Relive the Highlights of SuperCrowdChicago
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SuperCrowdChicago
Last month, we hosted SuperCrowdChicago at Columbia College Chicago and streamed the event live to e360tv and elsewhere on web. In the video players below, we’ll share each of the speeches and panel discussions separately, enabling you to review the highlights of the event that interest you most.
Devin Thorpe, The Super Crowd, Inc., – Opening Remarks
Devin Thorpe, speaking at SuperCrowdChicago, emphasizes the effectiveness of regulated investment crowdfunding, particularly for women and minority founders who secure significantly more capital compared to venture capital. Noting the disproportionately low venture capital investment in women and the static nature of such metrics over a decade, Devin lauds crowdfunding as a crucial tool for social entrepreneurs and community builders. He also addresses investors, highlighting crowdfunding as a viable investment option with potential returns comparable to the stock market while urging careful and informed Investing due to inherent risks.
Dorian Dickinson, Funding Hope
At SuperCrowdChicago, Dorian, founder of Abundant Hope, emphasized how crowdfunding democratizes capital, enabling diverse investors to support innovative projects, especially in disadvantaged communities. He highlighted the benefits of crowdfunding, such as increased Employment, economic growth, and community development. Dorian stressed the importance of investor engagement, transparency, and regulatory compliance. He also noted advancements like blockchain and AI in enhancing crowdfunding efficiency. Dorian called for collective action to harness crowdfunding’s potential for significant social and environmental impact.
Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, Chicago Mahogany Tours
In his SuperCrowdChicago speech, Dilla highlighted the rich history and cultural contributions of Chicago, emphasizing its role in pivotal moments like the formation of the NAACP and innovations in healthcare and the arts. He underscored the power of crowdsourcing in fostering community initiatives and advocating for the positive transformation and potential of urban spaces. Dilla also shared his aspiration to independently produce a history show about Chicago, leveraging community support to maintain creative control and amplify the city’s overlooked narratives.
Pamela Roussos, WeavingImpact
Pamela discussed the transformative power of social entrepreneurship in building resilient and prosperous communities by sharing her firsthand experiences and impactful stories. She highlighted the success of Solar Sister in Kenya and her shift to addressing social ventures in the U.S., notably collaborating with Innovation Works in Baltimore. Pamela emphasized three crucial support strategies for social entrepreneurs: recognizing local innovators, providing mentorship by deeply accompanying them, and ensuring access to appropriate capital for their businesses.
Loren Michaels Harris, Trajectory TV
Loren, a Chicago native and CEO of Trajectory TV Network, addressed the audience at SuperCrowdChicago, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and its power to create significant impact. He shared his journey from being a former foster child to a media personality, stressing the value of authenticity and lived experiences. Loren encouraged leveraging media to spread positive messages and announced upcoming events like The Power of We Symposium. He invited attendees to collaborate for broader outreach and deeper societal impact through media platforms.
Denea Beale, Kiva
In her speech at SuperCrowdChicago, Denea discussed her role at the Women’s Business Development Center, emphasizing women’s economic impact and small business ownership across nine states. She highlighted Kiva, a nonprofit micro-lending platform offering 0% interest loans up to $15,000 to small businesses, outlining its eligibility criteria and three-step borrowing process—loan application, private fundraising, and public fundraising. Denea also addressed Kiva’s high 95% funding rate and how it prepares businesses for larger capital engagements, advocating for financial inclusivity and responsible borrowing.
Topilzin Gomez, Honeycomb Credit
Topiltzin Gomez, the head of capital strategies at Honeycomb Credit, spoke at SuperCrowdChicago about local investing in Chicago facilitated by crowdfunding. He emphasized Honeycomb Credit’s role in empowering small businesses by allowing them to borrow from community members. Gomez underscored the historical context of community investing and highlighted local success stories, such as Taylor’s Tacos, which raised $50,000 through Honeycomb Credit. He also discussed the need for greater public awareness and institutional involvement to drive the growth of local investments and democratize economic opportunities.
Sarah Kaplan, PathLight Law
Sarah, a manager at Pathway Law, discussed various crowdfunding strategies beyond just Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), emphasizing how different approaches can be structured to shape investment opportunities. She highlighted the importance of having initial momentum and seed capital to attract further investment. Specific examples included the success of campaigns like Recompose and Home by Duo. Sarah also elaborated on the legal nuances and potential costs involved in different crowdfunding methods, including Regulation A, state registrations, and cooperatives, providing insights on compliance and potential investor liabilities.
Karl Dakin, Dakin Capital
Karl, a crowdfunding expert, shared his approach at SuperCrowdChicago for how small businesses with limited funds can effectively use crowdfunding. He emphasized building Relationships with customers rather than relying solely on high return expectations from VCs or angels. Karl advocated for combining product incentives with investment offerings to attract everyday consumers, turning them into long-term supporters rather than one-time investors. This strategy helps businesses use marketing budgets more efficiently while providing immediate value to investors, enhancing their loyalty and advocacy.
Florence Hardy, The Flow Firm
Florence, a seasoned business consultant and CEO of True Crowd Illinois, discussed the importance of creating diverse investment portfolios, particularly for unaccredited investors, during SuperCrowdChicago. Emphasizing alternative assets such as businesses, collectibles, and fashion, she urged individuals to diversify beyond traditional stocks and bonds. Her firm, The Flow Firm, offers strategic planning to help clients recognize their businesses as key assets and manage investments through platforms like Crowd Folio. Florence highlighted the need for proper estate planning, regular asset valuation, and awareness of potential tax consequences in alternative investments.
