Invest, Trade, and Build Your Startup Portfolio
INVEST IN STARTENGINE TODAY!
NEWSFLASH: Announcing a new era for StartEngine. It’s official – we’ve agreed to acquire SeedInvest.* By joining forces with a fellow equity crowdfunding giant, we’re poised to become one of the largest platforms in the game.
The move will add SeedInvest’s investor community of 700,000 users investors to our own, while delivering an influx of top fundraising companies. Case in point: NowRX has raised a whopping $27M on SeedInvest to date. Now we plan to bring that legacy to StartEngine.
*Completion of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here.
Reg. A+ offering made available through StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. No broker-dealer or intermediary involved in offering. 10,000 shares of this offering may be purchased on behalf of certain eligible investors as part of a promotion.
Reasons to Invest
- Raising through the crowd: StartEngine has raised its last five funding rounds exclusively through the crowd. That’s over $65M to date from 37,000+ investors.
- Proven leadership: StartEngine CEO Howard Marks co-founded Activision in 1991, which sold to Microsoft for nearly $68B in 2021.
- Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary: Mr. Wonderful himself joined StartEngine as an investor, Strategic Advisor, and paid spokesperson, in an effort to “change the face of retails investing” – his words.
- 6x Revenue Growth: StartEngine was inducted into Inc. Magazine’s 2022 list of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in the U.S. Per the publication, we recorded 6x revenue growth from 2019-2021*.
- Leading the Industry: Over $650 million has been invested on StartEngine through its funding portal and broker dealer, including for StartEngine itself. That makes us one of the leading equity crowdfunding sites in the U.S. in terms of funds raised for Reg. CF and Reg. A+ offerings.
- Collectibles & Alternative Assets: On StartEngine, anyone can invest in collectible assets like trading cards, comics, rare art, watches, and fine wine. We aim to unlock a nearly $14 trillion asset class for the public.
- Trading: On StartEngine Secondary, investors can trade startup investments and alternative assets from StartEngine Collectibles. It’s also one of the first platforms where you can trade Reg A and Reg CF offers in the US (see disclosures below)**.
Don’t forget, you can earn as much as 20% bonus shares: StartEngine Owner’s Bonus Members can earn up to 20% bonus shares of StartEngine when they invest. Click “Invest Now” to find out how you can qualify.
*Historic performance is not indicative of future results. Though 2022 is not yet fully actuated, the company’s most recent financials for the year can be found here.
**Even if a company has quoted its securities on StartEngine Secondary, there is no guarantee an active trading market for the securities will ever develop, or if developed, be maintained. You should assume that you may not be able to liquidate your investment for some time, if at all, or be able to pledge these shares as collateral.
The Team. The Mission. The Industry.
We have raised over $65M from everyday investors and have over 37,000 shareholders on our cap table. We believe we’ve laid the foundation for future success with the historic track record of our leaders, the growth we have achieved thus far, and the potential of the industry we are in.
Leadership Track Record: Both our CEO, Howard Marks, and our strategic advisor and investor, Kevin O’Leary, are not strangers to billion-dollar companies.
Howard co-founded the video giant Activision, which recently became acquired by Microsoft for nearly $68 billion. Howard also founded and sold Acclaim Games in the early 2000s to Playdom, which would subsequently sell to Disney.
Turning his sights to helping other founders, Howard has built StartEngine into one of the largest equity crowdfunding platforms in the US based on the total amount raised, raising through Regulation Crowdfunding and Regulation A+ via its funding portal and broker-dealer subsidiaries.
Kevin founded SoftKey, a computer software company, which led to a $4 billion exit.
Since then, he has gone on to invest in multiple businesses, is an investor and judge on Shark Tank, and serves as Chairman of O’Shares ETFs, which provides investment solutions in the form of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Having grown to nearly $1.5 billion in assets under management, it was recently announced that O’Shares ETFs would be sold to SS&C Technologies.
We believe that Kevin’s extensive finance knowledge, track record with innovative technology, and passion for alternative assets like art, as well as crypto, make him a huge asset for StartEngine.
We believe that the track records of Howard and Kevin, along with the rest of our leaders when it comes to business development, asset growth, and the ability to create exit strategies, will help StartEngine continue to succeed.
