Tag: Marketing

What is Affinity Marketing?

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

Affinity marketing is an effective way to increase brand recognition and reach a larger target audience, especially when it comes to raising capital. By leveraging existing connections with customers, companies can improve their visibility and attract more investors. With the right strategy and tools, affinity marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to expand their customer base and create trust between parties. 

 

Affinity marketing is a type of marketing strategy that focuses on creating relationships between a company and its customer base. This connection could be due to things like shared values, such as environmental sustainability or ethical labor practices. The main goal of this approach is to create loyalty and increase brand recognition. The idea behind affinity marketing is that a brand can appeal to an audience that is connected by brand loyalty, shared values, or other aspects that would make them like to make a purchase, return as a customer, or even become investors. 

 

Using the JOBS Act and Affinity Marketing

 

With Regulations A+ and CF, affinity marketing is an effective way to raise capital. By leveraging existing connections with customers, companies can reach a larger target audience and increase their chances of success. When beginning new capital-raising efforts, affinity marketing promotes a sense of trust and credibility.

 

Whether you have had several raises in the past or this is your first capital raise, affinity marketing is an effective way to reach a larger target audience. Leveraging your existing connections can help you gain exposure and attract more investors because people trust the brands they already know. By leveraging this group of investors, you can improve the visibility of your company and reach a larger pool by utilizing these people as a type of brand ambassador for your marketing.

 

Tips For Implementing Affinity Marketing Effectively

 

When implementing an affinity marketing strategy, there are certain steps you should take to ensure success. Here are some tips for using this type of marketing effectively:

 

Identify your target audience: Identify a customer base that shares similar values or had displayed brand loyalty. This will help you create a more tailored marketing plan that is specific to the target audience.

 

Set clear objectives and goals: Setting clear, measurable objectives and goals will help ensure that your affinity marketing strategy is successful. It will also allow you to track progress and make necessary adjustments as needed.

 

Communicate with your partner: Establishing a strong relationship with your affinity marketing partner, like an investor acquisition firm, is essential for success. Communicating regularly and discussing expectations, challenges, and successes will help foster collaboration and ensure successful outcomes.

 

Measure results: Tracking metrics such as customer acquisition rate, customer engagement rate, or return on investment (ROI) is important to determine the success of your affinity marketing strategy.

 

Affinity marketing is an effective way to increase brand recognition and reach a larger target audience. Especially when raising capital. By leveraging existing connections with customers, companies can reach more potential investors and create trust between parties. Additionally, tracking specific metrics can help measure success and ensure that you are meeting your goals. With the right strategy and tools, affinity marketing can be an effective way to increase brand visibility and reach a larger pool of investors.

 

Marketing Strategies for Raising Capital

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

When a company is looking to raise capital, there are many marketing strategies to get the word out. With any method, the primary goal is to convey what your company does and inform investors about the potential opportunities that their investment will create. Marketing strategies for raising capital are important to all companies and issuers.

 

Creating a Compelling Opportunity Set

 

The first step in any marketing strategy is creating a compelling opportunity set, which should position the company as a subject matter expert. A white paper can do it, which should answer all the “whys” for potential investors. It’s important to provide this information clearly and concisely, as potential investors will likely have a lot of questions. This document can serve as a launching pad for further content like blogs or videos. By providing all the relevant information upfront, companies can set themselves apart from the competition and make it more likely that potential investors will take the time to learn more about the opportunity.

 

Partnering With a Marketing Firm

 

To free up time to focus on other aspects of the business, companies should consider partnering with a marketing firm. This will allow someone else to handle the creation and dissemination of content, freeing up the company’s employees to focus on other tasks. This is an especially good idea for companies that are not experienced in marketing, as it can be a complex and time-consuming endeavor. By partnering with a firm, companies can ensure that their message is getting out there in the most effective way possible. You can also team up with a company that has experience with JOBS Act raises. This can help you improve your online presence while meeting all the requirements for compliance.

 

Creating Engaging Content

 

Once you have a plan in place, it’s important to focus on creating engaging content. You can do this in many ways, but one of the most effective is through video. Videos can capture attention and communicate information in a way that is easy for people to understand. They can also be shared easily, which helps to spread the word about your company and its capital-raising efforts. In addition to videos, companies should also consider creating bite-sized content, such as infographics or blog posts. This content can be easily digestible and can help to generate interest in your company.

 

When a company is looking to raise capital, it must employ an effective marketing strategy to reach potential investors. By taking the time to develop a well-rounded marketing strategy, companies increase their chances of successfully raising capital. Raising capital is not a one-time thing, but an ongoing process for many companies. Solid marketing strategies for raising capital can ensure that your company can reach its goals and continue to grow. 

KorePartner Spotlight: Richard Heft, President of Ext. Marketing

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

Richard Heft is the President at Ext. Marketing, a full-service marketing firm that helps companies attract potential investors to apply their marketing strategy and achieve their communications objectives. Richard has over 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry, focusing on the financial services sector. In 2021, Richard and his co-author published The Ascendant Advisor, a book about marketing and content strategies for advisors to grow their businesses. 

 

We recently sat down with Richard to discuss his company, experience, and partnership with KoreConX.

 

Q: Why did you become involved in this industry?

A: Ext. has spent almost a decade and a half helping financial services firms translate their business objectives into cutting-edge marketing campaigns for the retail and institutional spaces. During this time, we also began to recognize that we would truly be a full-service marketing leader if we could help our clients reach a limitless number of online retail investors through various social channels. The power of these retail investors is that they not only have an almost unlimited appetite to consume information online, but they are also able to invest how they want, when they want, and where they want on the increasing number of self-managed platforms. We launched Ext. Digital to help companies in virtually all industries identify their target retail audience, create messaging that will resonate with that audience, and tailor their conversion funnel to ensure their brands and investment offerings stand out in a somewhat crowded marketplace.

 

Q: What services does your company provide for offerings?

A: We offer end-to-end digital marketing strategies, content creation, media activation, and ad buys. We also provide access to our proprietary financial influencer network to help amplify the audience for our client’s news and updates.

 

Q: What are your unique areas of expertise?

