Universal Media Consultants has added Social Media Advertising for its Clients

In today’s high-tech world, effective advertising must consist of multiple marketing strategies, that include social media marketing, and not simply the issuance a traditional press release. Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Yes it eats away at productivity by offering distractions from completing “essential” daily tasks, but an effective advertising campaign will take advantage of this fact. Universal Media Consultants is now offering a complex marketing plan consisting of targeted advertising, traditional press releases and social media marketing to broadcast messages around the globe.

Ever wonder why productivity has dropped over the past 2 – 3 years? Catch yourself wanting to check friend’s Facebook status every five minutes or look to see what is “trending” on Twitter? While some may not be that involved in social media, over a billion others are. Realizing this fact, Universal Media Consultants understands that this is what can make the difference in a failed marketing plan and and a successful targeted advertising campaign. That’s why the company is pleased to announce a new service that specifically utilizes social media (in addition to traditional marketing) to spread client’s advertising at an alarming rate.

Consider just few statistics:

62% of adults worldwide now use social media

Facebook has 901 million monthly active users. 7:45:49 = time spent per person per month on Facebook

8% of Americans use Twitter. Twitter now has more than 140 million active users, sending 340 million tweets every day

YouTube has 106.7 million unique visitors per month. 1:41:27 = time spent per person per month on YouTube

Pinterest is now the third most popular social network, behind Twitter and Facebook (in the US) and is projected to account for 40% of social media driven purchases by Q2 2012. The average time spent on Pinterest is 14.2 minutes

42% of Americans watch TV while they’re on their laptops, smartphones or tablets

Taking these statistics into account, social media marketing has the potential to revolutionize advertising and the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Social media is not just for kids. 65% of the world’s top companies have an active Twitter profile and social commerce sales should total $9.2 billion by the end of this year.

The point is that whether or not you personally use social media in day-to-day life is irrelevant to whether or not you should include social media marketing in advertising campaigns. The theory is simple. Social media marketing programs should center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. By implementing this strategy, you’re able to place an advertisement, or sales message, or your “you fill in the blank” in front of millions of potential buyers who otherwise may have missed a press release.

Universal Media Consultants understands this concept and that’s why the company is now offering specialized media campaigns that will help your advertising efforts by using social media marketing to distribute your message around the globe, by utilizing a complex and multi-tiered approach to targeted advertising. Don’t waste the potential power of “word-of-mouth” to generate sales that you otherwise would not have made.

About Universal Media Consultants

UMC provides strategic and very targeted media relations and marketing services to assist clients with a wide range of advertising that includes: campaign launches, brand positioning, business-to-business marketing, business to consumer marketing, cause marketing initiatives, special events, product launches, sponsorship activity, strategic alliances and tradeshow support; to name just a few. Additionally, the company provides specialized services to investor relations and investor awareness industries.

Datahouse Cloud Backup: Most Cyber Security Data Breaches are Inside Jobs

While it’s true that hacker collectives like “Anonymous” dominate the media with their high-profile data breaches, it turns out that a breach is three times more likely to be an inside job perpetrated by a company’s own employee. This helps to explain why software developers and systems integrators are beginning to realize the value in making sure that their partners and end-users are protecting their data properly. Properly meaning, by having not only a protected local copy of system data, but more importantly an offsite Datahouse cloud backup copy to access in the event of a disaster. 

According to new research from Forrester, only 25% of data breach cases are the work of external attackers. That leaves a whopping 75% coming from inside the company. Of these, 12% were breached with ill intent according to Forrester. 63% of the issues were caused by something more mundane, like losing or misplacing corporate assets the report found.

Most small to medium sized businesses do not think about the importance of their data until they have a disaster or hardware failure. It is often a piece of the puzzle that is never taken seriously.

Not only is it important for data to be properly protected, meeting government regulatory requirements for their industry is just as important. Acts Regulatory requirements like such as: Sarbanes Oxley (SOX), U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) are just a few that require data protection.

Most efficient business owners are beginning to demand managed online backup solutions and partners that offer the very latest in technology and benefits. According to the experts over at Datahouse Cloud Backup, the majority of their clients are seeking benefits like:

• Agent-less Interaction resulting in safer, easier to maintain and painless backups.
• Free software and no charge for maintenance fees.
• Data de-duplication and Compression prior to being sent offsite (minimizes the data stored and transmitted).
• Only being charged for the data that they store.
• A data center that is SAS70 Type II Certified with all data being encrypted in transit and at rest.
• Restores that are available at any time with no limits and no charges.
• A partner who will personally work with you to setup and verify that your backups work and you are protecting the data that is important to your business. This includes someone that picks up the phone when you need help restoring lost or corrupted data.