Continued Growth & Goals:
2022 has been chock full of milestones: We entered the Inc. 5000. We also signed an exclusive deal with fellow crowdfunding giant Indiegogo to start introducing its enormous community of 800k+ founders and over 11M users to equity crowdfunding. To top it all off, we’ve rapidly grown our investor community to nearly 1 million users, and hired some of the industry's top talent.
3PRELIMINARY UNAUDITED INTERNAL INFORMATION; FINAL DATA MAY VARY SIGNIFICANTLY. TOTAL RAISED INCLUDES STARTENGINE’S OWN RAISES AND IS INCLUSIVE OF INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN CLOSED ON AND INVESTMENTS THAT ARE RECEIVED BUT NOT YET CLOSED ON. 1
Looking to the future, StartEngine is actively pursuing avenues for new growth. Not only does our startup investing division remain robust, but in 2021 we launched StartEngine Collectibles. Through StartEngine Collectibles, our investors can access alternative assets like trading cards, comic books, art, and even fine wine. This is a nearly $14 trillion industry and we believe it’s integral to our future growth.
We also continue to grow StartEngine Secondary, our trading platform for assets invested in through StartEngine.
See disclaimers [1] and [3] at bottom of page
2029: Goal of $10 billion total raised for companies
In 2021 alone, we raised over $252M for companies, with revenues of $25.75M through the end of November.3 Our mission is to raise a total of $10 billion by 2029 for companies on our platform.
Fintech Potential
The Fintech industry has become a big piece of the modern economy. The global fintech market was $127.66 billion in 2018, and is estimated to reach roughly $309.98 billion by the end of 2022. The equity crowdfunding market itself was estimated at $12.27 billion in 2021, with expectations for that figure to double by 2027, giving the industry a compound annual growth rate of 11%.
It’s Your Turn to be a Shark
"To be honest with you, I had wanted to compete with Howard out of the gate… but after seeing what he had built with [the StartEngine] team, it made a lot of sense to join him"- Kevin O'Leary
This testimonial may not be representative of the experience of other customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success. Kevin O’Leary is not only a strategic advisor, but also an investor and paid spokesman for StartEngine. Please see 17(b) disclosure for more information.
As Featured In:
StartEngine's Vision
Leading an Industry
StartEngine is one of the leading equity crowdfunding platforms in the United States, with over half a billion invested on our platform (Inclusive of StartEngine’s own raise 1. Our vision is to disrupt private equity and bring these asset classes directly to everyday investors. The expansion into a broader range of alternative assets is one of the ways we intend to continue leading the industry. The securitization of shares in alternatives means crowdfunding can give investors access to a broad range of opportunities that were previously generally reserved for the ultra-wealthy.
StartEngine Secondary: Providing the Potential of Liquidity for Private Investments
Historically, there is no generally accepted place to trade startup investments. To see a return on your investment, you’d usually have to wait until the company paid dividends, was acquired or if the company IPO’d and went public. Those processes could often take anywhere from 5 to 10 years, if ever.
We launched our investor trading marketplace StartEngine Secondary so that users can not only invest in companies on StartEngine, but also have the opportunity to trade with other investors. With this marketplace, we’ve created one of the first trading platforms in the US for securities sold through Regulation A+ and Regulation Crowdfunding offerings.
StartEngine itself was the first company to trade its shares on StartEngine Secondary, and since its launch, over $1.4M worth of shares have been traded between 1,200 investors. Now, several companies have been on the platform, and StartEngine has begun adding the collections sold through StartEngine Collectibles. One of our first wine collections recently began trading, and long-term investors will be able to buy and sell shares in wine collections, art, sports cards, and much more.
We believe our trading platform will unlock StartEngine’s full potential.
It is important to know that while companies may trade on StartEngine’s alternative trading system, StartEngine Secondary, companies which intend to trade on the marketplace are subject to certain requirements which they may or may not be able to satisfy in a timely manner. Even if a company qualifies to trade, there is no guarantee an active trading market for the securities will ever develop, or if developed, be maintained. Further, any company which does trade may also request to be removed from the marketplace. You should assume that you may not be able to liquidate your investment for some time or be able to pledge these shares as collateral.
