IRS concludes that the hard fork is not itself a taxable event – that is, if you hold a cryptocurrency immediately before a hard fork and still hold it immediately after, the hard fork has no tax consequences. On the other hand, if you receive an air drop of the new cryptocurrency following the hard fork, you’re taxed on the value of the air drop.

Otherwise, there are no surprises in the new guidance. Thus:

  • Cryptocurrency is treated for Federal income tax purposes just like any other property, a diamond or a rusty 1964 Chevrolet. Cryptocurrency is not treated like U.S. dollars in any sense.
  • If you receive cryptocurrency in exchange for something else, whether property or services, you’re treated as having received a payment equal to the value of the cryptocurrency at the time you received it. If the bitcoin was worth $3,000 at the time you received it, you received a payment of $3,000 for each bitcoin you received, even if the bitcoin was worth $500 the month before or $10,000 the month afterward.
  • When you dispose of cryptocurrency, you have gain or loss based on the difference between the amount you paid for the cryptocurrency – your tax “basis” – and the amount you received for it, just as if you were selling the 1964 Chevy.
  • In general, you have capital gain or loss from selling cryptocurrency. But if you’re in the business of trading cryptocurrency the cryptocurrency will be treated as “inventory” and you’ll have ordinary income or loss.
  • Cryptocurrency received for services is treated as income for purposes of self-employment taxes as well as for purposes of income taxes.
  • Most people would guess that receiving cryptocurrency is taxable, g., my employer paid me $5,000 of ether, so I’m taxed on $5,000 of income. Less obvious is that you’re subject to tax when you pay someone with cryptocurrency. For example, if you’re the employer and pay your employee $5,000 of ether, you have engaged in a taxable sale of your ether, as if you had sold the ether for $5,000 and then turned around given $5,000 of cash to your employee.
  • If you trade one cryptocurrency for another, it’s a taxable sale. There is no such thing as a tax-free exchange of cryptocurrency, as there is for real estate.
  • If you own a bunch of bitcoin and want to use some to buy a house, you can choose which of your bitcoin to use (presumably the bitcoin with the highest tax basis).
  • If you receive cryptocurrency as a gift, it’s not taxable. Caution: there is no such thing as a business “gift.”
  • You can make a charitable contribution using cryptocurrency. If you’ve held the cryptocurrency for more than a year, your deduction is generally equal to the value of the cryptocurrency. Otherwise, your deduction is the lesser of the value of the cryptocurrency or your tax basis.
  • If you contribute cryptocurrency to an LLC or partnership, it’s not taxable at the time of the contribution. But when the LLC later disposes of the cryptocurrency, you will be taxed on any gain that was “built in” to the cryptocurrency at the time you contributed it.
  • If you own multiple crypto wallets, you can transfer among them without tax consequences.

Questions? Let me know.

Facebook’s Cryptocurrency

On By crowdfundattnyIn Bitcoin, Crowdfunding, Cryptocurrencies7 Comments

Facebook just announced a Facebook cryptocurrency called Libra.

To me, the timing seems poor. Over the last year or so, Facebook has suffered one public relations black eye after another regarding its privacy policies, it compliance with an order of the Federal Trade Commission, its role in disseminating conspiracy theories and election interference, and its dominance in the social media industry. A Facebook cryptocurrency will, by definition, give Facebook even more private information and even more financial power. Already, regulators and members of the public are shouting “No!”

A few thoughts about what this means:

  • Not long ago, some predicted that cryptocurrencies would lead to a better world, a world that would be more free, more decentralized, where consumers could interact with one another without middlemen. Libra, a cryptocurrency created by one of the most powerful companies in the world, seems to promise exactly the opposite.
  • It didn’t take long to get from idealism to disappointment, but the arc itself is typical of technologies, from radio to automobiles to the internet. We expect technologies to save us, then they don’t.
  • Are tokens securities? Does Howey apply? Facebook’s announcement shows that those questions are small potatoes in the scheme of how cryptocurrencies may re-shape the financial world.
  • Undoubtedly, Facebook is in this for the data. Will consumers care? Probably not.
  • Facebook might be first, but how long can it be before Google and Amazon — especially Amazon — issue their own cryptocurrencies?
  • Regardless of political persuasion, governments aren’t going to allow Facebook or anybody else to compete with their national currencies. We are already seeing opposition from Democrats and Republicans alike, and we can expect more.
  • And the next step: How long can it be before the U.S. dollar itself is given the features of a cryptocurrency, in effect competing with Facebook?
  • The price of bitcoin increased on the announcement, but I think that’s exactly wrong. The announcement shows that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will be left behind as big companies take over, just as a few big companies now monetize the once-egalitarian internet.
  • In the same way, I expect the announcement to stifle innovation in the cryptocurrency industry generally, just as the existence of Facebook already stifles innovation in social media and Microsoft once stifled innovation in software. Nobody wants to compete with the giant.