Thanks partially to media monitoring and reporting of events, there’s been a recent explosion in the number of companies seeking to strengthen their data recovery plan. Datahouse Cloud Backup is looking for resellers and partners interested in 

offering their Asigra powered system to their users. The company will not only work with software resellers and technical support companies by helping them deliver a hybrid cloud backup and recovery solution to their customers, but their program also gives resellers a way to generate monthly recurring revenue.

Companies or individuals interested in becoming a reseller should contact 205-972-9270 or visit the company’s website at www.dhcloudbackup.com

The Small Business Challenge Competition Looks for Companies That Show the Most Potential to Create Jobs in America

Equity Based Crowdfunding platform, EarlyShares sponsors the competition, which will award $50,000 to the top three companies that demonstrate the most promise for business growth and economic stimulation

Do you know a small business that can benefit from free cash?    The Small Business Challenge℠ will award a total of $50,000 in cash and advertising to three small businesses in order to create more jobs in the USA. It’s free to enter, and it takes less than a minute!  Click below to register or nominate your favorite small business through October 31st.   Every vote counts in this competition, so if you register, be sure to share the news with your entire network. Click here for ideas on getting the word out. For more information about the Small Business Challenge℠ visit our website www.smbchallenge.com. We look forward to making small businesses flourish! Thank you,   The Small Business Challenge Team

Would You Rather Have 10 Angry Investors, or 68,000?

Occasionally, we republish blog posts, press releases and other commentaries of interest to our community. This piece by Hannah Miller, appeared on Triple Pundit 

About ninety-five percent of the projects on Kickstarter are non-industrial: movies, video games, food products. For the five percent that comprise the technology and design categories, the open nature of crowdfunding can create flurries of agita usually hidden behind the curtain of private investing and venture capital.

It came out last week that star Kickstarter project Pebble – the highest raiser on the site – had failed to ship their 85,000 e-paper watches on time to their donors/customers, without any explanation or new expected ship date.

Photo by StickerGiant.com. Used with permission.

This prompted a little party in the “Comments” section, now at over 8,000 remarks, on everything from comments on features (“PLEASE! PLEASE! Make sure that the point of connection to charge the phone is stabilized & hardened,”) to dyes and paint, and suggestions that the company perhaps transfer operations to Mexico.

For the more furious Pebble backers, there is no redress for their average $148 donation, at least until the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission starts regulating crowdfunding at the end of this year.

Even though Kickstarter requires durable goods manufacturers to produce a prototype and a business plan, Pebble is just one of the projects that have faced manufacturing problems or slow distribution. For those considering the jump, A.J. Kumar of the Young Entrepreneurs Council gives an excellent “count your toes” checklist of things to think about in “5 Reasons Your Startup Isn’t Ready for Crowdfunding.”

The new crowdfunding investor-protection rules as mandated by the passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act last April are still being written (and the SEC has until 2014 to finish them), but the basics were spelled out in the law:

• Limits on size of securities: a company may issue up to $1 million worth of crowdfunding stock in a 12-month period.
• Investing limits: Individuals can invest up to $2,000 or 5% of their net worth if their income or net worth is less than $100,000, or 10% of their net worth if their income is higher.
• Intermediaries and platforms must register with the SEC, and brokers must follow all current rules.
• Companies must file financial returns including tax returns and financial statements, business plans, annual reports, and more.
• A company issuing stock can be liable for “material misstatements.” Ahem.

Though these promise solid investor protection, these may be a lot to bear for very small startups. “Enterprises raising less than $1 million will likely not be able to afford significant expenditures on due diligence, legal and accounting reviews, and ongoing compliance requirements,” the Milken Institute/Georgetown University writes in their Aug. 20120 report Crowdfunding: Maximizing the Risks and Minimizing the Peril.

Ironically, the new rules won’t apply to Kickstarter, which does not currently plan to go into equity crowdfunding. But what they will do for many of the other 450 crowdfunding platforms out there is forge an entirely new type of investing. A traditional, small group of angel investors or VCs will be replaced by a large, chatty, far-flung and anonymous social blob, many of whom would post a comment publically sooner than they could pick up the phone – visible to the public, the press, and of course, other potential investors.