How StartEngine Makes Money
Raise Fee
We make money when companies raise money. We charge companies a percentage of what they raise.
Equity
We take equity in StartEngine alumni, at the same terms as the investors on our platform.
Service Fees
We charge fees for providing companies with a range of services to help them onboard and launch their campaign.
Trading Fees
We charge a selling fee on our trading platform StartEngine Secondary.
Owner’s Bonus
Our Owner’s Bonus Membership is our take on Amazon Prime. For an annual subscription, investors gain access to unique perks, including early launch notices, 10% bonus shares in participating offerings, and more.
What's Changed Between Our Last Offering and Now?
We raised over $29.4M in our last Regulation A+ offering, which closed in December 2021. Since then, we’ve been expanding our lineup of alternative assets, the number of companies raising on our platform, and have achieved some of our best unaudited financials thus far. Since we filed our last funding round, StartEngine has seen significant growth:
- We expanded our team to over 100+ employees, including a Head of Product Design, Director of Data Analytics, and additions to our engineering, compliance, and customer service teams.
- Surpassed half a billion in total capital raised through our platform 1
- In 2021 we achieved revenues of $25.75M3 through November of 2021. Our highest revenue thus far.
- Nearly doubled our user base from approximately 400k to 760k. 2
We believe the funds we raise in this round will help us tackle a few key initiatives that will drive our growth. Objectives include: growing and improving our secondary marketplace, hiring more top talent, and bringing new alternative assets and investment opportunities to our community.
Disclaimers
1. Total raised includes StartEngine’s own raises and is inclusive of investments that have been closed on and investments that are received but not yet closed on.
2. Users are determined by counting investor profiles with unique email addresses which are active and have been confirmed.
3. Preliminary unaudited internal information; final data may vary significantly.
AN OFFERING STATEMENT REGARDING THIS OFFERING HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SEC. THE SEC HAS QUALIFIED THAT OFFERING STATEMENT, WHICH ONLY MEANS THAT THE COMPANY MAY MAKE SALES OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED BY THE OFFERING STATEMENT. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SEC HAS APPROVED, PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFERING STATEMENT.
THE OFFERING CIRCULAR THAT IS PART OF THAT OFFERING STATEMENT CAN BE FOUND [HERE].
THE OFFERING MATERIALS MAY CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE COMPANY, ITS BUSINESS PLAN AND STRATEGY, AND ITS INDUSTRY. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BELIEFS OF, ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY, AND INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO THE COMPANY’S MANAGEMENT. WHEN USED IN THE OFFERING MATERIALS, THE WORDS “ESTIMATE,” “PROJECT,” “BELIEVE,” “ANTICIPATE,” “INTEND,” “EXPECT” AND SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS ARE INTENDED TO IDENTIFY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH CONSTITUTE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE STATEMENTS REFLECT MANAGEMENT’S CURRENT VIEWS WITH RESPECT TO FUTURE EVENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE THE COMPANY’S ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH SPEAK ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON WHICH THEY ARE MADE. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE ANY OBLIGATION TO REVISE OR UPDATE THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS TO REFLECT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER SUCH DATE OR TO REFLECT THE OCCURRENCE OF UNANTICIPATED EVENTS.
KEVIN O'LEARY IS A PAID SPOKESPERSON FOR STARTENGINE. READ THE 17-B DISCLOSURE [HERE].
ABOUT
3900 W Alameda Ave Suite 1200
Burbank, CA 91505
$1.32B
$59M
We’re taking startup investing public. That means you can invest in startups and early growth companies, just like our advisor Mr. Wonderful. Get in on the ground floor of some of tomorrow’s biggest companies, then trade with fellow disruptors on our secondary marketplace*. In short – this may be the future of investing.
