Entrepreneurship Mini-Series: Crowdfunding - A Financial Alternative for Entrepreneurs

Date: April 20, 2017

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

Member rate: $95

Non-member rate: $135

Registration Deadline: April 20 at 11:00 a.m. ET

Over the past five years, crowdfunding has become a viable source of capital for entrepreneurs, no matter if they are in a small town or big city. This peer-to-peer financing method is easily facilitated by the internet; and thanks to new federal and state regulations, interstate and equity funding is becoming possible. Consider how you can utilize this alternative financing method to create jobs and diversify your local economy. This webinar will discuss how crowdfunding is transforming the way entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

You'll discover so much during this webinar, including:

• The types of crowdfunding sources available and what you need to know about the JOBS Act
• How your economic development organization can use crowdfunding as a job creation diversification tool
• Case studies from urban and rural communities which demonstrate startup launch successes through crowdfunding

Speakers:

Aaron Hagar

Vice President, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

Madison, WI

Aaron oversees WEDC’s efforts to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment in early-stage companies through the division of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The division operates a number of programs and partnerships that aim to support not only businesses directly, but also the ecosystem and support networks that they need to grow and succeed. See full bio.

Anthony Zeoli

Partner

Freeborn & Peters LLP

Chicago, IL

Anthony Zeoli is a Partner at Freeborn & Peters LLP where he concentrates his practice in the areas of securities, banking and commercial finance, real estate, and general corporate law. He is an industry leader in the area of crowdfunding, in particular with respect to real estate crowdfunding, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, and Regulation A+ offerings. He most recently drafted a bill to allow for an intrastate crowdfunding exemption in Illinois which was unanimously passed by the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. Anthony also regularly writes about crowdfunding legal issues on his Crowdfunding Legal Hub website and as a senior contributor to Crowdfund Insider. See full bio.

The second half of this mini-series focuses on women in entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship Mini-Series: Women in Entrepreneurship: How You Can Help Break Barriers to Entry

Date: April 27, 2017

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

Member rate: $95

Non-member rate: $135

Registration Deadline: April 27 at 11:00 a.m. ET

Women entrepreneurs are essential for a competitive, economic landscape. Yet today, they still face many barriers when starting a business. For instance, access to capital has been listed as one of the many challenges women face when launching their startups, along with networking opportunities and work-life balance. Fortunately, changes throughout the market have increased opportunities for female entrepreneurs to fill gaps, bring forth innovation, and break into non-traditional industries for women. This webinar will examine how you can work in your community to develop the right entrepreneurial infrastructure that will help grow successful women-owned businesses.

Attend this webinar to explore the following:

• Current challenges female entrepreneurs in your community may face
• Available tools you can immediately use to measure and assist budding female-owned startups, including support networks and equity finance options
• Industry and market changes that women entrepreneurs can tap into

Speakers:

Dr. Patricia Fletcher
Co-Founder & CEO
PSDNetwork, LLC
Boston, MA

Patti Fletcher is a seasoned business executive, Patti is a futurist on the topics of leading large-scale cultural change, transformational leadership, brand building, cultivating high​-performance teams, creating cultures of diversity and inclusion, harnessing talent, gender equity on boards, women in the c-suite, and women in high​-growth entrepreneurship. An award-winning marketing influencer, board member, angel investor, author, and presenter, she writes for Inc., Huffington Post, The Guardian, and The Digitalist, and has contributed to and been ​featured in Time ​Magazine, Al-Jazeera, Forbes, Fortune, Newsweek, Economy, The Muse, WGBH Greater Boston, and many more. See full bio.

Carol Kraus Lauffer
Principal
Business Cluster Development
Palo Alto, CA

Since joining Business Cluster Development (BCD) as a Principal in 2002, Carol has helped 60 clients across the U.S. to plan and create successful strategies and programs that support entrepreneurship, create new businesses, move innovative products to market, and build strong ecosystems, resulting in economic diversification, job creation, business engagement, technology commercialization, and economic growth. See full bio.

Penny Lewandowski
Vice President, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Direction
Edward Lowe Foundation
Cassopolis, MI

Penny Lewandowski is responsible for developing a strong national presence for the foundation, and for cultivating and managing relationships with the foundation’s external partners in entrepreneurship and economic development. She also leads the efforts to set and drive the vision for the organization’s future. Recognized as a thought leader in entrepreneurship and building an entrepreneurial culture, Lewandowski is a frequent speaker on new ways to think about economic development – especially how a grow-from-within strategy leads to thriving and sustainable economies. See full bio.