EquityNet has operated one of the largest business crowdfunding platforms since 2005 and is growing its web traffic, platform populations, revenues, and activity at rates of 100% to 500% annually. The multi-patented EquityNet platform has been used by over 60,000 individual entrepreneurs and investors, incubators, government entities, and other members of the entrepreneurial community to plan, analyze, and capitalize privately-held businesses. EquityNet provides access to thousands of investors and has helped entrepreneurs across North America raise over $270 million in equity, debt, and royalty-based capital. EquityNet’s technology and scalability are unique amongst other crowdfunding platforms. By combining patented analytics and ranking algorithms, a large proprietary business benchmarking database, and market-leading standardization, EquityNet achieves a superior experience for investors and a higher funding success rate for entrepreneurs. EquityNet’s Enterprise Analyzer™ technology enables entrepreneurs to analyze and optimize their business plan before they engage investors. Investors and business supporters in turn use EquityNet’s advanced technology to efficiently screen and analyze businesses to fund and support entrepreneurs. According to industry research by Crowdsourcing.org and the World Bank, crowdfunding generated approximately $10 billion in funding transactions in 2014 and will surpass $300 billion in funding transactions by 2025.
EquityNet offers an expanding array of platform subscription options for both individual entrepreneurs and investors. Currently, platform subscriptions for entrepreneurs are recurring and range in cost from $199 per month to $1,308 per year. We plan to launch several new platform applications in 2015 that will generate additional subscription revenue from entrepreneurs and investors, including EquityNet’s patented Enterprise Monitor™ application that will allow entrepreneurs and investors to efficiently track and benchmark the ongoing performance of a business or portfolio of businesses.
EquityNet markets and sells its crowdfunding platform to universities, incubators, accelerators, SBDCs, government and economic development entities, and corporations and consultants. These institutions all support entrepreneurs in some manner and license EquityNet to provide the platform’s business planning/analysis and funding capabilities to their entrepreneur clients. EquityNet sells institutional licenses ranging from $6,000 to over $50,000, depending on the volume of use required by the institution. EquityNet offers scaling volume discounts and has sold licenses to many entities, including Cisco Systems, the U.S. Army, the Institute for Entrepreneur Leadership, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
EquityNet is seeking to license its platform for independent branding and operation internationally. International licensing includes a copy of the EquityNet system (software code and database construct) that is then customized by the licensee for the domain of operation (for language, currency, and other differences). EquityNet provides a great deal of strategic and operational support to help licensing partners maximize their growth and success. Since a license entails exclusivity for any independent operator, EquityNet looks for partners that have experience in the domain, knowledge of the local regulations, and adequate financial resources.
EquityNet plans to begin offering a commission option for entrepreneurs in 2015 for businesses seeking both equity and debt capital. EquityNet will also generate commissions directly from entrepreneur crowdfunding under Title III regulations of the U.S. JOBS Act in which non-accredited investors can participate in equity crowdfunding. The regulatory rules for Title III are expected to be finalized in 2015 and after registration and other requirements, the first Title III platforms will likely emerge in early to mid-2016.
EquityNet maintains one of the largest proprietary benchmarking databases for privately-held businesses in the U.S. In 2014, EquityNet began licensing the use of this unique data to institutions, resellers, and system integrators, including to universities such as UC Berkeley and York in Toronto, Canada . Capital IQ and Risk Metrics in the public markets are good analogies to EquityNet’s business data licensing model. With the assistance of nationally recognized partners, in 2015 EquityNet is looking to monetize the business applications portion of its patent portfolio.
EquityNet offers two expert business assistance packages priced at $499 and $999 wherein analysts utilize the GoToMeeting platform to interactively assist entrepreneurs with their business planning and funding preparation in EquityNet. EquityNet also provides business and technical support to international platform licensees at $100 to $150 per hour.
Mr. Hollas is a pioneer in the field of crowdfunding with five patents granted for web-based capital marketplace systems. He is the founder and chief inventor of EquityNet and continues to lead the Company’s efforts to create and introduce innovative new products and services. Mr. Hollas has 20 years of experience as an independent technology analyst and investment manager in the private and public domains. He has personally invested in over 100 emerging technology companies in a wide range of industry sectors, including various software sectors, semiconductors, biometrics, networking, wireless communications, and conventional and alternative energy. He worked previously on process modeling and supply chain automation of complex systems as a process chemical engineer for Phillips Petroleum. Mr. Hollas earned his B.S in Chemical Engineering Cum Laude from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Mr. Richards serves as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel to EquityNet, LLC. Mr. Richards’ professional career started in 1998 when he moved from Fayetteville, AR, to the Atlanta, GA, area during the technology bubble. Having worked for Interland, Inc. (now web.com), and Vertical One, Inc., in technical rolls, Mr. Richards returned to the University of Arkansas, from which he took his BSBA with a focus in Economics. After graduating, Mr. Richards worked as a Financial Representative before leaving to go independent, consulting with various companies on finance, risk analysis and internet technology before returning to the University of Arkansas to attend law school in 2009. Mr. Richards externed for Justice Danielson at the Arkansas Supreme Court and summered at the Arkansas Attorney General’s office before taking his J.D. and passing the bar in 2012. Prior to joining EquityNet Mr. Richards’ legal practice focused primarily on litigation and business law.