TERMS
Overview
Breakdown
Maximum Number of Shares Offered subject to adjustment for bonus shares
Company | : | StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. |
Corporate Address | : | 3900 W Alameda Ave Suite 1200, Burbank, CA 91505 |
Offering Minimum | : | $500.00 |
Offering Maximum | : | $46,000,000.00 |
Minimum Investment Amount(per investor) | : | $500.00 |
Terms
Offering Type | : | Equity |
Security Name | : | Common Stock |
Minimum Number of Shares Offered | : | 20 |
Maximum Number of Shares Offered | : | 1,840,000 |
Price per Share | : | $25.00 |
Pre-Money Valuation | : | $1,316,931,975.00 |
Irregular Use of Proceeds
Example - The Company might incur Irregular Use of Proceeds that may include but are not limited to the following over $10,000: Vendor payments and salary made to one's self, a friend or relative; Any expense labeled "Administration Expenses" that is not strictly for administrative purposes; Any expense labeled "Travel and Entertainment"; Any expense that is for the purposes of inter-company debt or back payments.
ALL UPDATES
12.07.22
55%+, Owner’s Bonus Renewals Are Spiking (That’s Good News for Shareholders)
No doubt, you’ve heard us say it – we think Owner’s Bonus is one of the coolest features of investing on StartEngine. And apparently, so do A LOT of investors.
55%+, that’s the renewal rate for Owner’s Bonus over the last month. In other words, of all the Owner’s Bonus subscriptions expiring in the last 30 days, over 55% chose to renew for another year. That goes a long way toward boosting the lifetime value of StartEngine users.
Need a refresh? StartEngine Owner’s Bonus members automatically receive 10% bonus shares on qualifying investments – which covers 95% of companies on our platform.
Say you invest $1,000 in Company X. You’d get $1,000 + 10% = $1,100-worth of shares.
Owner’s Bonus stacks with other rewards too, which is how one member recently earned an eye-popping $20,000-worth of bonus shares on a single investment. Learn more about bonus shares.
Did you know? You can earn up to 20% bonus shares when you invest in StartEngine – thanks to that whole, well stacking thing.
Join us and 35,000+ fellow investors on the ride to reshape investing – start earning today.
2022 Year in Review: More Acquisitions on the Horizon? 2022 has been jam-packed with dramatic swings in the markets, a host of new opportunities, and some major wins here at StartEngine. Join CEO Howard Marks December 15 at 9 a.m. PT for a Q&A to look at the year in review and hear his vision for 2023. Register here.
This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
12.05.22
Who Should We Acquire Next? A Letter from StartEngine CEO Howard Marks
Did you miss it? On the heels of a recent agreement to buy competitor SeedInvest, this morning StartEngine CEO Howard Marks sent an open letter to investors asking them to crowdsource ideas for our next acquisition.*
StartEngine continues to push on offense. As Howard noted in his letter, volatility in today’s markets creates tremendous opportunities for companies that are well capitalized. And while we believe the SeedInvest acquisition can cement us as a distant first in online startup investing – we don’t plan to stop there.
37 exits, 1.7 million users, $1.1 billion in lifetime funding – put together, StartEngine and SeedInvest chalk up some BIG numbers.
Join in the discussion. Who do you think we should acquire next? Leave your recommendation in the comments section below. We aim to “call everyone” (Howard’s words) to find the next opportunity.
StartEngine was founded on the idea that everyday investors have the power to reshape finance. Join us on that mission and earn up to 20% bonus shares when you invest.
2022 Year in Review: More Acquisitions on the Horizon? 2022 has been jam-packed with dramatic swings in the markets, a host of new opportunities, and some major wins here at StartEngine. Join CEO Howard Marks December 15 at 9 a.m. PT for a Q&A to look at the year in review and hear his vision for 2023. Register here.
*Completion of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
12.02.22
New Investors, Companies Flock to StartEngine from September-November
No one likes to say, I told you so. But this summer, StartEngine CEO Howard Marks described the volatility rocking public and private markets as a “perfect storm” for equity crowdfunding. Now the numbers from the last three months are in, and…don’t make us say it.
Signs of growth on both sides of our business. The number of first-time investors to StartEngine has increased every month for the last three months. Meanwhile, the number of companies applying to raise capital on our platform spiked 35% in the same period.