A: Beyond our unparalleled content creation and transparency regarding their ad spend, our clients benefit from our constant A/B testing & optimization approach to ensure their media dollars are continuously put to best use.

 

Q: What excites you about this industry?

A: There is a lot that excites me about this industry! I strongly believe that, even when the global economy looks uncertain, there is a massive opportunity for companies looking to raise capital to reach the right people with their stories. And the people they are reaching have never been more motivated and able to invest in the opportunities that appeal to them.

 

Q: How is a partnership with KoreConX right for your company?

A: KoreConX has always been an excellent, reliable partner to Ext. Digital. We have been thrilled to introduce our clients to KoreConX’s holistic platform, given the trust we have in Oscar, Peter, and the entire KoreConX team, and we have worked with many companies that we know are going to be leaders in their respective industries as a result of introductions made by KoreConX.

 

Q: Anything else you would like to add about RegA, RegCF, or any other topic you might find relevant for your company, our partnership, and the ecosystem you are part of?

A: I encourage any company exploring a capital raise through a Reg A, Reg D, or Reg CF issue to find partners they can trust over their entire journey. I firmly believe Ext. Digital is the ideal digital marketing partner for any company looking to take the next step in its journey.

 

Hosting Webinars For Your Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

Posted on by Jason Fishman

This article was originally written by our KorePartners at DNA. View the original post here. 

 

Why are webinars so important for your equity crowdfunding campaign?

Webinars are an incredible tool to help you connect with your investors, allowing them to ask any burning questions they may have. You can also repurpose these webinars to use for later content!

With everyone having access to the internet at their fingertips, there is no better time than now to start taking advantage of the many perks that webinars have to offer.

In today’s article, we are going to walk you through 8 important steps you need to know before hosting your first webinar!

Choose the Right Platform

Make sure your hosting platform (such as: Zoom, Google Meet, Vimeo) have all these qualifying features:

  • Event Registration Via Email

  • Q&A or Chat Features

  • Attendee’s Video and Audio Turned OFF

  • Screen Sharing

  • Automatic Email Reminders

  • Recordings

Set up a Registration Link

Keep your investors informed on what they’re signing up for, make sure to include the following in your registration page:

  • Date and Time of Event

  • Short Description of Event

  • Your Logo

  • The Speakers Attending the Event

 

Market Your Event

 

To encourage as many investors or potential investors as possible, it’s important to market your event across all channels (ad, social media, email, portal update)!

Make sure you’re sending out your initial announcement two weeks prior to the event, and follow up with a one week and one day out reminder.

Understand Compliance Rules

There are lots of things you are able to say and not able to say during your crowdfunding raise!

To ensure your webinar is compliant, you’ll want to have a firm understanding of the compliance rules based on what type of raise you’re running.

Create a Brief Pitch Deck Presentation

An important step in hosting your webinar, is creating a pitch deck presentation for the first 10-15 minutes of the event to get your audience engaged!

Things to include on your deck: team information, market opportunity, competitor analysis, unique differentiators, and existing traction.

Leave Enough Time for an Open Q&A Session

The purpose of these webinars is to allow existing and potential investors to learn more and ask their burning questions!

Be sure to encourage the audience to drop these questions in the chat, and then address them out loud. On the chance that your audience may be shy, come up with common questions before the event to keep them engaged.

Have a Call to Action

 

Every webinar needs a strong call to action.

 

Don’t forget to encourage investors to head over to your raise page and invest! Don’t be afraid to even point towards this call to action throughout the course of the event.

Post-Market the Event

 

For those who are unable to attend the event, make sure you share the recording!

 

You’ll want to post the video onto YouTube or Vimeo and share this link on your: blog, emails, portal updates, and social media!

The 4 Things You Can’t Do While Marketing a New Reg CF Fund

Posted on by Dawson Russell

This post was originally written by KorePartner Dawson Russell at Capital Raise Agency. View the original article here. 

 

Your Reg CF Marketing has qualified, and it’s time for the next step! As exciting as this is, there are several things to be aware of before throwing any marketing ‘out there.’ It all includes having a marketing professional, the verbiage and images used, and types of marketing. Now let’s take a closer look at each of these marketing aspects of a Reg CF Marketing to know better Reg CF meaning and Reg CF platforms. The following details apply to ‘test the waters’ (TTW) and marketing after your Reg CF qualification.

Use of Improper Verbiage and Images

Marketing in the general sense is to sell a product, sometimes with slight fabrications or indications of potential success or future opportunities. Keep a keen eye to separate Reg A vs Reg CF verbiage. With Reg CF platforms, these are common pitfalls that must be avoided. Did you know something as simple as the word amazing, promising, commit, or golden is considered improper in Reg CF Marketing? These words are over-the-top statements implying merit, interest, offering anything ‘special,’ or a return of any degree. As for images, it is similar in thinking to verbiage. No money, cash registers with overflowing tills, graphs with arrows pointing skyward, and the like are a no-go.

Lacking an Online and Digital Presence

Strategic digital and online marketing plans are no longer an option. Potential investors, especially new generations, will expect a significant digital presence including a well-structured website, social media presence, and more often than ever, a related app. Social media is essential because each follower gained is a potential investor (and their followers will see they’ve followed your Reg CF, which means more potential investors).

Making Investors Search for You

With any marketing plan, you have to stay top of mind. Potential investors will expect ‘face time’ to build a connection with your Reg CF mission and vision. The term ‘face time’ is about communication from you or your executive team through webcasts, online video events, and meet and greets with question-and-answer sessions. After all, they may be investing in your Reg CF, and it’s by far the least you can do.

Do-it-Yourself Reg CF Marketing

While setting up a website is an easy task in our digital world, it does take considerable time and effort to keep up with constant content. As seen above, ensuring your website complies with Reg CF advertising rules and regulations is another task altogether. To get your best return on investment hiring a professional who understands the Reg CF world is worth every penny. Professional marketers can provide the initial setup of a website, regular updates, social media posts, videos, regular email notices, and additional marketing pieces. Plus, it frees up your time to interact with potential investors.

