Legalize Equity-Based Crowdfunding

The Issue

Ideas, Innovation, Insight, Inspiration. These are some of the qualities Entrepreneurs commonly possess; and it is action-oriented, motivated Entrepreneurs who have the ability and the will to drive the economy out of it’s current rut and into a more successful, financially vibrant future for all. However as many aspiring business minded individuals already know, ideas and drive are must haves, but without access to capital and start-up funding Entrepreneurs can get stuck on the ground floor; even those with great ideas and a strong drive to succeed.

Recently, the House of Representatives approved a bi-partisan bill; HR2930 nearly unanimously. This bill has received widespread endorsement from both sides of the aisle, President Obama has voiced a strong support for this bill as well, and it stands ready to go before the senate any day now.

Also known as The Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act, this bill will make it legal for Americans to implement an innovative solution to address the difficulty in acquiring start-up capital in this strained economy. As banks and Wall-Street are tight with capital these days, the concept of Crowdfunding operates using a very simple idea: that while you may not be able to get 1,000 dollars from one person or organization, you might be able to get 1 dollar from 1,000 people. This legislation currently pending before the Senate, would remove some of the antiquated Great Depression era rules for investing that currently make this practice illegal.

Of course with any good idea, special interests who would stand to lose influence, money, or power (mainly traditionally accredited investing firms and their partners) are using their significant economic and political influence to try and derail the process. Using deplorable tactics like fear mongering, these interests are citing vague references to the potential for fraud in an attempt to scuttle the bill. As we enter this, an election year, these interests know that if they can get the bill thrown out or amended to “remove it’s teeth,” so to speak, this idea could be off the table for an indefinite amount of time. If the key to getting us out of the recession is jobs, then giving job creators the access to capital they need so they can create those jobs is of paramount importance. Crowdfunding can address this lack of capital and has the potential to start a whole new economic boom! One created by and for us, the people. Creating our own access to capital while cutting out the need for big banks and special interests puts economic power back where it belongs: with the people! Now what’s more American than that? Tell big business that they can’t hold our feet to the fire any longer! Sign our petition and spread the message so that our Senators hear our voice and make this law!

avatar of the starter
EquityCircle .Petition StarterEquityCircle was founded from a desire to provide Entrepreneurs access to the resources they need to be successful. Our goal is to provide a platform to invest small contributions with innovative and exciting business opportunities. As Entrepreneurs ourselves, we know how hard raising capital can be. When we first sought funding for previous businesses, our only options were ‘friends & family’ and professional money. The law prohibited us from soliciting our investment opportunity to the millions of people who would have been most inclined to support our vision. We seek to promote the self-reliant, bold spirit and initiative that all Entrepreneurs share. EquityCircle will be America’s first EquityBased Crowdfunding platform. We pledge to monitor the market closely and evolve our product-line to ensure we are meeting the needs of you, the Entrepreneur. We believe in Entrepreneurs like you and the power of the “Crowd” to support your exciting new project.
This petition had 165 supporters

The Issue

Ideas, Innovation, Insight, Inspiration. These are some of the qualities Entrepreneurs commonly possess; and it is action-oriented, motivated Entrepreneurs who have the ability and the will to drive the economy out of it’s current rut and into a more successful, financially vibrant future for all. However as many aspiring business minded individuals already know, ideas and drive are must haves, but without access to capital and start-up funding Entrepreneurs can get stuck on the ground floor; even those with great ideas and a strong drive to succeed.

Recently, the House of Representatives approved a bi-partisan bill; HR2930 nearly unanimously. This bill has received widespread endorsement from both sides of the aisle, President Obama has voiced a strong support for this bill as well, and it stands ready to go before the senate any day now.

Also known as The Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act, this bill will make it legal for Americans to implement an innovative solution to address the difficulty in acquiring start-up capital in this strained economy. As banks and Wall-Street are tight with capital these days, the concept of Crowdfunding operates using a very simple idea: that while you may not be able to get 1,000 dollars from one person or organization, you might be able to get 1 dollar from 1,000 people. This legislation currently pending before the Senate, would remove some of the antiquated Great Depression era rules for investing that currently make this practice illegal.

Of course with any good idea, special interests who would stand to lose influence, money, or power (mainly traditionally accredited investing firms and their partners) are using their significant economic and political influence to try and derail the process. Using deplorable tactics like fear mongering, these interests are citing vague references to the potential for fraud in an attempt to scuttle the bill. As we enter this, an election year, these interests know that if they can get the bill thrown out or amended to “remove it’s teeth,” so to speak, this idea could be off the table for an indefinite amount of time. If the key to getting us out of the recession is jobs, then giving job creators the access to capital they need so they can create those jobs is of paramount importance. Crowdfunding can address this lack of capital and has the potential to start a whole new economic boom! One created by and for us, the people. Creating our own access to capital while cutting out the need for big banks and special interests puts economic power back where it belongs: with the people! Now what’s more American than that? Tell big business that they can’t hold our feet to the fire any longer! Sign our petition and spread the message so that our Senators hear our voice and make this law!

avatar of the starter
EquityCircle .Petition StarterEquityCircle was founded from a desire to provide Entrepreneurs access to the resources they need to be successful. Our goal is to provide a platform to invest small contributions with innovative and exciting business opportunities. As Entrepreneurs ourselves, we know how hard raising capital can be. When we first sought funding for previous businesses, our only options were ‘friends & family’ and professional money. The law prohibited us from soliciting our investment opportunity to the millions of people who would have been most inclined to support our vision. We seek to promote the self-reliant, bold spirit and initiative that all Entrepreneurs share. EquityCircle will be America’s first EquityBased Crowdfunding platform. We pledge to monitor the market closely and evolve our product-line to ensure we are meeting the needs of you, the Entrepreneur. We believe in Entrepreneurs like you and the power of the “Crowd” to support your exciting new project.

The Decision Makers

U.S. Senate
8 Members
Timothy Scott
U.S. Senate - South Carolina
Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Senate - Wisconsin
Michael Bennet
U.S. Senate - Colorado
Former U.S. Senate
11 Members
Mark Kirk
Former US Senate - Illinois
Patrick J. Toomey
Former US Senate - Pennsylvania
Robert Menendez
Former U.S. Senate - New Jersey

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Petition created on February 22, 2012