“Where there’s volatility, there’s opportunity” – Howard Marks
Here’s why that matters. New companies and investors to the platform can be a strong leading indicator of future funding – after all, you need both for an online raise. But that’s not the only way we’re pouring gas on the fire:
Acquiring the competition – we agreed to acquire SeedInvest, in a move that will take us to a combined 37 exits, 1.7 million users and $1.1 billion in funding to date*
Boosting conversion rates 56% – our latest product enhancements drove a 1.5X lift to the number of people who invest / the number of visitors to a page
Raising $9.5 million in our OWN funding round – by staying well-capitalized, we’re poised to seize even more opportunities in today’s market
We’re not just weathering the storm, we aim to conquer it. Now you can join us as we lead the charge to reshape investing and earn up to 20% bonus shares of StartEngine.
*Completion of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
11.30.22
StartEngine Rakes in $6.1M…from Our Side Hustle
$6,135,000 is a lot of money – especially for a side hustle. It’s also how much revenue StartEngine took in from our Owner’s Bonus, Premium and Secure services in the first 9 months of the year.
All told, that's a 61% increase YoY across all three categories – growing from 19% of overall revenue in 2021 to 31% in 2022. Owner’s Bonus revenue alone spiked over 80% to $3.6 million.
“If you [don’t diversify], as far as I’m concerned, you deserve to get wiped out” – Kevin O’Leary*
Here’s why that matters. Like Mr. Wonderful says, diversifying revenue streams is important for everyone, from investors to companies like us, of course. It also helps maintain a strong cash position so we can seize new opportunities in a volatile market – hello, SeedInvest!**
Diversify your own portfolio and we’ll even give you a boost. Join us and earn up to 20% bonus shares when you invest in StartEngine.
*Kevin O’Leary is a paid spokesperson for StartEngine. View the details here. **Completion of this acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
11.28.22
37 Exits: By Acquiring SeedInvest, We’re Lightyears Ahead Where It Counts
37 exits is, well, a lot. It's also the grand total you get when combining the number of liquidation events following funding rounds on StartEngine with that same number according to Crunchbase of our soon-to-be-acquired competitor SeedInvest.*
How does that size up with the competition you ask? Well, per Crunchbase, Wefunder has reported two exits; meanwhile Republic has notched just one.
Here’s why that matters. Startup investing is famously all about the exit, and it’s no surprise either. Liquidation events, like an acquisition or IPO, allow early backers to cash in on their position – and as Mr. Wonderful likes to say, that's when “the outcomes can be extraordinary.”**
So when StartEngine outpaces two of our top competitors by more than 10X, that can go a long way to create a virtuous cycle. Namely, by attracting more investors, who attract more companies to fundraise and…more potential exits.
We’re not just seizing the moment, we aim to conquer it. Market volatility has created unprecedented opportunities, and StartEngine is poised to execute.
*Completion of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here. **Kevin O’Leary is a paid spokesperson for StartEngine. View the details here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
11.25.22
This Black Friday Give Yourself the Gift of Bonus Shares
It’s Black Friday, and this year American shoppers are expected to break spending records by as much as 19% – even as top financiers like Jeff Bezos and our very own Mr. Wonderful call to pull back.
Our advice? Treat yourself to a year’s worth of bonus shares in all qualifying investments, including StartEngine.
And what a HUGE gift that can be. Case in point: a fellow StartEngine user just earned $20,000-worth of bonus shares in a single investment. Here’s how it works:
Sign up for Owner’s Bonus, and you’ll earn 10% bonus shares on all qualifying investments – that’s over 95% of the companies raising on StartEngine.
- Invest $5,000 or more in StartEngine, and you’ll automatically receive an additional 10% bonus shares – put together, that’s $1,000+ in bonus equity.
As Mr. Wonderful likes to say, “if you want to build wealth..stop buying crap and invest in something with the potential to appreciate instead.”* Well, here’s your chance to buy in to the Investopedia-ranked #1 equity crowdfunding platform for investors and earn up to 20% bonus shares.
*Kevin O’Leary is a paid spokesperson for StartEngine. Kevin O’Leary’s investment was made through a different offering and on differing terms from this offering. View the details here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
11.23.22
‘Stop Buying Crap and Invest’ – A Holiday Warning from Mr. Wonderful*
This morning, Kevin O’Leary himself shared a holiday greeting – or rather, warning – ahead of the long weekend. His message?