Secondary Market Trading for RegA+, RegCF, and RegD

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

As more and more companies look to raise capital in the private capital market, it’s essential to understand the different exemptions available for this purpose. In this blog post, we’ll look at three common types of capital raises; Reg A+, Reg CF, and Reg D. We’ll discuss the critical differences between each one and how they are traded on the secondary market. By understanding the nuances of each type of raise, you’ll be better equipped to make informed investment decisions.

If you are raising capital, three main exemptions will be used in the private market. Before we discuss the differences, let’s cover what each regulation does:

  • RegA+ is a securities exemption that allows companies to offer and sell securities to US investors and raise up to $75 million in a 12-month period through Reg A+.
  • RegCF allows companies to offer and sell securities to US investors and raise up to $5 million through online marketplaces and crowdfunding sources in a 12-month period.
  • RegD is a securities exemption that allows companies to raise capital from accredited investors without limit within a 12-month period.

There are a few key differences between the three types exemptions but today we’re focusing on those differences as they pertain to the secondary market. The important thing to consider is the time an investor is required to hold the security before selling it on a secondary trading platform. Reg A+ is the closest to an IPO, and assets can be sold the next day, and there is no lockout period. On the other hand, securities sold under RegCF cannot be sold for the first 12 months after buying it unless it’s sold to an accredited investor, back to the issuing company, or a family member. With Reg D, investors can not sell these assets for six months to a year unless they are registered with the SEC.

We’ve covered other differences between the three exemptions in a previous article, including the number of investors and the amount they can invest. However, once the raise ends, the secondary market is the next important difference to be aware of so that shareholders can be properly informed before, during, and after the raise is complete.

How to Ensure Your Marketing is Compliant During an Equity Crowdfunding Raise

Posted on by Jason Fishman

You may be wondering, “Why is a marketing agency talking about compliance?”.

We’re obviously not lawyers, but it is pivotal that compliance is offered at the forefront of your marketing planning.

Now we are not soliciting any legal or financial advice today. The purpose of the webinar is to give you a good introduction to the most common rules so you can better plan your campaign and protect yourself from trouble.

Today we’re going to cover some of the basics and get into some of the tactics that you can use to ensure that your marketing is compliant.

Why is Compliance Important?

If you’re going to run an equity crowdfunding campaign, then you need to be aware of all the restrictions.

With the SEC enforcing strict regulations on what you can and can’t say, running an equity crowdfunding campaign is much different than your traditional marketing campaign.

When you are creating your marketing campaign, it is important to make sure it is compliant with current regulations regarding the promotion of securities. If you do not comply with these guidelines, then you do not only risk your investments but are also subject to penalties from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

What Can You Say Before the Launch?

Do not publicly or privately mention your equity crowdfunding raise if it is not a test-the-waters campaign!

That might sound obvious, but you would be surprised at how frequently founders get this wrong. By “publicly mention”, we mean:

  • Put a link to your offering on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
  • Email your extended network and encourage them to invest.
  • Post your offering in any online group.
  • Encourage friends or family to share or forward the offering to anyone they know.

By “privately mention”, we mean:

  • Mention the offering to people you meet for the first time, such as at networking events, conferences, meetups, etc.
  • Contact anyone who has done business with you in the past and ask them to invest.

Now, What Can You Say After?

The two types of communications that are permitted by the SEC post-launch falls into two categories:

  • Communications that don’t mention the “terms of the offering” (Non-Terms).
  • Communication that just contains “tombstone” information (Terms).

A term, or you’ll also hear it referred to as tombstone information, is communications regarding the share price of a particular equity. As stated earlier, Non-Terms are any communications that do not mention terms.

In addition, it’s also very important to mention that mixing terms and non-terms in your marketing communications is a no-no.

How Does Social Media Impact RegCF Offerings?

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

Reg CF allows companies to raise up to $5 million through an SEC-registered intermediary.  Since increasing this limit from $1.07 million in 2021, private companies have raised over $1 billion in Reg CF offerings. This highlights Reg CF’s incredible success in opening the doors to capital for these issuers. For many of these offerings, social media is a key component to success by increasing investor awareness and conducting a successful offering.

 

Social Media’s Impact on Reg CF

 

Social media is essential for companies looking to make a Reg CF offering. It can build awareness and interest among institutional and retail investors and help generate traffic to their offering’s listing on a funding portal or the broker-dealer who hosts the offering. It can expand your crowdfunding campaign’s reach using social tools to raise more money.

 

As soon as companies file their Form C with the SEC, they can begin to communicate outside the funding platform about their offering. However, they must be careful about what they say. They are limited to communications that don’t mention the terms of the offering and “tombstone” communications. Issuers can continue marketing their product or service as usual, as securities regulations understand that the issuer still is running a business and trying to generate a profit. After the Form C has been filed, issuers can also increase the amount of marketing materials they create, as long as they follow SEC guidelines. Issuers are also subject to anti-fraud rules, even in non-terms communications.

 

Capitalizing on Campaigns

 

Building awareness and interest in your Reg CF offerings using social media, you reach investors who may have been unaware of opportunities to invest. Thanks to Reg CF,  startups and established companies alike can get started fundraising quickly with lower initial costs than traditional methods of raising capital. When combined with social media, the result is an effective way to get the word about the raise to many people hoping that they turn into an investor.

 

It has been made clear that social media and mobile marketing are necessary parts of Reg CF offerings. Social media marketing is an increasingly important part of any company’s digital strategy, so having these platforms as part of Reg CF efforts will give issuers the best chance for success with campaigns. It also helps businesses target their current audience to invest in their offering.

 

Social media is an excellent tool for companies to use when making Reg CF offerings. Whether you are looking to raise more money or get the word out about your company, social media can be used in various ways that will help your business grow and succeed with Reg CF.

Is Email Still King for Reg A, Reg CF, and Reg D Marketing?

Posted on by Dawson Russell

This article was originally written by KorePartner Dawson Russell of Capital Raise Agency. View the original post here.

 

Email marketing has been around for a while. You might even be surprised to read that email has been around since the ’70s — over 50 years ago!

 

You’d think that as fast as the digital world moves, such a dinosaur of a marketing strategy would be nothing more than a relic or extinct.

But it’s not.

In fact, email marketing is somewhere in the ballpark of 40 times more of an effective marketing strategy than social media marketing, according to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company.