Stephen Dynako, Raise Green
Stephen, from SuperCrowdChicago, highlighted his role at Raise Green, an SEC-registered crowdfunding portal focused on climate solutions. He shared their milestone of facilitating 40 deals by spring 2020. Addressing the audience as entrepreneurs ready to crowdfund, Stephen emphasized the importance of leveraging personal networks for initial investment interest. He discussed compliance necessities, including the form C and subscription agreements, while sharing a cautionary tale to stress timely investor engagement and maintaining regulatory filings.
Panel of Issuers
Moderated by Florence Hardy with panelists Dr. Canaan Van Williams, Ismael El-Amin and Samreen Arshad, this panel discusses raising capital from the crowd.
At SuperCrowdChicago, Florence moderated a panel discussion featuring entrepreneurs Canaan, Ismael, and Samreen. The panelists discussed the importance of crowdfunding in their fundraising strategies, highlighting how it allows them to engage with their communities and acquire customers. Samreen emphasized leveraging her community, Ismael noted the dual benefit of customer Education and acquisition, and Canaan highlighted democratizing investment opportunities. They also discussed the challenges they face, the importance of personal engagement, and the strategies for maintaining investor relations and educational outreach post-investment.
Brian Christie, Crowdfund Holdings Innovators
Brian kicked off the closing session at SuperCrowdChicago, discussing the future of regulated investment crowdfunding. He emphasized the importance of stakeholder equity over traditional shareholder primacy, highlighting the detrimental effects of private equity practices like value extraction. Brian proposed that investment crowdfunding offers a sustainable alternative, benefiting stakeholders such as employees and customers. He suggested leveraging crowdfunding for divestitures and existing businesses, ultimately promoting a more inclusive and sustainable economic model, aligning with the growing acceptance of stakeholder equity among business leaders.
Bill Huston, Crowd-Max
At SuperCrowdChicago, Bill emphasized the transformative potential of crowdfunding on the Economy and communities. As an experienced crowdfunding expert, he shared his journey, highlighting the success of various campaigns, including raising $1.7 million across 15 projects since 2021. Bill discussed how crowdfunding can empower communities to invest in local businesses and affordable housing, creating opportunities and keeping financial resources within the community. His story underscored the significance of engaging community investors for collective success and economic growth.
Chris Miller, National Coalition for Community Capital (NC3)
Chris, the chair of the National Coalition for Community Capital, discussed the importance of local investment and wealth building through community capital recirculation. He emphasized the need for small local businesses and community engagement funds to create vibrant communities. Highlighting successful pilot projects, he introduced innovative funding models like the Diversified Community Investment Fund and a new supplemental fund aimed at supporting non-traditional investment opportunities. Chris encouraged broad participation and governance in these investment initiatives to promote inclusive and equitable economic growth.
Networking Panel Discussion
Moderated by Jill Fahlgren with panelists Dr. Canaan Van Williams, Denea Beale and Kelly Evans, this panel discusses networking.
At SuperCrowdChicago, Jill moderated a panel on professional networking featuring Kelly, Dr. Canaan, and Denea. The panelists underscored the importance of expanding one’s network, building community, and the give-and-take nature of networking. They shared personal success stories linked to networking and offered practical advice. Kelly emphasized being clear about your objectives, Dr. Canaan highlighted the importance of being persistent and genuine, and Denea advised taking the first step without setting rigid expectations. They all encouraged prioritizing networking despite time constraints, focusing on industry-specific events, and being relational and prepared.
Devin Thorpe, The Super Crowd, Inc. – Closing Remarks
Devin, speaking at SuperCrowdChicago, thanks his colleague Chandan, who managed the tech remotely from Bangladesh at 3:51 AM. Devin appreciates all participants, speakers, and sponsors, emphasizing their crucial roles. His key message centers on impact crowdfunding: invest to make a profit to ensure sustainability, enable recycling of capital for unlimited impact, and reallocate mainstream investments to impactful ones. Devin encourages the audience to make small investments today, highlighting platforms like SMBX and Climatize, accepting investment amounts as low as $5.
Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar
If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.
SuperCrowdHour, July 17, 2024, at 1:00 Eastern. Each month, we host a value-laden webinar for aspiring impact investors or social entrepreneurs. At this month’s webinar, Pooja Mehta, crowdfund investor and advisor to entrepreneurs, will join us to share her dual perspectives.
Impact Cherub Club Meeting hosted by The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, on July 16, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Each month, the Club meets to review new offerings for investment consideration and to conduct due diligence on previously screened deals. To join the Impact Cherub Club, you must first become an Impact Member of the SuperCrowd.
Recently, we created an AI GPT to help you learn more about The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, and our upcoming events. Click here to try it.
Community Event Calendar
Successful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET – Click on Events
How Small Businesses Can Raise Capital from the Crowd, Thursday, July 11, 1 – 2 pm ET: Explore transforming your community connections into capital to start or grow a small business through regulated investment crowdfunding. Learn more about how this type of crowdfunding works and the benefits and challenges of raising capital from the crowd. About our Presenter: Author and journalist Devin Thorpe has over 25 years in Finance and a rich background as a former CFO and investment banking firm founder. He’s also a champion for social good, publishing his Superpowers for Good newsletter and show.
Crowdfunding Professional Association, Summit in DC, October 22-23
If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 7,000+ members of the SuperCrowd, click here.
Originally Published on https://www.superpowers4good.com/