As all six readers of this blog know, I’m a believer in Crowdfunding from a capitalist, ideological perspective. I believe in making capital available to entrepreneurs everywhere, no matter where you grew up, no matter who your parents are, and in making great investments available to ordinary Americans, helping to narrow the wealth and income gaps that do so much harm to our society.

Frankly, Facebook and Libra feel like a step in the opposite direction, toward a world where knowledge and wealth and power are more concentrated and ordinary Americans are so many data points to be monetized. I’m certainly interested in hearing a different point of view.

Questions? Let me know.

Mark Roderick is one of the leading Crowdfunding lawyers in the United States. He represents platforms, portals, issuers, and others throughout the industry. For more information on Crowdfunding, including news, updates and links to important information pertaining to the JOBS Act and how Crowdfunding may affect your business, follow Mark’s blog. He can also be reached at 856.661.2265 or mark.roderick@flastergreenberg.com. 

The Wealthy Wellthy Podcast: What You Don’t Know About Crowdfunding

On By crowdfundattnyIn Crowdfunding, Crowdfunding Interview, Crowdfunding Laws, Crowdfunding Portals, Podcasts, Title II Crowdfunding, Title III CrowdfundingLeave a comment

The Wealthy Wellthy Podcast: What You Don’t Know About Crowdfunding

2019-06-20_10-54-52

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Our guest on this episode of The Wealthy Wellthy Podcast is Mark Roderick, an attorney who devotes most of his time to crowdfunding. Maybe you are like me in thinking that crowdfunding is pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. I mean, if your friend is looking to start a business and you want to support them, you can donate or invest through their crowdfunding page online and that’s that, right?

Every entrepreneur faces the stage in their business where they need to acquire capital, either from acquaintances, networking, angel investors, venture capitalists, or strategic partners. This process is messy and confusing, filled with regulations and stipulations that may make acquiring the capital more trouble than it is worth. This was partially due to the antiquated laws that were created in the aftermath of The Great Depression and were stifling in the modern economic climate. However, in 2012, the Jobs Act made it legal for entrepreneurs to advertise to raise capital. This opened up a whole new world for small business owners and others who were desperate to be able to connect more easily with potential investors as well as investors who were eager to find new opportunities.

During the interview, Mark distinguishes between the 3 kinds of crowdfunding: (1) to accredited investors only, (2) Regulation A to accredited or non accredited investors, and (3) Title 3 – which is the most common. He also talks about the factors that are most important from a legal perspective when you are determining which crowdfunding site to use to raise capital or to invest capital. It was also interesting to hear Mark spell out the 3 reasons why people invest through crowdfunding: (1) they want to support the company, (2) to do social good, and (3) to make money.

Mark even gave me some advice about a real estate deal I am considering and revealed that 90-95% of the capital exchanged through crowdfunding is for real estate transactions. Finally, he busted a couple of myths regarding the amount of risk involved in crowdfunding and whether money raised from others is subject to securities laws.

What We Covered

  • [2:16] – Who is Mark Roderick?
  • [3:28] – Mark describes the fragmented traditional ways of raising capital.
  • [8:58] – Angel investors and how to present your “deck” to them.
  • [11:08] – Working with venture capitalists and strategic partners.
  • [13:31] – A brief history of the laws affecting capital.
  • [22:34] – What does crowdfunding look like for startup entrepreneurs?
  • [27:20] – How to find a regulated site to post your capital request on.
  • [30:58] – Crowdfunding is the intersection of old and new school.
  • [34:57] – Advice to keep in mind when you are using a crowdfunding site.
  • [38:06] – Mark tells us 3 of the crowdfunding sites he works with.
  • [40:08] – When should an entrepreneur hire an attorney during this process?
  • [42:40]– The prevalence of real estate in the crowdfunding world.
  • [53:24] – What message does Mark want to get out there?
  • [56:17] – Mark busts 2 myths about crowdfunding.