So why is that?

How is email marketing still king when we now have search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, mobile marketing, pay-per-click, content marketing, and influencer marketing all at our fingertips?

Here’s are 3 of the main reasons:

1. It’s Highly Customizable

The most crucial and effective way to have success with your email marketing strategy is to implement what’s known as “customer segmentation.” This means you can use customers’ recent and relevant searches & interests to your advantage and generate custom-made emails for them in a way that is MUCH more effective than other approaches. Customer segmentation also allows you to be much more tactful with your email timing, so you can avoid spamming their inboxes.

Even better, you can pivot your customer segmentation strategy quickly by reviewing click rates, bounce rates, and subscribe & unsubscribe rates.

2. It Provides Better Conversion Rates

It doesn’t matter if your focus is on Reg A email marketing, Reg CF email marketing, or Reg D email marketing, it will still have a better conversion rate than any other method.

Email has been traditionally regarded as the most transactional part of a company or business.

Think about it.

You can generate traffic to your business and/or convert a visitor to an investor with just a single click of a link. They can reply directly, sign-up for other newsletters, forward the email to other potential investors, and more.

According to a study done by Statista, over 93% of Americans between the ages of 22-44 used email regularly, and over 90% of Americans between the ages 45-64. Even 84% of people 65+ were regular email users.

3. It’s a Cinch to Automate

Once you get everything written out and running properly, you can launch a highly effective Reg A, Reg CF, or Reg D marketing campaign, with minimal effort compared to other methods.

With the right automation tools to go along with your campaign strategy, you can create and deliver automated emails that are not only relevant to your subscriber list but generate leads and new investors at the same time.

In Conclusion…

Email marketing really is still the best way to reach out to potential investors and remains the king of the digital marketing world. When utilized and implemented properly, it can build leads to potential investors, and strengthen brand trust and loyalty in a way that enables your fund to grow more than you would’ve thought possible.

PS: did you know that adding PS to your email marketing campaigns could increase click-through rates by an extra 2%?

KorePartner Spotlight: Jonathan Stidd, Co-Founder and CEO of Ridge Growth Agency

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

With the recent launch of the KoreConX all-in-one platform, KoreConX is happy to feature the partners contributing to its ecosystem. 

During the capital raising journey, many components must be in place to increase the potential for success. One of these critical factors is ensuring that a raise is marketed to get an issuer’s message in the right place to get in front of the right eyes. 

Ridge Growth Agency is an expert in equity crowdfunding and direct-to-consumer marketing, dedicated to building the brands of tomorrow. The company positions brands to introduce them to new, high-value customers and investors. When the company started, it was first a digital marketing agency that helped eCommerce brands scale online. Jonathan Stidd said, “When we got introduced to equity crowdfunding, we quickly realized we could apply these same tactics to acquiring investors online.” Since introducing this service, the agency has helped its clients raise over $330 million through Regulation A+ offerings. 

Ridge Growth Agency provides a wide range of digital marketing services for its clients. These include website design and development; newsletter and sponsored content creation; paid media management; budgeting, planning, and forecasting; video production and editing; graphic design; copywriting; and email marketing. Jonathan feels this is what sets them apart from other firms offering similar services, saying, “nobody seems to offer [them all].”

After receiving his education in economics, Jonathan himself entered into this field and has since developed expertise in management consulting, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and the growth strategies to launch and scale brands. He feels passionate about this industry because of the ability to “help cutting-edge companies raise capital in a relatively new way!” Additionally, he feels that a partnership with KoreConX was just the right fit. He said: “as a technology provider for the pipe system of these raises, KoreConX is a crucial tool to move the investors through the funnel.”

Why Digital Marketing is The Key to “Always Raising” Capital

Posted on by Jason Fishman

In a recent webinar with StartEngine, Kevin O’Leary succinctly said, “great companies that are growing need money, and they should get it.”

 

With today’s unparalleled changes, raising capital in many ways is much easier said than done. Many great ideas are having a uniquely difficult time raising the money to fuel their vision.

 

Radical economic change due to COVID vastly disrupted the venture capital markets by 57%—a start-up’s traditional source of funding.

 

Rather than making new investments, Kevin summed, “venture capital firms are focused on making life and death decisions within their own portfolio.” Which means venture opportunity is sparse, and entrepreneurs are left wondering, “where can I turn for funding?”

 

The good news is there’s a silver lining and it’s called equity crowdfunding.

Traditional Venture Capital is Shifting Towards Online Equity Crowdfunding Platforms

 

Equity crowdfunding, or selling small shares of a company to the everyday (non-accredited) investor started not too long ago when the Title III section of the JOBS Act was passed in 2017.

 

Now, when venture capital is failing, more entrepreneurs are looking to the crowd of the everyday investors to fund their business in exchange for offerings like promissory notes, convertible notes, SAFE agreements, and revenue shares.

 

Everyday investors can invest in businesses through one of many equity crowdfunding platforms such as Wefunder, StartEngine, and MicroVentures. Since the platforms and investors are solely online, it means that businesses must have a strong online presence and digital marketing plan to meet their raise goals.

 

It means a brand trying to disrupt the market with a game-changing idea, must have an equally innovative online marketing strategy. For instance, say you’re trying to raise the full Reg CF cap of one million dollars when on average an everyday investor invests a minimum of $150 into your company. You’ll need to be backed by 6,667 investors.

 

But the real question is how do I drive awareness and attract the number of investors in the first place?

 

That’s where digital marketing comes in.

 

Digital Marketing Lets You Tap Into the Growing Everyday Investor Community

 

Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of believing that if they post a raise video, write engaging copy, post an interesting graphic, and that the investors will flood in from the crowdfunding platform. Wrong.

 

As an expert in digital marketing for crowdfunding campaigns, I see this mindset often. When entrepreneurs ask why their equity crowdfunding campaign failed, the answer is always the same—the offering was not marketed enough and the brand did not have a strong enough presence online.

 

Digital marketing mitigates both and helps drive accredited and everyday investors to their raise page with proper testing, optimation, and scaling.

Because here’s the thing:

 

Equity crowdfunding platforms are digitally native, which means new everyday investors that are not a part of your existing network or family, must be found online. Thus, failing to target and nurture an online audience with a closely managed digital marketing strategy is not only failing to plan, but it’s also planning to fail.