“If you want to start building wealth, this holiday season stop buying crap and invest in something with the potential to appreciate instead” – Mr. Wonderful.
We couldn’t agree more. That’s why this week, and well…every other week, you can earn up to 20% bonus shares when you invest in StartEngine. Here’s how:
- Invest $5,000 and you’ll automatically receive an additional 10% – or $500-worth – of bonus shares.
- If you haven’t already, join Owner’s Bonus at checkout, and you’ll earn yet another 10% in bonus shares – all told that’s $1,000-worth of bonus equity, on us.
A prime example of Owner’s Bonus in action: a StartEngine investor recently earned $20,000-worth of bonus shares in a single investment. That’s the kind of holiday gift even Mr. Wonderful would approve of.
Become a shareholder today and earn up to 20% bonus shares of StartEngine.
*Kevin O’Leary is a paid spokesperson for StartEngine. Kevin O’Leary’s investment was made through a different offering and on differing terms from this offering. View the details here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
11.21.22
Venture Capital’s House of Cards Falls 50% in October, Startups Seek Alternatives
A new report from Crunchbase found that venture funding dropped more than 50% YoY in October and that the number of companies funded fell to 1,800 – compared to 3,400 as of January.
How to explain the massive decline? According to Pitchbook, venture lending – which remained relatively stable in the first two quarters of the year – fell off a cliff in Q3 amid rising borrowing costs. And now, it’s plummeted from $9.7B in Q2 to just $4.7B in Q3.
Venture funding’s loss is, well…StartEngine’s gain. As CEO Howard Marks noted earlier in the year, volatility in private markets creates a “perfect storm” for equity crowdfunding. And as VCs continue to tighten the purse strings, ever more prominent companies are turning to online raises. Case in point: in Q3 StartEngine clocked its biggest funding week ever at $10.6M raised.
We’re not just seizing the moment, we aim to conquer it. On the heels of passing 1,000,000 registered users on our platform,** StartEngine agreed to acquire our competitor SeedInvest.* The acquisition will leapfrog us to 1.7 million users, $1.1 billion in funding for startups, and a whopping 37 exits to date. That goes a long way to cement us as the industry leader.
This is our moment. Right now. And you can get in on the action.
*Completion of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. **Number of users is determined by counting investor profiles with unique email addresses which are active and have been confirmed.
11.18.22
Howard Marks Called onto Kitco News about Buying Competitor SeedInvest
“We decided this is the time, when markets are really down and capital is harder to raise for companies, to buy one of our competitors” – StartEngine CEO Howard Marks
StartEngine is acquiring SeedInvest.* Two weeks ago, we made headlines on our agreement to acquire SeedInvest from its parent company Circle Financial (aka the issuer of USD Coin). Well, the announcement continues to light up the airwaves.
The latest:
CEO Howard Marks appeared on Kitco News to discuss the announcement, why now is the right time to strike, as well as the state of private equity and online raises.
Yahoo also picked up the story, noting that “many of the richest people in modern history got their start from investing in or building startups.”
Need a refresh? StartEngine’s acquisition of SeedInvest will combine two of the largest platforms in the industry and could cement us as the dominant play. By the numbers:
37 exits – the total number of exits to date made by alums of StartEngine and SeedInvest
$1.1 billion raised from 850 startups– combining SeedInvest’s all time funding total with our own**
- 700,000 users added to our community – taking us to 1.7 million strong***
There are many ways to grow – buying a top competitor is definitely one of them. And as Howard noted in his interview, markets are seeing unprecedented volatility. Well, we’re not just weathering the storm, we aim to conquer it.
It’s our time, right now. Join us, and soon SeedInvest too, on the ride to reshape investing.
This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. *Completion of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval. See additional information here. **Total raised includes StartEngine’s own raises and is inclusive of investments that have been closed on, investments that are received but not yet closed on, and investments that have been submitted but not yet received. ***Number of users is determined by counting investor profiles with unique email addresses which are active and have been confirmed.
11.16.22
Conversion Rates Jump 56% – New Campaign Pages Rolled Out
“Well, that looks different” – we’ve noticed investors wondering aloud in the comments. But now, we can lay the questions to rest: Yes, we’ve made major product enhancements to modernize our campaign pages and boost speed.