Questions? Let me know.

Consensus Network Podcast: Crypto Thaw And Crypto Law

On By crowdfundattnyIn Cryptocurrencies, ICOs, PodcastsLeave a comment

2019-05-03_15-01-25

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On this episode of the Consensus Network Podcast, host Buck Joffrey discusses how regulations and laws are affecting the crypto landscape for better and for worse with FG’s Mark Roderick. Here are some highlights:

  • The “Wild Wild West” of crypto ICOs
  • What happens to tokens that violated the SEC rules?
  • What needs to happen for exchanges to become more compliant in the eyes of american securities law?
  • The possibility of a crypto ETF
  • Utility tokens vs. security tokens

Questions? Let me know.

More IRS Regulations On Qualified Opportunity Zones

On By crowdfundattnyIn Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds2 Comments

Skyscraper Buildings Made From Dollar Banknotes

The IRS just issued more proposed regulations under §1400Z-2 of the Internal Revenue Code, dealing with investments in qualified opportunity zones and qualified opportunity funds. Some highlights:

  • In general, a QOF must spend at least as much to rehabilitate a building as it paid for the building itself. But this rule doesn’t apply to a building that’s been vacant for five years. This presents an enormous incentive to acquire and rehabilitate vacant properties (that are located in QOZs).
  • The tax benefits associated with QOFs are available only to an “active trade or business.” The new regulations provide that (1) the ownership and operation (including leasing) of real estate can qualify as an “active trade or business,” for these purposes, but (2) a triple-net lease of real estate is not an “active trade or business.”
  • To qualify for tax benefits, a corporation or partnership must derive at least 50% of its gross income from the active conduct of a business within a QOZ. The new regulations provide three safe harbors and a facts-and-circumstances test to make this 50% calculation.
  • In general, at least 90% of the assets of a QOF must be in the form of “qualified opportunity zone property.” The new regulations allow the QOF to ignore investments made by investors in the QOF during the preceding six months in making this calculation, as long as the new investments are held in cash, cash equivalents, or certain short-term debt instruments This rule will make it far easier for QOFs to satisfy the 90% test while continuing to raise capital.
  • Similarly, if a QOZ sells assets and reinvests the proceeds in other assets, then the proceeds of the sale will be treated as “qualified opportunity zone property” for purposes of the 90% test, as long as they are held in cash, cash equivalents, or certain short-term debt instruments and reinvested within 12 months. Of course, any gain recognized by the QOZ from the sale will be taxed to investors.
  • The new regulations provide that an investment in a QOF may be made with cash or other property, but not by performing services for the QOF.
  • The new regulations provide alternative approaches to valuing the assets of a QOF, both for making the 90% calculation and for determining whether substantially all of the QOFs assets are in a QOZ.
  • A “qualified opportunity zone business” must own “qualified opportunity zone property,” and “qualified opportunity zone property” does not include property purchased from a related party. But under the new regulations, it can include property leased from a related party, under certain circumstances.
  • By investing in a QOF, a taxpayer can defer recognizing capital gains for tax purposes until 12/31/2026. But if an “inclusion event” occurs before 12/31/2026, the taxpayer must recognize the capital gain at that time. Selling the interest in the QOF is an obvious example of an “inclusion event.” The new regulations provide many more, less obvious examples, like giving the interest in the QOF to a charity, or receiving a distribution from the QOF that exceeds the taxpayer’s basis.
  • After holding a QOF for 10 years, a taxpayer may exclude all capital gains from the appreciation of the interest in the QOF. The new regulations provide that the taxpayer doesn’t have to sell her interest in the QOF to benefit from the exclusion; the exclusion also applies if the QOF sells its assets and distributes the gains.
  • A ”qualified opportunity zone business” means a trade or business in which substantially all of the tangible property is “qualified opportunity zone business property.” The new regulations clarify that in this instance, “substantially all” means 70%.
  • “Qualified opportunity zone business property” means tangible property used in the trade or business of the QOF if, during substantially all of the QOF’s holding period for such property, substantially all of the use of the property was in a QOZ. Believe it or not, the new regulations provide that the first instance of “substantially all” in that sentence means 90% and the second instance means 70%.

The new regulations illustrate why tax lawyers so look forward to new tax legislation, and are so popular at cocktail parties.

Questions? Let me know.