Although crowdfunding has been discussed as a possible supplement to traditional investing, the possibility of adding a large, boisterous online community of shareholders may at first irk some traditional investors, who might not like their influence diluted.

However, write the authors of the Milken report, we are more likely to see change on both sides:

…Coupling securities crowdfunding in a joint-investment structure with accredited investors like angels, VCs, banks, or CDFIs could benefit all involved parties. These partnerships would allow the crowdfunded businesses and crowdfunding investors to benefit from the due diligence and management expertise of sophisticated investors. Likewise, the crowd approval would provide these sophisticated investors with a strong indication of market demand for the business’s goods or services, which is invaluable information.

The fact is, a lot of these investments are quite small – less than $100 (with a $5 return), even if their total adds up to an estimated $4.8 billion globally this year. It’s a tremendous area of opportunity for the 98 percent of the applicants for angel investing or venture capital who don’t receive funding.

The need to express one’s rage about a faulty iPod case may only apply to the few, for such small investments. But regardless, the entrance of increased transparency and democracy into capital markets will bring unpredictable alterations, especially when secondary markets emerge.

A Day in the Life of a CrowdCo Part 2 of 8

This article was submitted by

Bill Joyce, Facilitator at North Texas CrowdFund Roundup

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

View profile | 

A Day in the Life of a CrowdCo Part 2 of 8

This article is 2nd article of an 8 part series being presented by CrowdFund Roundup following two CrowdCos looking at starting their first CrowdFunding Campaign. We would love to hear your commentary by emailing Bill Joyce. This part: Second Step in CrowdCo Lifecycle - Selecting the best CrowdFund platform for your project 

View the complete PDF article Here

Weekly Crowdfunding News Roundup: Week of September 3rd

ABOUT ME

Davis Jones

View my complete profile

General News

• (UK) BIA, the UK trade association representing biotech firms calls on the UK government to provide tax incentives for citizens who invest directly in startups and for the government to streamline crowdfund investing regulations. Based on data from France, who implemented a similar scheme (minus crowdfund investing) under Sarkozy (and is now cancelled under Hollande), the BIA's excellently done report estimates that the proposal would raise £300mm of growth capital for innovative startups and create 1,500 well-paying jobs.

• (US) One crowdfunding website gets press in Time for planning to launch their site with a campaign to fund the production of a hologram of Ronald Reagan speaking. (via reader Tony R.)

• (US) Update: The WikiWeapon project, which I mentioned in this weekly roundup a few weeks ago, has been pulled from Indiegogo.com but the campaigners say the campaign is "still going strong."

• (UK) One campaign to fund a line of rugby clothes in the UK has raised £123,000 via UK crowdfunding website Crowdcube.comin an issuance of a crowdfunded equity security. The minimum investment amount was £5,000, and the campaign ultimately found 70 crowdfunders to reach the £123,000 funding point. You can check the campaign out right here if you're interested.

• (US) One Massachusetts man has been charged with fraud for trying to solicit private shares for his company via his website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Deals

• (US) The William James Foundation and crowdfunding site Launcht.com have teamed up for a second time to provide a platform for entrepreneurs with sustainable business ideas to pitch their business plans. The top three fundraisers will be entered in the William James Foundation's sustainable business plan competition. Check out the projects on the Launcht pitches page here.

• (US) Crowdfund Investing site Communityleader.com has inked a strategic alliance with online bookkeeping site BookKeeperZoo.com.

Site Launches

• (New Zealand) NZ site socialbacking.com starts facilitating token crowdfunding.

• (The Netherlands) Dutch video game funding site Gambitious.com launches. It promises a hybrid model: token funding for small commitments with equity funding available if you want to contribute larger amounts. The site launches in partnership withsymbid.com (among others), a crowdfunding platform that I've used and liked.

• (US) California-based UInvest promises to help investors find equity investment opportunities in the Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.

• (Sweden) FundedByMe.com facilitates token-backed funding in Sweden, and interestingly allows backers to make pledges via SMS. The site looks sharp.

Campaign of the Week

In the spirit of sustainable entrepreneurship, please consider the Kosovo Wind Gardens campaign, which has entered the Launcht/William James Foundation's sustainable business competition, which has a nice campaign video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S1ho0HzVPOY

A Day in the Life of a CrowdCo Part 1 of 8

This article was submitted by

Bill Joyce, Facilitator at North Texas CrowdFund Roundup

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

View profile | 

This article is 1st article of an 8 part series being presented by CrowdFund Roundup following two CrowdCos looking at starting their first CrowdFunding Campaign. We would love to hear your commentary here and also by emailing Bill Joyce. This part: First Step in CrowdCo Life-cycle: - Determining how and when to involve the Crowd within the product plan.

