Alternative Funding Landscape for Young Ventures Continues to Evolve

What are today's alternative funding options for new ventures, given the rise of FinTech and drastic changes in the regulatory landscape?

On November 6, 2015, Metropole Capital Group will host one of the most anticipated business events of the year -- the 4th GLOBAL ALTERNATIVE FUNDING FORUM, which has become the premier event in venture financing and FinTech and which will be held at L.A.'s iconic Century Plaza Hotel.

The Forum is setting an exceptional precedent by uniting world-class FinTech innovators, next generation investors, recognized authorities and the new players of Main Street, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Silicon Beach and Washington D.C. who are transforming capital markets and financing models in favor of small businesses, entrepreneurial ventures and local communities.

Victoria Silchenko, Ph.D., the Forum's creator and producer, known as one of the leading alternative funding experts in the nation, stressed that, "It is not just an event -- it is a movement.

"It is clear that many laws and regulations have been designed to bend the marketplace in favor of big corporations. And if we go beyond the tech-inflated hype, the truth, backed by the Census data, is that the number of startups created annually has fallen by about 20% since the 1970s. Also, what is interesting, about two-thirds of the business grants and special tax credits issued by the federal government are typically awarded to big corporations."

"With FinTech on the rise and drastic changes in regulations, we've created a setting where we can educate and inform entrepreneurs and small business owners on the one hand, and unite all financing branches on the other -- from crowd investing platforms, and Bitcoin evangelists to venture capitalists and government officials in charge of small business and DARPA grants."

Key topics for the Forum's discussion include:

• Equity crowdfunding/crowdinvesting
• Mini IPO and Reg A+
• OTC and Venture Exchanges
• Revenue Royalties Finance
• Peer-to-peer lending networks
• Alternative currencies as a new funding source (bitcoins and more)
• Next generation VC funds and angel investors' syndicates
• EB-5 financing to attract foreign investors
• Business grants, SBA loans and state funding programs
• Financing alternatives for television, media and entertainment projects

One of the Forum's distinguished speakers, Steve Sadler, CEO of Allegiancy.us, stated that, "The market cap of US private companies is over $75 trillion, and the JOBS Act revision to Reg A is about to unleash a transformation bigger than Uber's transformation of the staid 'Taxi' business.

"By 2018 I predict Reg A volume will be north of $5 billion, a lot of players will be disintermediate. If you are not adding tangible, meaningful value your company will be left in the dust."

"For the first time in living memory barriers between entrepreneurs and investors are being lowered with Reg A and Title III. This is a time of unprecedented opportunity and we will see a huge burst of dynamism in the American economy."

Another well-known speaker and top expert, Kara Kennedy, Executive Director of ClearTrust, adds, "As a modern stock transfer agent at the forefront of Regulation A+, we engage technology and education to drive greater transparency and market liquidity for our clients. At the Forum, we will feature the streamlined, paperless offering process we've designed to meet the needs of tomorrow's startup, and bring to light some oft-overlooked compliance aspects for companies to consider when starting an offering."

Jason Paltrowitz, Executive Vice President of OTC Markets Group Inc., shares his outlook, "The passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act), including the lifting of restrictions on general solicitation and advertising in Regulation D Rule 506 and Rule 144A offerings and the changes to Regulation A+ has opened the doors to capital and the public markets for small and growing companies.

"We are excited for the opportunity to speak with entrepreneurial companies and investors about the myriad opportunities available to them as well as to educate them about our OTCQX Best and OTCQB Venture Markets, which hundreds of small companies are using to go public, attract investors and grow their businesses."

Another prominent speaker, Benjamin Levy, Co-Founder of BootstrapLabs, an early stage venture investment company in Silicon Valley offers his view from a venture capitalist perspective, "In a world flush with cheap capital, true differentiation will come from the value-add VCs who are able to deliver to their portfolio companies. It's time VCs eat their own dog food, innovate, iterate, or die! Today, the best VCs are building platforms."

There are over 40 speakers representing top industry experts and next generation financiers including:

• David Weild IV, a stock market expert best known for his position as Vice Chairman of NASDAQ. He is currently the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Weild & Co. Holdings. Weild is also known as the "father" of the JOBS Act, and has been involved in drafting legislation for the US Congress.
• Arthur Lipper, world renowned financier, author, inventor, and philanthropist.
• Dr. Steven A. Sunshine, the Senior Commercialization Consultant on the DARPA Transition and Commercialization Support Program (TCSP), an experienced entrepreneur with strong scientific background in materials, energy, and detectors (chemical, biological, radiological), and a successful track record creating companies with a focus on the technology/business interface.
• Samuel S. Guzik, Founder & Attorney, President at Crowdfunding Professional Association.
• William Quigley, Venture Capitalist.
• Greg Writer, Serial Entrepreneur, and Angel Investor, Founder at Angel Investors Network.
• Chantal Rickards, CEO of BAFTA LA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts).
• Ronald D. Miller, Partner at StartEngine, LA's largest tech accelerator.

The Master of Ceremonies will be Sandro Monetti, an internationally-acclaimed journalist, Los Angeles Business Journal columnist, author, BBC broadcaster and television host. He's also on the board of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Los Angeles

Sponsors include: NextGen Crowdfunding (PLATINA Sponsor), Metropole Capital Group, TriNet, HOMEIER & LAW, GUZIK & Associates, Allegiancy, ClearTrust, The Blaine Group, California Lutheran University, Long Beach City College, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, KoreConx, Equity.com,TradeUp.com, SocialRadius, ROCK.com, Transform.PR, and VerifyInvestor.com.

Community Partners: Marketwired, CrowdfundInsider.com, Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA), BootStrapLabs.com, Krowdster.com, Intelliversity.com and WomenWhoCode.com.

Data Partner: PitchBook.com

Registration for the full-day conference, 8 AM to 7:30 PM is $395. Sign up by going to metropoleglobal.com