SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to Host Roundtable to Kick Off National Small Business Week

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that its Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will host a roundtable on May 6 to hear from small businesses and their investors.  The roundtable will celebrate the kickoff of National Small Business Week, which is May 5-11.

The event will feature discussions between small businesses and venture capital investors on the successes and challenges they have experienced in raising capital and investing outside of the more traditional financing “hot spots” along the U.S. coasts.  Venture-backed companies in the U.S. raised over $99 billion across over 5,000 deals in 2018, yet companies in just three states accounted for over three-quarters of that funding.  Participants will explore ways to encourage the efficient flow of capital and expand investment opportunities.

The panelists will include:

• Cathy Connett - CEO and Managing Partner, Sofia Fund, Minneapolis, MN
• Bob Crutchfield - Managing Director, BrightEdge Fund, Atlanta, GA
• Harold Hughes - Founder and CEO, BandwagonFanClub Inc., Greenville, SC
• Nic Wilson - Co-Founder and CEO, Anglr, Pittsburgh, PA

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, Commissioners, and staff will participate in the event.  The roundtable will be held at the SEC’s headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. and will run from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET.  It will be open to the public and webcast live on the SEC’s website.  Doors will open at 9 a.m., and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  Visitors will be subject to security checks.

Continuing the recognition of National Small Business Week, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee will hold its inaugural meeting, as announced last week.  The Committee will hear from Bill Hinman, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, on the SEC’s capital formation initiatives.  The Committee will then begin to outline its next steps and discuss areas of focus for the coming months.

As set forth in the OASB Foundational Business Plan, the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation is conducting outreach across the nation to small businesses and their investors to solicit perspectives on small business capital formation issues and to strengthen the voice of small businesses within the SEC and the broader regulatory landscape.