CrowdFund Roundup’s

The Day in the Life of a CrowdCo

Introduction

In building this narrative we are recording the thoughts of  two Creative CrowdCos as they set out to bring their “idea” to market through the Crowd.

Initial Structure

We start with our inner belief in the CrowdCreative Process:

• CrowdSourcing allows teams to build where they are planted while accessing quality resources around the country and around the globe. 

• CrowdFunding brings a paradigm shift to the capital formation process of start-up ventures.  It does not replace or compete with Angels, VCs or Banks but fills in the missing segment of the start-up lifecycle cash flow effectively.

• CrowdMoving our new process initiative takes the wave of open community participation to its final objective including the crowd in the entire lifecycle of the product/service.  They came and joined in the development and funding of the project; why not let them participate in the selling and profits of the work they accomplished.

CrowdCreative Companies invest in their ultimate customer from the moment 

their great idea takes shape and maintain real effective connections throughout the 

product/service lifecycle.  They have no objections to creative corporate structure 

or fear of distributive workplaces.  They just feel safer involving their customer in 

the process from the very beginning.  Crowds make great things happen.

When shifts are seen in economic cultures two things are recorded.  One - there is pain as 

the old ways reveal their issues.  Two  - a new process is created and, while  in the 

beginning many resist its unnatural actions or hypotheses, it creates a better pathway to 

economic success.

Our market economy has announced change and, due to the powerful advance in Internet 

communications, the response has been CrowdCreative initiatives.  While there will be a 

plethora of choices and styles of crowd participation the underlying fact is that product 

lifecycle structure is going to expand beyond the closed door processes of the last  70 

years.

For easy viewing of the entire 6 Page PDF presentation, please click HERE

This article is a co-operative endeavor of Vision Management, CrowdFund Roundup and the management teams of MeCareHealth and SAFE Portfolio, LLC.  For more information please feel free to contact Bill Joyce at PO Box 612347, Dallas, TX 75261 – 817-918-4667 – wcbs@aol.com

Celebrity Gossip Show, “Extra” Talks Facial Restoration with Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Jason Diamond

Once considered taboo, celebrity plastic surgery is now openly discussed on national television. Celebrity gossip show “Extra”, hosted by Mario Lopez and Maria Menounos, recently sat down with Beverly Hills cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Diamond to discuss how to achieve a natural-looking, full-facial restoration.       

Dr. Jason Diamond

My patients don't look done; they just look great

      

Top celebrity plastic surgeon, Beverly Hills Dr. Jason Diamond recently sat down with celebrity gossip show “Extra”, to discuss how to achieve a natural-looking, full-facial restoration. During the show, Dr. Diamond offered advice and explained that desired results can often be achieved by performing numerous non-surgical lift procedures as opposed to a full facelift. According to Dr. Diamond, it’s a real balancing act between creating enough of a change to make an improvement and yet keep the patient from looking surgically enhanced.

Despite a sluggish U.S. economy, traditional plastic surgery procedures continue to grow. according to a report issued by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS),13.8 million plastic surgery procedures were performed in 2011, a 5% increase on the year before. And while traditionally popular cosmetic surgery procedures such as breast implants and nose jobs, remained the most popular, facelifts replaced tummy tucks for fifth place last year; the first time that procedure was among the top five since 2004. By far, the fastest growing procedure is chin implants, which rose 71% in 2011.

Traditional cosmetic surgery may never totally disappear; however, minimally invasive cosmetic treatments are now topping the list as America’s most popular plastic surgery procedures. According to the Huffington Post, the recent ASPS report revealed that the total number of procedures performed nationwide in 2011 was nearly twice that recorded in 2000. Among the most popular of these procedures were minimally invasive cosmetic treatments, such as Botox and other injectables. Over the past year, nearly 90% of all plastic surgeries performed in the United States fell into this category.

Depending on a patient’s plastic surgery goals, minimally invasive procedures can be a cost-effective way to turn back the clock. While the average surgery generally costs several thousand dollars, the average minimally invasive procedure usually falls at several hundred. For many patients, this can make the difference between undergoing a full procedure, like a facelift, and simply choosing to opt for Botox injections for a fraction of the price.