Mr. Imhoff works closely with the CEO in executing EquityNet’s corporate strategy and day-to-day operations. As COO, Mr. Imhoff is responsible for operational management of the EquityNet platform, the conception and design of new system enhancements, and the management of development projects from start-to-finish. Earlier in his career, Mr. Imhoff worked as a Product Engineer for Ayrshire Electronics in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as an Analyst at the Arkansas Capital Corporation Group in Little Rock, Arkansas, and as a Research Assistant at Harvard University’s Accessible Technology Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Imhoff earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics from the University of Arkansas. He subsequently earned his M.S. in Technological Entrepreneurship from Northeastern University where he held the Samuel and Nancy Jo Altschuler Fellowship.
Dr. Eno is responsible for research and development of EquityNet’s software, database, and statistical systems as well as assisting in the development and management of intellectual property. Dr. Eno has over 15 years of experience in research and development of software and database systems for the National Science Foundation, technology startups, and Fortune 500 companies, including Oracle, Acxiom, and Wal-Mart. Mr. Eno completed his Ph.D. as a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow in Computer Science at the University of Arkansas, and has presented his research into social networks and recommendation systems at both academic and DARPA conferences. Prior to its sale to Lycos in 2000, Dr. Eno worked as a software developer for MatchMaker.com and subsequently as lead software engineer for Always24x7.com. Dr. Eno earned his B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Arkansas.
Mr. Vanderbush leads EquityNet’s marketing strategy to maintain the Company’s leadership position and to significantly expand the market awareness of EquityNet. He previously served as Inbound Marketing Coordinator and Technical SEO for Acumen Brands in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he helped the startup online retailer increase organic revenue by 3,200% in over 2 years. Mr. Vanderbush also founded Mass Vector, LLC, an online software as a service providing merchandising and pricing optimization for ecommerce companies. Mr. Vanderbush is a web marketing and Search Engine Optimization expert in terms of category and keyword research for revenue growth. He has much experience in editing website architecture, optimizing on-page factors, and aggressive inbound link acquisition. Mr. Vanderbush earned his BM in Music Business with a Minor in Marketing at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.
Mr. Murphy is responsible for the development of strategic partnerships and assists in the corporate strategy at EquityNet. He focuses on networking and building key industry partnerships that accentuate the EquityNet platform with additional traffic and expanded services. Mr. Murphy has been involved with EquityNet since 2012 and also holds a position on EquityNet’s Board of Managers. He has managing experience as an executive partner at the business incubator and non-traditional venture capital firm, Proton Enterprises, and his career has spanned mergers and acquisitions activities, alternative fund brokerage, private equity investing, and business startup operations. Mr. Murphy earned his B.A. from Yale University. His academic work has been featured in the Yale Entrepreneur and the Katz School of Business, and he has spoken at the Yale School of Management and the Business Society’s conference on sustainable enterprise in developing nations.
Ms. Mallord is responsible for the strategic development of EquityNet’s powerful partner network and the growth of a core revenue stream, Institutional Licensing. She is focused on expanding the influence of EquityNet’s enterprise ecosystem to result in profit gain, media coverage and increased market share in the crowdfunding industry. Ms. Mallord has worked with many business types from technology startups to Fortune 500 companies (Walmart). For five years she was in client facing, management roles and was mentored by successful entrepreneurs, such as Andy Murray (Founder of Saatchi & Saatchi X). She received her B.A. in Marketing and Computer Information Systems (CIS) in 2010 from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. She received the Program Scholar Award for CIS and was inducted into the Business Honors Society, Beta Gamma Sigma in 2009.
Mr. Richardson currently oversees all premium services offered to entrepreneurs on EquityNet. Some of his main responsibilities include expanding and managing EquityNet’s new commission model, providing assistance to entrepreneurs looking to optimize their crowdfunding campaign, working with the team to execute the company’s sales strategy, and performing a wide range of internal data analysis for team and system use. Mr. Richardson earned his B.S.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Arkansas. As a student, he served on the Product Management team of the Grilled & Ready product line at Tyson Foods Inc. At Tyson, he led the day-today management of a $5 million budget and developed multiple tracking and forecasting models to improve budget planning. Mr. Richardson is also currently a level II candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst program with the CFA Institute.
Mr. Ulrich is responsible for designing and developing innovative software capabilities, upgrading and optimizing existing technological infrastructure, and improving the speed of the EquityNet development pipeline. He has several years of experience in software and web development including specific experience in dealing with large multi-layer web applications and making use of cloud-based services such as Amazon Web Services. Mr. Ulrich previously founded Impulsiv Technologies, Inc., an accelerator-funded mobile application designed to make it easier for friends and associates to quickly decide on and start an activity on a social meeting app. He is proficient in many computer languages such as: website development – HTML5, CSS3, JS/JQuery, AJAX, PHP, Django and MVC3; desktop development – C#, Python, Java; database development – Oracle (PL/SQL + Spatial), PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite). Mr. Ulrich earned his B.S. in Information Science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Mr. Moss serves as Public Relations Manager for the company; a role that places him at the forefront of both day-to-day and long-term operations. Mr. Moss works directly with EquityNet’s public relations partner, Leverage PR, to help organize and execute the company’s PR strategy. In addition to this role, he is also responsible for entrepreneur and investor engagement and providing company marketing content. Mr. Moss works closely with EquityNet’s Chief Marketing Officer to assist with EquityNet’s blog and marketing strategy and is also responsible for the day-to-day management of in-bound and out-bound customer relations. Prior to joining EquityNet, Mr. Moss spent five years working at the University of Arkansas in the Financial and Business Affairs offices where he managed vendor and supplier relations for over 100 departments and helped to maintain the financial integrity of the University. Mr. Moss received his B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas.