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Copyright © 2015 by David M. Freedman and Matthew R. Nutting. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Is Available
ISBN 9781118853566 (Hardcover)
ISBN 9781118857847 (ePDF)
ISBN 9781118857809 (ePub)
It is a rare privilege to have the opportunity to recognize a work of substantial merit and value, as I do in writing this foreword to Equity Crowdfunding for Investors. For over three years now, even before the JOBS Act was enacted into law in our country, I have been an ardent supporter of and an enthusiastic participant in the crowdfunding movement.
Although crowdfunding is a diverse collection of strategies and mechanisms for supporting fund-raising by innovative and entrepreneurial projects and ventures, my primary enthusiasm for the crowdfunding arena is that of an investor interested in the securities-based forms, as opposed to the entrepreneurial fund-raiser or a service-providing member of the supporting industry. Indeed, I have been for several decades an active individual angel investor, and am now a professional fund manager for others. As few would dispute, the manifold social and economic benefits of crowdfunding are dependent on the willingness and ability of individuals to write the all-important checks. However, most of the public discussion of crowdfunding focuses on the benefits to entrepreneurs and society as a whole. This book represents a major step in filling this gap, by providing a primer to the newly enfranchised crowdfunding investor on both early-stage entrepreneurial finance in general, and by explaining practically how recent legal and regulatory changes allow everyone – not just the wealthy few – to participate in this attractive and beneficial asset class. The book is well written and enjoyably readable, and has background and other information of interest even for the experienced and already involved participant.