A top facial plastic surgeon in his field, Dr. Jason Diamond, M.D., F.A.C.S. of The Diamond Face Institute has helped patients achieve more youthful, natural-looking appearances with a wide range of facial surgery procedures. Dr. Diamond has mastered an extensive variety of facial enhancement techniques to help patients achieve a younger, more refreshed look. "My patients don't look done," says Dr. Diamond. "They just look great." Perhaps it’s that type of thinking that has resulted in Dr. Diamond becoming a nationally recognized cosmetic surgeon.

Well-known for his media appearances on E! Entertainment’s “Dr. 90210”, CBS NEWS “The Early Show”, “Entertainment Tonight”, Discovery Health and many other television shows, Dr. Diamond has quickly become one of the most sought after cosmetic plastic surgeons in the nation.

Before and after plastic surgery pictures can be seen on Dr. Diamonds website.

This information is being distributed for the client, by Philip Cardwell at Universal Media Consultants. From top magazines to leading TV stations, UMC has been very effective at distilling client's messages in the major national media. The aim is simple. To multiply message impact and client exposure in highly targeted markets, quickly, imaginatively, and cost-effectively. For more information visit: Universal Media Consultants

Peter Shankman will Speak at the Las Vegas Crowdfunding Bootcamp

The radical, Peter Shankman will be the opening keynote speaker for The Crowdfunding Bootcamp, Las Vegas. Described as "Reinventing the Art of Networking," Peter is a spectacular example of what happens when merging the power of ADHD with pure creativity and a dose of adventure. Peter has a long history of successful internet companies and is also an angel investor, thrill-seeker, athlete and entrepreneur.

• 
  

Join us for this inaugural event

Crowdfunding is being looked upon as the saving grace of small business in America

CrowdFundingRoadmap and Laughlin Associates are hosting a one of a kind Crowdfunding Bootcamp to prepare entrepreneurs with the key elements they need to be ready to crowdfund under the new crowdfunding bill. The event organizers have arranged for Peter Shankman to excite the crowd, as the opening presenter at the event, scheduled to begin on October 9, 2012 at the Ravella in Las Vegas, NV.

Peter Shankman is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, worldwide connector and small business evangelist. Peter is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) which in under a year became the de-facto standard for journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world.

He is also recognized worldwide for initiating new ways of thinking about social media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity and customer service. Effective crowdfunding campaigns must start with a clear message that can be used to attract potential investors. Who better to teach this vital principal than Peter Shankman, the master of “Networking through Social Media.”

Peter’s PR and Social Media clients have included American Express, Sprint, The US Department of Defense, Royal Bank of Canada, Snapple Beverage Group, Saudi Aramco, Foley Hoag, LLP, NASA, Haworth, Walt Disney World, Abercrombie and Kent, The Ad Council, Discovery Networks, New Frontier Media, Napster, Juno, Dream Catcher Destinations Club, Harrah’s Hotels, and many, many others.

The Crowdfunding Bootcamp, is offering attendees direct access to the speakers, attorneys, CPA’s, marketing specialists and business strategists, including Candace Klein from SoMolend, and Bad Girl Ventures, Maurice Lopes from Early Shares, Douglas Ellenoff from Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, Preston Clark from 1-800-Accountant, Vincent Molinari from Gate Technologies,Sara Hanks from Crowdcheck ,Sherwood Neiss , and Jason Best Co-Chairs, Crowdfunding Professional Association and the Startup Exemption and so many more industry leaders.

“The unique aspect of this bootcamp is that all of the speakers and experts have signed on to work one-on-one with the attendees to make sure when they leave this event they will have the tools and knowledge they need to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign,” said Ruth Hedges, Principal of Crowdfundingroadmap, creator and producer of the event and founding board member of CFPA and CFIRA

Crowdfunding is being looked upon as the saving grace of small business in America. It has grown into a billion dollar business and with the passage of the Jobs Act. More and more entrepreneurs and investors are going to be participating in this remarkable opportunity.

“To get businesses ready to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity, they must have certain fundamental business systems in place to be prepared to act when the final regulations on crowdfunding are determined,” said Aaron Young, CEO of Laughlin Associates. “The Crowdfunding Bootcamp is designed to put those foundational steps in place.”

To register for tickets, please visit Crowdfunding Bootcamp. Only ticket holders will be permitted into the event. Press Passes will be provided to qualified members of the media at no charge. To receive press passes, please contact mcole@laughlinusa.com.

