With the recent launch of the KoreConX all-in-one platform, KoreConX is happy to feature the partners contributing to its ecosystem.
Scott Allen is the CEO of InvestAcq, a firm of investor acquisition specialists. For companies looking to raise capital in the private markets, InvestAcq identifies the best potential investors for RegA+, RegCF, and RegD 506(c) raises to effectively target investors and attract them to the offering. The firm’s specialty is working with companies in the medical industry, such as biotech, medtech, pharma, and life sciences, or those who intend to use RegA+.
We took some time to speak with Scott to learn more about himself and his firm. Here’s what he had to say.
Q: Why did you become involved in this industry?
A: I’ve worked in and with startups and entrepreneurs most of my career. I believe in entrepreneurship—it’s the lifeblood of our economy. And I know startups need access to capital. I’ve seen the downsides of the whole cycle: insufficient capital, insurmountable debt, VCs taking control of companies, spectacular IPOs that went bust within a year.
So when my long-time friend, client, and collaborator Stephen Brock, founder of Medical Funding Professionals, told me about Regulation A+ and his vision for bringing it to the medical innovation sector, I was in. It addresses perhaps the biggest need, in probably the highest impact industry. What could be better than helping put money to good use saving lives and improving quality of life?
Q: What services does your company provide for RegA offerings?
A: We are investor acquisition specialists. We use the latest marketing techniques to help companies find the best potential investors for your offering, effectively tell them your story, and make it as easy as possible for them to invest.
Our company offers a complete multi-channel integrated marketing solution, including marketing strategy, web design, email marketing, content marketing, social media, digital advertising, public relations, and investor relations. We particularly focus on the idea of “Sell the story, not the stock” — we see strong brand marketing as the foundation of everything else. Research shows that strong brands achieve a higher return on ad spend and ultimately higher market caps. In a Regulation A+ offering, telling the company’s story well attracts the investors you want—impact investors who believe in your vision and will become advocates for your business.
Q: What are your unique areas of expertise?
A: One thing that’s unique to our firm is our experience in the healthcare sector. In addition to the SEC and other regulatory compliance issues, we also have to deal with FDA regulations and guidelines. While compliance is still ultimately up to the issuer and their attorneys, having a communications team that’s experienced in those issues reduces a lot of back-and-forths, and really speeds up the process. We even occasionally catch things that the attorneys miss, so having another set of experienced eyes on that content adds an extra layer of protection.
Personally, I have over 25 years of experience in digital marketing and several more in traditional marketing before that. While I have a broad range of experience, my unique area of expertise is social media, and more broadly, virtual business relationships. I got into social media in 2002, before it was even called social media. I co-authored the first book on social media marketing, The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, and have trained or consulted with hundreds of clients over the past 19 years.
Q: What excites you about this industry?
A: Five things:
1. Getting capital in the hands of people with products that can impact people’s lives and change the world. They can only have that big impact if they can get the money they need to complete their research and development, go to market, and scale.
2. Helping those innovators stay in control of their company so they can execute their vision.
3. Making sure those founders, early investors, and early hires reap fair rewards for their vision and efforts. To me, late money should never be as valuable as early sweat.
4. Helping CEOs stay focused on executing their business plan. With traditional angel / VC / private equity, the CEO basically has to take 6 months to a year away from their company to focus on fundraising. “Run your raise, or run your company. You can’t do both.” A typical VC round requires 100+ investor meetings, on average, plus countless hours of due diligence, emails, and other support. With Reg A+, much of the activity is shifted to an investor acquisition firm like us. And much of the time the CEO spends is leveraged — one webinar to hundreds of potential investors, one video that lasts for months and every potential investor will see — not hundreds of one-on-one meetings.
5. Reg A+ is good for investors. GREAT for investors. We believe everyone should be able to invest in early-stage and growth-stage companies. Until recently, most people could only invest in companies listed on the public stock exchanges. Main Street investors couldn’t get in on IPOs. Now nearly any investor can get in on innovative companies before they go public. It’s your money—you should be able to invest it where and how you want—have an impact on the world with how you choose to invest.
Q: How is a partnership with KoreConX the right fit for your company?
A: KoreConX is the industry leader for private market fintech. It’s been years in development and has more real-world testing than any other solution.
Also, as a marketer, I love the fact that KoreConX allows us to control the investor relationship from start to finish. We have visibility into every step of the process that you don’t get on the equity crowdfunding platforms.
Most of all, though, KoreConX has been an enthusiastically proactive partner; joining us for sales calls, building custom branded demos for our prospects, promoting us through the partner program, and even working with us to put on a KoreSummit focused on our industry niche.
Watch Scott’s KoreSummit panel on Investor Acquisition in Medtech and Life Sciences here.