 

Accredited Investors Want to See a Strong Digital Marketing Strategy

 

The beauty of equity crowdfunding is that any campaign can still pique the interest of accredited investors and inspire them to fund you. We all know that a single large investment can take your campaign to the next level, thus it’s paramount to make your campaign as attractive as possible to them.

 

One of the best ways to do so is to show a strong digital marketing strategy that drives investor interest and audience growth. Your marketing strategy not only shows investors why you’ll succeed, but also highlights your ability to find, capture, and convert your target audience.

 
 

Digital Marketing Can Turn $1K into $1M During an Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

 

As more of the world log online to cope with the new norm and as venture capital slowly recovers, private investing is dramatically shifting

 

Equity crowdfunding is in the spotlight, giving everyday people the power to invest in potentially the next Uber or Instagram but also back the problems they’re passionate about—all while helping entrepreneurs keep their business growing and their dreams alive.

 
 

If equity crowdfunding is the door to always raising capital through and beyond this pandemic, then digital marketing is the key.

 

With its native abilities to connect people, build trust, and tell stories, digital marketing is uniquely positioned to help any start-up looking to scale, find new users and investors from around the world.

 

Thus, digital marketing is an essential part of your campaign, and it’s important to work with the right professionals who know how to create the right strategy, target the right investors, and find the right message.

 

Remember, turning on some ads and writing a few blog posts won’t cut it. Scaling your business with digital marketing takes time, constant testing, monitoring, and creativity. From experience we can’t emphasize enough that you start early in your campaign, don’t give up, and always be raising

Things to Consider When Choosing Your Equity Crowdfunding Portal

Posted on by Jason Fishman

Written by KorePartner Jason Fishman at DNA. See the original post here.

 

Before the new SEC regulations, about 20% of Reg CF campaigns hit the seven-figure level. In other words, most campaigns simply do not achieve their full cap.

They’re are many reasons why campaigns don’t hit the max, and many would sum it up to lack of marketing and business development.

However, many people don’t consider the portal themselves. Sometimes a portal and issuer don’t fit, and I’ve seen campaigns that were underperforming on one portal, achieve high success on another.

 

Thus, picking the right portal for your campaign is an extremely important component of your raise. While DNA can not advise you which portal will best suit your needs, we can give you some tips and our top five things to consider when choosing your equity crowdfunding portal.

 

So, we should explore anything you can do to set yourself up for a win and within the desired period. This is a critical component of your round.

Investor Audience Size

One benefit of using a filing with a portal is to leverage their existing investor audience. Typically as campaigns raise more, the portal’s audience takes more notice, and are more are likely to invest.

From firsthand experience, I can say that as portal technology and user experience improves, the larger these investor communities are growing. Pick a portal with a large, engaged, and active audience. Don’t forget to ask the portal how they leverage their audience during the course of your campaign for more success.

Vertical Focuses

As equity crowdfunding grows in popularity, more and more portals are emerging, dedicated to a specific focus. For example, Bioverge, is specifically tailored to healthcare startups, while Waterworks, is geared towards technologies advancing water solutions.

Not only do these platforms attract a very specific and engaged industry audience in that industry, but they typically have an experienced team that has a strong portfolio of niche-specific deals, and understands the nuances around their specific area of focus. If a platform can show a list of campaigns they have done successfully in that industry and have a high volume of investors attached to it, they will be valuable resources for an issuer.

A niche-specific could be a great option for your campaign, however take into consideration many are still in development and growing compared to the more-established and well known portals.

Success Rates

The data you need is out there.

I highly recommend starting at KingsCrowd, as most of their information is available for free or a very light subscription fee. On KingsCrowd you can do due diligence on each portal and their success rates.

You can also look at their analyst reports to see top deals, deals for an industry, deals per portal, and how much they have raised. Set a benchmark for yourself, and note which campaigns and platforms hit your benchmarks.

You may find that the volume of campaigns these portals have taken on has dropped in the past months, especially when you are looking at entry-level or mid-tier portals. You may find that it has skyrocketed. How many campaigns are below or above a milestone level may also stand out to you.

The numbers don’t lie. Take in as much data as you can to see how successful campaigns are currently doing on their platform.

Customer Service

Equity crowdfunding campaigns have a lot of ups and downs, and when your campaign isn’t performing you have to rely on your portals team to support and provide white-glove customer service..

You can get a sense of what the experience will be during your meet and greet. I recommend asking the following questions and paying attention to the working experience:

  • Who will be your day-to-day point of contact is?

  • What does the working process together look like during the pre-stages of your live campaign?

  • How do you optimize when things are not going according to plan?

  • Is the portal going to disappear and be afraid to talk to you?

  • Are they going to come to the table with constructive recommendations?

  • Is there anything they can do to go the extra mile among promotions to their existing audience?

  • When the campaign is going according to plan and ramping up at speed, how can you scale and get there quicker?

  • What will their partnership with you look like at those stages?

 

I would also recommend speaking to three or more portals, and look to intuition about who is committed to your deal and confident in the success of it among their investor audience on their platform.

Added Value

This is a bit of a controversial topic because the SEC requires portals to treat each issuer the same. But they have different benchmarks that once you hit the increments of capital funding, they promote you to their email audience.

But if any groups show so much confidence in your deal that they will bring more to the table, I would note that in the review process. Some of these things include:

  • Private investor groups

  • Special placement on the site

  • Additional promotions

  • Introductions to different accelerators or different VC groups that back the deal beforehand

  • Introductions to various types of angel investors, strategic partners, industry experts, and more

 

However, I would not shape my selection merely on this factor, but be cognizant of it. Crowdfunding is essentially a team sport that occurs within a small window of time. The more resources you bring to the table, the better.

So, if there is any portal giving you additional value beyond their standard package because of how they envision it equating to your success, it could be a factor in your decision-making process.

Pick Your Portal Carefully!

Listing your deal will not ensure ANY results.

Setting up and managing a successful campaign takes careful planning and forethought, especially when it comes to picking your portal. Having a strong understanding of the top portals available is going to be an educational and helpful process across the board.

Here are some of the top portals available for you to consider:

 

 

You may get tips from one portal that you apply to another, and it is important to become part of the entire equity crowdfunding ecosystem rather than selecting a partner and move on. These relationships continue, so I encourage you to map out what a relationship could look like with each portal, and nurture it.

Meet the KorePartners: Eric Fischgrund of FischTank PR

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

With the recent launch of the KoreConX all-in-one RegA+ platform, KoreConX is happy to feature the partners that contribute to its ecosystem. 

 

For nearly 15 years, Eric Fischgrund has been involved in the communications and marketing industry. He says: “ I have a degree in Communications Journalism and have always been a writer at heart, so public relations was a natural career match for me.” Continuing to learn every day from his clients has always enticed him to continue in his career path, as “constantly learning client subject matter and determining how to deliver their message to the market, provides me with an ongoing (and free!) education.” He prides himself on his ability to understand his clients’ businesses and apply a unique skill set to achieve results.

 

Passionate about both the public relations industry and investment space, Eric is excited about the future and the opportunities it will bring for both companies and investors. He says: “Entrepreneurs need capital and main street investors deserve high growth opportunities, so this is two birds and one stone. I also enjoy working in emerging industries, such as sustainability, renewables, cleantech, IIoT and IoT, healthcare tech, cannabis, and others. So many innovators in these sectors are utilizing equity crowdfunding to grow their business.” 

 

Through the introduction of RegA+, companies have access to a fundraising route that is favorable to small startups as well and allows a wider pool of investors access to high-growth investment opportunities. Eric says: “Historically, it’s taken significant capital, legal costs, marketing and communications requirements, and more to raise capital. Similarly, the venture capitalists, private equity firms and individual high net worth investors are the ones presented with the highest growth investment opportunities.” RegA+ levels the playing field, eliminating these problems. “It enables entrepreneurs to raise capital online, grow their brand simultaneously,” while allowing main street investors to make investments for as low as a few hundred or thousand dollars. 

 

Despite the incredible opportunity RegA+ presents, Eric feels that there is much misinformation circulating about how to raise capital. He says: “Professionals that don’t understand the nuances of the regulation can too easily take advantage of entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, which hurts all of us. This is why I’m encouraged by the KoreConX platform bringing the experts together.” Establishing a partnership with KoreConX was a perfect fit, as FischTank works to partner with strong businesses and companies. “We also strive to make the world a better place, and many of the innovators and companies we work with are developing technologies and services that do just that,” Eric said.

 

For companies that are looking to raise capital, working with a PR agency is important for their success. When potential investors are looking to learn more about a company they have an interest in investing in, one of the first things they will do is Google it. “If there is plenty of editorial search results, especially on the first page, and constant news, the company is going to appear credible and appealing,” Eric said. Additionally, effective PR can also be utilized from a marketing perspective. “Press coverage not only attracts attention but it can be used as sales/marketing tools for investor outreach and relations functions.” At FischTank, they provide a wide variety of public relations and marketing services to their clients. They take care of media and press coverage, email marketing, social media, and content writing so that you can raise capital effectively and successfully. 

 

KorePartner Spotlight: Scott Allen, CEO of InvestAcq

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

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.

 

The Role of Investor Acquisition in Capital Raising Activities

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

The goal of any capital raising activity is to secure capital for the growth and development of the business. Without needed capital, it can often be challenging to expand; whether that means hiring more employees to keep up with demand, improving production facilities to manufacture a product, or funding research and development to bring more products or services to the market. However, in order to actually raise the capital required, potential investors need to be made aware of the offering and the opportunities becoming a shareholder entails. This requires marketing.

 

When it comes to RegA+ and RegCF offerings, the potential to sell securities to the everyday investor is powerful, opening up the market to a vast pool of potential investors not available to private companies before the 2012 JOBS Act. However, this also creates the need for companies to find the best way to reach their target audience and make them aware of the investment opportunity. Through marketing, you are able to inform prospective investors of the opportunity to invest in your company. 

 

More than ever before, social media has become an integral part of marketing activities across all business sectors. It allows you to reach your audience where they’re at, and as nearly seven in ten Americans are on social media, that place is online. Through social media, businesses can tell their story and use that to drive investors (and even new customers) to support their brand. Beyond social media, marketing becomes a key component of investor acquisition. Through investor acquisition, a company is able to target investors based on demographics; whether that is people who exhibit similar behaviors to shareholders, by age, by location, or by any other meaningful factor that allows you to identify the right investor for your company. The methods to target these prospects are just as diverse. While we’ve already mentioned social media, email marketing is still an effective media channel, along with online advertising, and many more channels of marketing. The importance is to use whichever channels allow you to best reach your target audience. 

 

The key to marketing is that it helps publicize your offering and find the best investors for your company. Successfully marketing an offering, as long as advertisements are truthful and not misleading, can make a significant difference in the raise’s success. Similarly, finding the right investor acquisition partner with experience in marketing capital raising activities can help ensure you meet compliance and use the most effective strategies for reaching the right audience. 

KorePartner Spotlight: Dean DeLisle, Founder and CEO of Forward Progress

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

With the recent launch of the KoreConX all-in-one platform, KoreConX is happy to feature the partners contributing to its ecosystem.

Dean DeLisle has been raising capital for the past 35 years both for himself and for other companies. He has made the transition from roadshows and bound pitch decks to sophisticated online marketing funnels. Dean’s experience has resulted in a unique approach to Investor Acquisition Marketing with his firm Forward Progress.

“People know they want to invest but need to understand more, so we place a high priority on education throughout our Investor Acquisition campaigns,” says Dean. Forward Progress helps clients build the necessary digital footprint to educate prospective investors in Regulation CF, Regulation A+, and Regulation D offerings. The building of the footprint requires many of the same strategic elements you would see in a revenue-focused campaign–content, thought leadership, advertising, and marketing automation.

The Forward Progress team stays at the forefront of digital marketing trends by participating as speakers on capital raising, marketing automation, and marketing strategy. The company boasts certifications with leading platforms like Hubspot CRM, Facebook Ads, Google Analytics, and more to make sure the issuers they support are at the bleeding edge.

