The SEC’s Capital Raiser Proposal in Plain English

I regularly get calls from potential clients asking how they can legally raise money for others. It always goes something like this:

Me: Easy, you can 1) get a broker-dealer license or 2) form a fund-of-funds. [Explains each]
Potential Client (PC): That sounds hard and expensive. Can I just be part of the GP?
Me: Are you truly a part of the sponsor group? Are you two willing to get married and do deals together all the time and not raise for others?
PC: [silence] no… can I charge a finder’s fee?
Me: Sure! [explains parameters and that you can’t charge transaction-based compensation or a success fee and that the SEC has whittled away the finders fee exemption via case law to render it so narrow as to be useless]
PC: [silence] So… how am I supposed to make money.
Me: That’s very hard.

If you’ve read my previous blog posts about capital raisers, you already know how I view the underground capital raiser industry. And you’ve probably heard that SEC subpoenas are flying around.

Yesterday, the SEC published a proposal to open a new avenue for capital raisers that will be interesting to the real estate syndication industry. Before I dive in, keep in mind that this is a proposal and thus not yet effective. The public has 30 days to send letters for comment, suggestions, changes for the SEC’s review.

First, here’s what you’ll want read:

Proposal Summary in Plain English

The following proposal summary is written in plain English for lay people and is not meant to be precise. If you want the legalese version, please scroll down.

If the proposal is adopted, capital raisers who are people, not companies, can help raise capital in a limited way from accredited investors (but no non-accredited investors).

There would be two types of capital raisers: Tier I Finders and Tier II Finders. Those who follow the rules would not need a broker-dealer license and would be able to earn transaction-based compensation (or ‘success fees’) when connecting sponsors with investors.

Tier I Finders would be more limited in their activities than Tier II Finders, and consequently have to satisfy fewer requirements. Tier II Finders can do more, but must meet additional requirements.

Capital raisers (regardless of tier) would need to meet the following requirements:

  • –sponsor is a private, nonreporting company;
  • –the issuer is seeking to conduct the securities offering in reliance on an applicable exemption from registration such as Reg D, Rule 506b. Capital raisers cannot raise under the proposal for Regulation A, Regulation A+, Regulation CF, or Regulation D Rule 506(c) offerings;
  • –Capital raiser doesn’t publicly advertise (or generally solicit);
  • –The capital raiser must reasonably believe the potential investor is an accredited investor;
  • –The capital raiser has a written contract with the sponsor that includes a description of the services provided and associated compensation;
  • –the Finder is not an associated person of a broker dealer; and
  • –the Finder is not subject to statutory disqualification at the time.

Tier I Finders

Tier 1 Finders are limited to providing contact information of potential investors with only one capital raising transaction by a single sponsor within a 12-month period. The Tier I Finder may not have any contact with the potential investors about the issuer. The contact information the Finder may provide may include, among other things, name, phone number, email address, and social media information.

Tier II Finders

Tier II Finders must meet the general conditions above, and may engage in solicitation-related activities that are limited to:

  1. –identifying, screening, and contacting potential investors;
  2. –distributing issuer offering materials to investors;
  3. –discussing issuer information included in any offering materials, provided that the Tier II Finder does not provide advice about the valuation or advisability of the investment; and
  4. –arranging or participating in meetings with the issuer and investor.

The Tier II Finder would need to provide a potential investor, prior to or at the time of the solicitation, disclosures that include:

  1. –the name of the Tier II Finder:
  2. –the name of the issuer or sponsor;
  3. –the description of the relationship between the Tier II Finder and the issuer, including any affiliation;
  4. –a statement that the Tier II Finder will be compensated for his or her solicitation activities by the issuer and a description of such compensation arrangement;
  5. –any material conflict of interest resulting from the arrangement or relationship between the Tier II Finder and the issuer; and
  6. –an affirmative statement that the Tier II Finder is acting as an agent of the issuer, is not acting as an associated person of a broker-dealer, and is not undertaking a role to act in the investor’s best interest.

This disclosure can be provided orally so long as written disclosure will follow soon after and before the investment in the issuer’s securities. The Tier II Finder must also obtain an acknowledgement, either on paper or electronically, from the investor that the investor has received the necessary disclosure.

If you’d like to comment, here’s a video on how.

Additionally, if you’d like help drafting the comment letter, you can contact our firm. As someone who used to sit on the other side and actually had to read public comment letters during the rule-making process, we have unique insight as to how the process works.

Proposal Summary in Legalese

If adopted, the proposal will grant Finders an exemption from the broker deal registration requirements of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act by allowing natural persons to engage in certain limited capital raising activities involving accredited investors, subject to certain conditions. It is important to recognize that the proposal does not bring entity-Finders under the exemption.

The proposed exemption creates two classes of Finders: Tier I Finders and Tier II Finders. Those who tailor their activities to align with the general conditions that apply to the exemption as a whole as well as the individual requirements of one of the two Tiers can avoid registering as a registered representative of a broker dealer and still receive transaction-based compensation when connecting issuers with investors. Generally, Tier I Finders can engage in more limited activities than Tier II Finders, and consequently have to satisfy less requirements to be exempt from registration. In contrast, Tier II Finders may conduct more activities but are obligated to meet additional requirements.

