Is it time for Crowdfunding and P2P banking?

The growvc blog has an interesting discussion on Crowdfunding.

Topical Discussion on the Regulation in Crowdfunding

In a post on fueling innovation and entrepreneurship on the White House blog on September 9, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and deputy director for policy Tom Kalil described the crowdfunding proposal from the White House:

America’s most innovative companies need equity capital to grow and hire faster. As part of the President’s Startup America initiative, the Administration will work to unlock this capital through smart regulatory changes that are consistent with investor protection. This means reducing the disproportionately high costs that smaller companies face when going public, as well as raising the cap on “mini” public offerings (Regulation A) from $5 million to $50 million. It also means responsibly allowing startups to raise money through “crowdfunding” – gathering many small-dollar investments that add up to as much as $1 million.” Right now, entrepreneurs like these bakers and these gadget-makers are already using crowdfunding platforms to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in pure donations – imagine the possibilities if these small-dollar donors became investors with a stake in the venture.

Independently, the Dutch innovator frans van der reep  calls for banks to wake up (banks – wake up!)

To be concrete? You could create attention for Crowdfunding and P2P banking in your marketing strategies, on your websites and in your customer contacts. If you don´t want to give a loan, tell your customer about the alternative possibilities. Act, with or without a commission, as a matchmaker for the P2P world. Connect your wealth and your professional reputation to estimate financial risks with crowdfunding. Create and implement  Schumpeters ‘Neue Kombinationen’.

Actually you would do exactly the same as we’ve seen in Belgium in November 2011: make a direct link between the citizen and the state. That could also happen between citizen and citizen or between citizen and company. And it would be possible in the financial world. And you are the ones who can accelerate and facilitate this! You could start building the metaphorical extra asphalt and roads directly and open them up in this wealthy country where the money is currently flowing at slightly too slow a pace. You would be doing us a great service and it would give the Netherlands as an innovative e-country an enormous impulse.  Who’s first?

So, the question is: Are we going to see crowdfunding become more mainstream? 

There seems to be some policy movement in this direction. Congressman McHenry explains how his “crowdfunding bill” provides startups and small businesses with much-needed capital by finally allowing “ordinary” Americans to enter a market long dominated by “accredited” (read: already rich) investors.  You can listen to the podcast by clicking the “play” button below or through this direct link (right click to save).

Is it time for Crowdfunding and P2P banking?