The partnership with KoreConX makes sense for Dean, as both companies are dedicated to investor education and businesses alike. It fits with the DNA of both companies.

Meet the KorePartners: Andrew Corn, CEO of E5A Integrated Marketing

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

With the recent launch of the KoreConX all-in-one RegA+ platform, KoreConX is happy to feature the partners that contribute to its ecosystem.

 

From the first project he worked on while still in college, Andrew Corn has been involved in financial marketing. After his first analyst’s presentation, “and then second, and then fifth, I decided to drop out of college and focus on that full time. Soon after, I wrote my first IPO roadshow, built a company around that, and a few years later, also started working for money managers,” Andrew said. After selling that company, Andrew went to work for a publishing company specializing in investingas the chief marketing officer.

 

Then, for 9 years, Andrew left the marketing industry and created a multi-factor model used to analyze the stocks available on US exchanges to select them for separately managed accounts, and he and his team designed the index behind six ETFs, eventually selling that company to a bank, where he served as the chief investment officer. “When E5A was born, it was born as an investment house, and then I got sucked back into marketing in 2012 and switched E5A over into a marketing firm in 2013,” Andrew recounted. At E5A, they acquire investors through systematic, data-driven marketing.

 

For companies that are looking to raise capital, marketing plays an incredibly important role. For RegA+ offerings, a company’s first target is typically its existing network of customers. However, a marketing firm such as E5A can help companies to understand the behavior and demographics of current customers. Knowing how customers behave will allow companies to targetpeople that are demographically and behaviorally just like their current customers.

 

With RegA+ offerings, the majority of the money will be raised through marketing. “The beauty of that is that it’s passive,” Andrew says, “we can look at entirely new groups of prospects who are the most likely people who would be interested in investing in a company like yours. Sometimes we can find them through behavior or demographics, hopefully, it’s a combination of both.” Once potential investors have been found, marketing agencies can come up with the messaging platform that will raise money through these investors. Companies are often surprised that their existing network raises little money, but the investors they can gain through marketing helps them reach their goals.

 

Through the use of marketing, Andrew is excited about how companies benefit from acquiring investors at scale. “If you’re a restaurant chain, you want as many people to know about it as possible. If you have a direct-to-consumer product, you want many people to know about it. So a byproduct of raising capital is promoting the brand or the business.” Both investors and the companies get more engaged as information is put out regularly.

 

With RegA+ allowing investors of all wealth, income and experience levels to participate, the restriction allowing only accredited investors is lifted. Additionally, Andrew believes that increasing the limit from $50 to $75 million will greatly improve the regulation since oftentimes companies require more funding. With IPOs on both the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ often over $100 million, he believes increasing the cap to as much as $200 million in a few years would be better for companies looking to utilize RegA+.

 

For its clients, E5A is a “turnkey marketing company, so we do everything from messaging platforms to data-targeting to media buying and optimization, message testing, web development, etc.” Andrew expects that E5A will be held to a standard of success being measured by the amount of money raised. While looking to maintain as much control of the outcome, E5A also understands that many of the companies they work with have their own marketing or IT departments, and try to share as much work with them as possible and include them in the process.

 

E5A looks to work with companies that have a high probability of success, which requires an ecosystem of legal, accounting, technology, broker/dealer, consulting, and marketing services. Andrew says, “We feel that Oscar and the KoreConX team are putting together a world-class network of service providers who are experts in each of their individual tasks. We are glad to participate.”

How does Investor Acquisition Help Find the Right Investors?

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

If you’re a company that is in the process of raising funds for your business, you’re likely looking to do so with the help of investors. By trading a piece of your company in exchange for some much-needed capital, you can fund your ideas and the growth of your business. With Regulation A+ opening up the investor pool to include those who would not be regularly included in a traditional IPO, it is essential to choose the right investors with whom you are going to grow your business. As investors become shareholders that often have some kind of say in the company, it will be important to choose investors that will aid you on your journey to grow your company. But how exactly do you find the right investor for you and your company’s vision?

 

Investor acquisition is targeting the best investors for the offering based on their demographics. Are you trying to raise money from your customers or people with similar behaviors? Are you targeting investors based on location, age, or other demographics? With investor acquisition, it allows companies to find and target the investors that will be best suited for the offering. If companies are targeting the investors that are most likely to invest, less time is wasted and more money is raised by eliminating the need to interact with those who aren’t going to invest. 

 

Additionally, through investor acquisition, you can turn current customers into investors and investors into customers. With the addition of RegA+ to issuers’ toolbox, the ability to raise money from customers is now easier than ever. The customers who already know and support you can turn into important advocates for your company, which in turn can entice either more investors or customers to support your company.  Through RegA+, investors are not required to be accredited, so everyday people now have the opportunity to invest in companies that they believe in and support. 

 

Once you’ve found investors to invest in your offering, keeping proper records of them will be essential to long-term success. Issuers need to manage their cap table, maintain investor relations, perform securities transfers in a compliant way, transfer agent, and more. With the KoreConX all-in-one platform, companies can securely manage who their investors are, issue shareholder certificates, and maintain their cap table in real-time, as changes occur. For investors, they can securely manage their portfolio of investments, receive important company information, and vote on company matters. With the platform, companies can maintain compliance and manage their information seamlessly. 

 

Once you’ve decided to raise capital for your company, the next most important should be who you are going to raise the money from. With the help of investor acquisition, you can analyze information about your target so that you can best understand their behavior and what will get them to invest. Making smarter decisions about who you want investment from will help your company grow in the direction that you see best. 

 

What is Needed for a Successful RegA+ Offering

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

If your company is looking to raise funding, you’ve probably considered many options for doing so. Since the SEC introduced the outlines for Regulation A+ in the JOBS Act, companies have been able to raise amounts up to $50 million (which increases to $75 million in January 2021) during rounds of funding from both accredited and non-accredited investors alike. If you’ve chosen to proceed with a RegA+ offering, you’ve probably become familiar with the process, but what do you need for your offering to be a success?

 

When beginning your offering, your company’s valuation will play a key role in the offering’s success. While it may be tempting to complete your valuation in-house, as it can save your company money in its early stages, seeking a valuation from a third-party firm will ensure its accuracy. Having a proper valuation will allow you to commence your offering without overvaluing what your company is worth. 

