Freeborn’s Second Annual “Incubate Illinois” Conference Will Focus On Tech/Fintech

Posted on June 21, 2017 by

Last year we started the “Incubate Illinois Conference” which was designed to bring together Midwest incubators/ accelerators, VC/angel investors, and emerging businesses. The conference was a huge success and we are doing it again, only this time it promises to be bigger and better!!!

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HB 2946 – The New and Improved Illinois Angel Investment Tax Credit Program

Posted on March 7, 2017 by

For those who don’t know, Illinois has had an “Angel Investment” program since 2012 where investors who invested in qualifying companies would receive a 25% tax credit against their Illinois income taxes. Sounds great in theory, but the types of companies that would be eligible for qualification under this program are severely limited. Not to mention the fact that the program itself expired, pursuant to its terms, as of December 31, 2016. Given the significant beneficial impact an angel investment tax program could have on Illinois business, I drafted a bill (HB 2946) which will both reinstate and improve the Illinois Angel Investment program. As the bill itself is written in legalese (my apologies for that), I felt a summary of the proposed bill and how it actually will work was in order.

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Illinois Crowdfunding Starting Strong in 2017

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

While it took longer than expected to get here, Crowdfunding for Illinois businesses is now officially up and running and its full steam ahead. To mark the occasion, a joint press conference was held Tuesday at local incubator 1871 which I was privileged to be a part of. The true highlight of the conference however was the introduction of the three local companies now raising funds through Illinois crowdfunding.

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My 2017 Crowdfunding Wish List

Posted on December 29, 2016 by

wish-list-22016 brought with it many developments in the crowdfunding industry, most notably the introduction of the long-awaited Title III crowdfunding rules. While admittedly not all crowdfunding legislation passed this year was as influential, there have been significant strides made to improve existing securities regulations and to continue prying open the doors of capital and investment. There is still much more to be done however, and 2017 brings the potential for vast improvement. Here are some of the things I am hoping to see come to light in 2017.

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Massive Amendments To Rule 147 May Be Approved TODAY!

Posted on October 26, 2016 by

SEC 147 2Almost a year ago, the SEC proposed certain amendments to the current Rule 147 which were intended to help foster, and increase the viability of, Intrastate crowdfunding. While little has been heard about these amendments since their release (except from Intrastate proponents like me of course), over the last week the stars seemed to have aligned themselves and we may actually see these important amendments being approved by the SEC in its live meeting TODAY at 11am EST… with a couple, extremely important modifications, we hope….

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