The results:
+14% – during our tests, average order values increased by ~14% when comparing the redesigned pages versus the old
+56% – conversion rates (i.e. the number of people who invest / the number of visitors to a page) jumped ~56% or 1.5X
- +77% – put together the boosts in average order value and conversion rates contributed to an astonishing ~77% increase in dollars invested per visitor sitewide
We’re not slowing down either. New enhancements are already in the works so stay tuned. After all, this is just one of many ways we’re obsessed with improving our users’ experience and driving shareholder value. Another way we drive value for investors like you? Bonus shares.
Join us on the ride to reshape investing, and you can earn up to 20% bonus shares in StartEngine.
This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
Stack Owner's Bonus & Rewards!
Members get an extra 10% shares in addition to rewards below!
REWARDS
$500.00
StartEngine Owner’s Bonus
This offering is eligible for the StartEngine Owner’s 10% Bonus program. For details on this program, please see the Offering Summary section.
$5,000.00
$5K+ Investments
Invest over $5,000 and earn 10% bonus shares. This bonus is stackable for up to 20% bonus shares. Bonus shares may not immediately appear on your investor dashboard, but will be issued prior to the offering closing.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
0/2500
HOW INVESTING WORKS
Cancel anytime before 48 hours before a rolling close or the offering end date.
WHY STARTENGINE?
How much can I invest?
With Regulation A+, a non-accredited investor can only invest a maximum of 10% of their annual income or 10% of their net worth per year, whichever is greater. There are no restrictions for accredited investors.
With Regulation Crowdfunding, non-accredited investors with an annual income or net worth less than $124,000, are limited to invest a maximum of 5% of the greater of those two amounts. For those with an annual income and net worth greater than $124,000, he/she is limited to investing 10% of the greater of the two amounts.
When will I receive my shares?
At the close of an offering, all investors whose funds have “cleared” by this time will be included in the disbursement. At this time, each investor will receive an email from StartEngine with their Countersigned Subscription Agreement, which will serve as their proof of purchase moving forward.
Please keep in mind that a company can conduct a series of “closes” or withdrawals of funds throughout the duration of the campaign. If you are included in that withdrawal period, you will be emailed your countersigned subscription agreement and proof of purchase immediately following that withdrawal.
What will the return on my investment be?
StartEngine assists companies in raising capital, and once the offering is closed, we are no longer involved with whether the company chooses to list shares on a secondary market, or what occurs thereafter. Therefore, StartEngine has no control or insight into your investment after the close of the live offering. In addition, we are not permitted to provide financial advice. You may want to contact a financial professional to discuss possible investment outcomes.
Can I cancel my investment?
For Regulation Crowdfunding, investors are able to cancel their investment at any point throughout the campaign up until 48 hours before the closing of the offering. Note: If the company does a rolling close, they will post an update to their current investors, giving them the opportunity to cancel during this timeframe. If you do not cancel within this 5-day timeframe, your funds will be invested in the company, and you will no longer be able to cancel the investment. If your funds show as ‘Invested’ on your account dashboard, your investment can no longer be canceled.
For Regulation A+, StartEngine allows for a four-hour cancelation period. Once the four-hour window has passed, it is up to each company to set their own cancelation policy. You may find the company’s cancelation policy in the company’s offering circular.
Once your investment is canceled, there is a 10-day clearing period (from the date your investment was submitted). After your funds have cleared the bank, you will receive your refund within 10 business days.
Refunds that are made through ACH payments can take up to 10 business days to clear. Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of the bank, but we will do everything we can to get you your refund as soon as possible. However, every investment needs to go through the clearing process in order to get sent back to the account associated with the investment.
What is the difference between Regulation Crowdfunding and Regulation A+?
Both Title III (Regulation Crowdfunding) and Title IV (Reg A+) help entrepreneurs crowdfund capital investments from unaccredited and accredited investors. The differences between these regulations are related to the investor limitations, the differing amounts of money companies are permitted to raise, and differing disclosure and filing requirements. To learn more about Regulation Crowdfunding, click here, and for Regulation A+, click here.