 

Since the SEC allows RegA+ offerings to be freely advertised, your company will need a realistic marketing budget to spread the word about your fundraising efforts. If no one knows that you’re raising money, how can you actually raise money? Once you’ve established a budget, knowing your target will be the next important step. If your company’s brand already has loyal customers, they are likely the easiest target for your fundraising campaign. Customers that already love your brand will be excited to invest in something that they care about. 

 

After addressing marketing strategies for gaining investments in your company, creating the proper terms for the offering will also be essential. Since one of the main advantages of RegA+ is that it allows companies to raise money from everyday people, having terms that are easy for people to understand without complex knowledge of investments and finance will have a wider appeal. Potential investors can invest in a company with confidence when they can easily understand what they are buying. 

 

For a successful offering, companies should also keep in mind that they need to properly manage their offering. KoreConX makes it simple for companies to keep track of all aspects of their fundraising with its all-in-one platform. Companies can easily manage their capitalization table as securities are sold and equity is awarded to shareholders, and direct integration with a transfer agent allows certificates to be issued electronically. Even after the round, the platform provides both issuers and investors with support and offers a secondary market for securities purchased from private companies. 

 

Knowing your audience, establishing a marketing budget, creating simple terms, and having an accurate valuation will give your RegA+ offering the power to succeed and can help you raise the desired funding for your company. Through the JOBS Act, the SEC gave private companies the incredible power to raise funds from both everyday people and accredited investors, but proper strategies can ensure that the offering meets its potential.

Meet the KorePartners: Rick Tapia, Blockchain Agility

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

This post is part of a series of short interviews about the companies and faces that are part of the KorePartners Ecosystem*.

We believe that behind every great company there are people, and behind every person, there is a story to tell.

KorePartner: Rick Tapia, Chief Marketing Officer & Partner at Blockchain Agility

Born in: Indianapolis, USA
Based in: Miami, USA

What was your first job?

My first job was as a congressional intern in the state of Indiana. I learn and experienced so much about politics, networking, the U.S. government, and many other areas. It really helped lay the foundation for my future endeavors.

How and when did you get involved in the Blockchain Technology industry?

I first got involved with blockchain technology just over 2 years ago. Like many others, I had started off by learning about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. From there, I began to understand the underlying technology and how it could be applied to a vast array of businesses across many different industries. I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart and have helped many startups in the past and felt that this technology could provide value in a multitude of ways. From there, I began advising different startups on how they could utilize blockchain technology to add value to their business. Thereafter, my 3 partners and I got together and formed a blockchain advisory firm to help guide companies that are wishing to utilize blockchain technology.

How do you see the Blockchain scene today? In that aspect, is it possible to have an idea of what the next five years will bring?

I believe we are starting to see the merging of the “blockchain world” and the “real world”. Meaning that blockchain technology is beginning to be utilized vastly across many different industries and niches and isn’t just being used exclusively by startups or technology platforms. Additionally, the capital markets realm is beginning to jump in as the benefits of issuing digital security tokens is being realized. I don’t have a magic 8 ball that can see into the future but I believe that blockchain technology is here to stay and that in the next 5 years, it will be intricate part of how private companies raise funds in a compliant manner in addition to being the underlying technology in a lot of different existing businesses that we know today.

What does your company bring to the KorePartners Ecosystem?

Our firm brings value in a few different ways to the KorePartners Ecosystem. For one, we have a vast industry network that provides a strong level of value to the ecosystem with the many connections and introductions we can make. Secondly, our firm is committed to helping organizations that are looking to conduct a digital security offering and can help with many different areas from start to finish. We believe our services can help take an organization to the next level.

What is it about the partnership with KoreConX that most aligns with your company strategy?

I believe our partnership aligns with KoreConX because we are committed to a collaborate approach. In my experience, collaboration with other organizations that share similar values and goals is vitally important, especially in a niche’ that is still new and emerging. And with the world of digital securities coming into the fold, it’s more important than ever to make sure that organizations that are leading the movement work together as we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us to help usher in a new era of tokenization.

*The KorePartners Ecosystem is a group of organizations that follows our governance standards and share with us the same goal: to provide entrepreneurs with the tools they need to grow their business.

Meet the KorePartners: Kyle Asman, BX3 Capital

Posted on by Oscar Jofre

This post is part of a series of short interviews about the companies and faces that are part of the KorePartners Ecosystem*.

We believe that behind every great company there are people, and behind every person, there is a story to tell.

KorePartner: Kyle Asman, BX3 Capital

Born in: Livingston, USA
Based in: New York, USA

What was your first job?
My first job was as a Bank Teller.

How and when did you get involved in the business industry?
Growing up as a kid down the shore I had a close family friend who was a day trader, and I was fascinated by markets, their pace, their complexity and the impact they had on the world. Billions of dollars are flying around the globe every single second.

How do you see the Financial Markets scenario today?
I see tremendous opportunity that financial markets have created today that wasn’t present five or 10 years ago. You can be in any corner of the globe, and still be a member of the global economy.

In that aspect, is it possible to have an idea of what the next five years will bring?
I think digital currencies will allow a number of new businesses to be created, and wealth to begin accumulating in the emerging markets around the globe. For the first time, I think we are going to see real economic growth and opportunity come from emerging markets.

What does your company bring to the KorePartners Ecosystem?
We bring expertise in PR, Tax, Accounting, and Business Strategy. We have helped dozens of companies over the course of the years. We are proud to be experts in our respective industries, and sharing that knowledge to help grow new businesses.

What is it about the partnership with KoreConX that most aligns with your company strategy?
The KoreConx team shares a similar ethos to BX3 Capital. We are like-minded in that we are both focused on building companies, not just simply turning a profit.

*The KorePartners Ecosystem is a group of organizations that follows our governance standards and share with us the same goal: to provide entrepreneurs with the tools they need to grow their business.

 

Join the all-in-one platform empowering private capital markets.

Free forever, KoreConX makes it easy for participants in private capital markets to manage their investment portfolios, raise capital, and meet global compliance standards along every step of the way.

Sign up, it's free! Book a call