About the companies:

Laughlin Associates is a leader in the Corporation and LLC formation and management business. The company has helped over 80,000 business owners achieve the dream of business ownership. Their simple, straight-forward and comprehensive system will allow the establishment of a solid foundation needed for explosive growth in your business. Laughlin helps people start, build and grow their companies and have been the trusted incorporation services provider since 1972.

Funding Roadmap provides easy and secure multiple choice question prompts that effortlessly walk you through every detail of a plan for your business and the due diligence reporting process applicable for Equity CrowdFunding on the cloud. Includes a video elevator pitch feature and secure document repository, so you can present both a comprehensive profile of your business as well as your personal vision of its future. Share your presentation 24 / 7 in-the-clouds to potential, investors, lenders and partners, and it can even be used to apply for a FEMA/ SBA disaster loan. Keep it current for the everyday guidance of your business and the yearly reporting requirements of the SEC for Equity Crowdfunding and it will save you months of time, money, and frustration while increasing your chances of getting funded faster.

This information is being distributed for the client, by Philip Cardwell at Universal Media Consultants. From top magazines to leading TV stations, UMC has been very effective at distilling client's messages in the major national media. The aim is simple. To multiply message impact and client exposure in highly targeted markets, quickly, imaginatively, and cost-effectively. For more information visit: Universal Media Consultants

Crowdfunding Weekly Roundup: Week of Aug. 27th

ABOUT ME

Davis Jones

View my complete profile    EXTERNAL LINKS   LinkedIn Profile   Facebook Page

General News

• (US) Colorado-based crowdfund investing platform Funding Launchpad uses SCOR regulatory framework to sell a $350,000 security for Couragent Inc., a company that produces mobile scanners. They are touting the issuance as the first security issued legally with to the crowd in the US.

• (US) The MIT Technology Review names crowdfunding an emerging and disruptive technology. 

• (US) A nice infographic was published on the Indiegogo blog for the recent fundraising effort to raise money for a Tesla museum in New York State. They report that 201k people backed the campaign and that the average contribution amount was $41 in the effort that ultimately raised around $850k for the creation of the museum. 

• (US) The SEC votes 4-1 to allow public comment on a rule change that would allow for companies to market (potentially, crowdfunded) securities they're offering to accredited investors, publicly. See the SEC's own summary here.

• (France) After some meetings in France, I've found out that the most respected French CFI portal is WiSEED.fr. Also, they've apparently just received a cease and desist letter from French securities regulators.  

Deals 

• (Argentina, Brazil) Argentinean crowdfunding platform Idea.me has acquired Brazilian platform Movere.me in an all-equity deal. Idea.me has given the owners of Movere.me a 15% stake in the platform in exchange for all of Movere.me's shares. The deal values Idea.me at $2.5mm.

• (Mexico) Reputable incubator 500 Startups has bought Mexican.vc. The founder of 500 Startups, Dave McClure is said to believe that investing in portfolio companies that are located outside of the Silicon Valley is becoming more and more feasible. I post about this because in the white paper I co-authored with Sherwood Neiss and Jason best on crowdfund investing, we argue that because venture capitalists tend to invest only in companies that are proximate to their own headquarters (usually the Silicon Valley), crowdfund investing helps de-centralize the availability of growth capital for startups..

• (US) GATE Technologies and Crowdfunder agree a "technology alliance" in the development of a funding platform that facilitates securities issuances to accredited investors. Assumedly, they'll build out the Crowdfunder platform together, but that wasn't especially clear from the press release.

• (US) San Francisco based CircleUp has agreed a partnership with General Mills "that will allow the massive firm to keep an eye on companies raising on the platform."

Site Launches

• (US) iCrowd.com starts looking for public attention. The site was co-founded by John Callaghan, who has vast experience in small cap securities and a prestigious academic record. It will seek to provide the platform and advise businesses issuing crowdfunded securities.

• (US) Citizinvestor.com is a Bay Area-based crowdfunding site that will focus on funding civic projects.

• (UK) Rebuildingsociety.com starts promoting itself. It's a UK P2P lending network that wants to "force revolutionary change" in the UK financial services industry. 

• (The Netherlands) PifWorld, and online crowdfunding for charity website launches.

• (US) Watsi.org launches to crowdfund medical treatments for people in the developing world.

Posted by Davis Jones