Crowdfunding: A Guide to Raising Capital on the Internet -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part 1: The Business of Crowdfunding -- Chapter 1: Crowdfunding: A Historical Perspective -- Crowdfunding Isn't New -- Why Crowdfunding Disappeared -- Regulation D, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Regulatory Reform -- The Modern Era -- Chapter 2: Understanding the "Crowd" -- Quality Entrepreneurs and Ideas -- Working on the Fundamentals for Crowdfunding: First Things First -- Finding a Solution, Filling a Need -- What They Did Right -- What They Did Wrong -- How Small Business Owners Can Prepare for Crowd Investing -- A Radically Transformed Environment -- Chapter 3: A Statistical View of Crowdfunding -- The Marketplace -- The Crowdfunding World Map -- Crowdfunding Models -- Financial versus Nonfinancial Return Crowdfunding -- Donation-Based Crowdfunding -- Rewards-Based Crowdfunding -- Lending-Based Crowdfunding -- Equity-Based Crowdfunding -- The Market Outlook -- Chapter 4: Current Market Dynamics -- Rewards-Based Crowdfunding -- Investment Crowdfunding -- Equity Crowdfunding -- Debt-Based Crowdfunding -- Charity/Donation Crowdfunding -- Niche Crowdfunding Platforms -- Real Estate -- Alternative Energy -- Hardware -- Film -- Concerts/Events -- Book Publishing -- Beer -- Apps -- Education -- Market Testing with Rewards-Based Crowdfunding -- Pretail: The Consumer Comes First -- Crowdsourced Feedback -- The Pitfalls of Crowd Wisdom -- Managing the Crowd's Feedback -- Examples: Pretail in Action -- Broker-Dealers Entering the "Accredited" Crowdfunding Space -- Crowdfunding as a Political Tool -- Fraud in Noninvestment Crowdfunding -- Defining Fraud -- The Risks of Fraudulent Crowdfunding -- Examples of Rewards-Based Crowdfunding Fraud -- How to Protect Yourself -- No Fraud in Investment Crowdfunding? (Not Yet at Least).

Additional Resources -- Part 2: Preparing for Your Crowdfunding Campaign -- Chapter 5: Business Planning in Preparation for a Crowdfunding Campaign -- Writing a Business Plan Disclosure Document -- Basic Information -- Description of the Business -- Description of Financial Condition -- Use of Proceeds and Offering Amount -- Valuing Your Company: Pricing Securities and Understanding Capital Structure -- Reviewed versus Audited Financial Statements -- Budgeting, Projections, and Forecasting -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6: Protecting Your Intellectual Property -- The Importance of Protecting IP on Crowdfunding Platforms -- Patents: Protecting Ideas -- The Nuts and Bolts of Patents -- Crowdfunding Risks and the Provisional Patent Application -- The America Invents Act -- Copyright: Protection of Creative Works -- Crowdfunding Risks with Copyrightable Material -- Trademark: Designations of Source or Origin -- Crowdfunding Risks with Trademarks -- Trade Secret Protection -- Crowdfunding Risks with Trade Secrets -- IP Portfolio Management: A Best Practice -- Chapter 7: Understanding Your Investor Options -- The Decision to Bring on Investors -- Benefits -- Drawbacks -- General Obligations to Investors -- Regulatory Obligations -- Nonaccredited versus Accredited Investors -- Investor Education Obligations -- Maximizing Investor Participation -- Capital Spectrum -- Revenue Sharing -- Debt -- Equity -- Chapter 8: Communicating with Your Investors or "Backers" -- The Issuer's Dilemma -- The Value of Building Your Crowd -- Building Your Digital Presence -- Connecting with Influencers -- Building Your Target List -- Reconnecting with Prospective Investors and Backers -- Social Media Matters -- Take It Offline -- The Benefit of the Process -- Investor Relations: Are You Ready to Walk Down the Aisle? -- Pick Your Crowd Carefully.

Good Investor Relations Starts with the Pitch -- Consistent Communication Is Key -- Communicate Like a Pro -- The Changing World of Investor Relations -- Crowd Communications Checklist -- Chapter 9: Alternatives to Crowdfunding -- Basic Types of Finance -- Debt -- Equity -- Convertible Securities -- Options and Warrants -- Choice of Entity -- Overview of Securities Laws -- Federal -- Blue Sky Laws -- Preemption -- Private Placements and Regulation D -- Rule 506 without General Solicitation -- Rule 506 with General Solicitation -- Regulation D Crowdfunding -- Regulation A/A+ -- Initial Public Offerings -- Types of IPOs -- Small Business Administration Loans -- SBA 7(a) Loans -- SBA 504 Loans -- SBA Microloans -- Other Sources of Capital -- Trade Credit -- Traditional Banks -- Credit Unions -- Peer-to-Peer Lending -- On Deck Capital -- Factoring -- Leasing -- Letters of Credit -- Owner Financing -- A Note Regarding Finders and Business Brokers -- Part 3: Understanding the Framework of Rules and Regulations -- Chapter 10: The Legal Aspects of Crowdfunding and U.S. Law -- Crowdfunding and Securities Regulation -- The Nature of Securities Regulation -- Crowdfunding and Crowdfund Investing -- Securities Regulation Implications -- Crowdfunding Interests in Business Associations -- The Nature of Business Associations Law -- Principal Forms of Business Entity -- Crowdfunding and Business Associations -- Contracts in Crowdfunding -- The Nature of Contract Law -- Contract Law Issues in Crowdfunding -- Other Potential Legal Issues -- Conclusion -- Chapter 11: Crowdfunding Laws Based on Global Jurisdiction -- The Emergence of Equity Investing in Europe -- Where Investing Emerges, Regulation Follows -- Crowdfunding Is Born in Europe -- European Platforms in Practice -- United Kingdom -- The Netherlands -- France -- Germany -- Italy -- Looking Ahead.

Chapter 12: Living with the New Reg D and Its Impact on Pitch Events and Demo Days -- Key Securities Law Concepts -- What Is General Solicitation? -- What Is an Accredited Investor? -- The JOBS Act -- Rule 506(b): The "Old Way" Preserved -- Rule 506(c): The "New Way" -- Structuring Your Event -- Demo Days -- Company Application Process -- 506(c)-Only Events-General Solicitation Expected -- Closed Pitch Events -- Events for Companies Relying Solely on Rule 506(b) and Not Using General Solicitation -- Events for Companies Relying on Rule 506(c) and Using General Solicitation -- Proposed SEC Rules -- Events with Both 506(b) and 506(c) Companies -- Event Series-506(c) Event Followed by 506(b) -- Afterword -- About the Author -- About the Contributors -- Author's Disclaimer -- Index -- Advertisement.