Regardless of whether a Finder seeks exemption from registration as a Tier I Finder or Tier II Finder, the exemption is only available where the following conditions are present:

  • –the issuer is not required to file reports under Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (issuer is a private, nonreporting company);
  • –the issuer is seeking to conduct the securities offering in reliance on an applicable exemption from registration under the Securities Act (note that since Regulation A and Regulation A+ offerings permit some general solicitation and Regulation CF offerings require participation of a registered crowd funding portal, offerings under either of these exemptions are not eligible under this exemptive order);
  • –the Finder does not engage in general solicitation (note that this means a Finder cannot participate in a Rule 506(c) offering since that would involve general solicitation);
  • –the potential investor is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D or the Finder has a reasonable belief that the potential investor is an “accredited investor”;
  • –the Finder provides services pursuant to a written agreement with the issuer that includes a description of the services provided and associated compensation (this condition is similar to that of the “third-party solicitor” under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940);
  • –the Finder is not an associated person of a broker dealer; and
  • –the Finder is not subject to statutory disqualification, as that term is defined in Section 3(a)(39) of the Exchange Act, at the time of his or her participation.

Tier I Finders

Under the exemption proposal, a “Tier I Finder” is a Finder who satisfies the above conditions, and whose activity is limited to providing contact information of potential investors with only one capital raising transaction by a single issuer within a 12-month period. The Tier I Finder may not have any contact with the potential investors about the issuer. The contact information the Finder may provide to the issuer may include, among other things, name, phone number, email address, and social media information. A Tier I finder who satisfies all of the exemption’s conditions may receive transaction-based compensation for their services without being required to register as a broker dealer.

Tier II Finders

The exemption proposal further provides that a “Tier II Finder” is permitted to engage in additional solicitation-related activities beyond those allowed for Tier I Finders if certain additional requirements are met. Under the proposal, Tier II Finders are Finders who, in addition to meeting the general conditions above, engage in solicitation-related activities for an issuer that are limited to:

  1. –identifying, screening, and contacting potential investors;
  2. –distributing issuer offering materials to investors;
  3. –discussing issuer information included in any offering materials, provided that the Tier II Finder does not provide advice about the valuation or advisability of the investment; and
  4. –arranging or participating in meetings with the issuer and investor.

To become a Tier II Finder, the Finder’s additional obligations concern her written disclosure obligations. The Tier II Finder would need to provide a potential investor, prior to or at the time of the solicitation, disclosures that include:

  1. –the name of the Tier II Finder:
  2. –the name of the issuer;
  3. –the description of the relationship between the Tier II Finder and the issuer, including any affiliation;
  4. –a statement that the Tier II Finder will be compensated for his or her solicitation activities by the issuer and a description of such compensation arrangement;
  5. –any material conflict of interest resulting from the arrangement or relationship between the Tier II Finder and the issuer; and
  6. –an affirmative statement that the Tier II Finder is acting as an agent of the issuer, is not acting as an associated person of a broker-dealer, and is not undertaking a role to act in the investor’s best interest.

This disclosure can be provided orally so long as written disclosure will follow soon after and before the investment in the issuer’s securities. The Tier II Finder must also obtain an acknowledgement, either on paper or electronically, from the investor that the investor has received the necessary disclosure.

Bootstrap Legal Merges with Law Firm Sosnow & Associates

Real estate legal document syndication software company merges with law firm to grow; increase resources to clients

IRVINE, CA and NEW YORK, NEW YORK– Bootstrap Legal, the legaltech platform that helps attorneys draft real estate syndication offering documents, announced today that its affiliate law firm, Law Office of Amy Wan, has merged with New York-based law firm Sosnow & Associates PLLC. The merger is intended to allow for the rapid growth of the Bootstrap Legal business, increased resources for real estate syndicators using the Bootstrap Legal product, and creates a bi-coastal presence for both companies. As part of the merger, Bootstrap Legal founder Amy Wan will be joining Sosnow & Associates PLLC as Partner.

“I’m thrilled to join forces with Robin Sosnow, who is an excellent real estate and securities attorney, whom I’ve known since our days counseling real estate crowdfunding portals back in 2014. Our teams’ joint efforts will enable Bootstrap Legal to continue to grow while providing personalized attention and responsive drafting and counseling to clients, which is what we’ve always strived for with the Bootstrap Legal product,” explained Founder and CEO Amy Wan, Esq. Wan is a real estate syndication and securities attorney who started Bootstrap Legal in 2017 to provide efficient, affordable, and responsive access to counsel for real estate syndicators.

“Our firm is delighted to have joined forces with Amy Wan and the Bootstrap Legal Team. Amy has proven to be a respected and successful innovator in her business and legal endeavors, and we’re thrilled to have her as Partner within our growing firm. Now, together, we are able to offer our clients bi-coastal legal services from our offices in Orange County, CA and New York City, NY,” commented Robin Sosnow, Esq., Partner at Sosnow & Associates PLLC.

Since its inception in 2017, Bootstrap Legal has helped real estate syndicators get legal documents quickly and affordably, while neither sacrificing neither quality not personalized attention. The software platform combines AI and attorney services to enrich access to counsel and attorney-grade documentation for real estate syndication clients at flat-fee pricing. It offers the fastest document turnaround time in the industry, with attorney-reviewed drafts within three days.

About BOOTSTRAP LEGAL

BOOTSTRAP LEGAL is a legal technology company. Our mission is to apply artificial intelligence to the law to democratize access to counsel for real estate syndicators. The product, combined with attorney services, drafts real estate private equity, syndication, and crowdfunding legal paperwork so that real estate sponsors can get their legal offering paperwork affordably and quickly. http://www.bootstraplegal.com

About Sosnow & Associates PLLC

Sosnow & Associates PLLC is a boutique corporate and securities law firm based in New York City, New York and Irvine, California. The firm represents U.S. and foreign startups, emerging growth companies, internet-based investment platforms, Title III Funding Portals and broker-dealers in all stages: from inception through seed stage and series financings to exit. The firm offers real estate syndication services and investor representation in residential and commercial transactions. Further, the firm offers a growing and comprehensive blockchain practice, facilitating digital securities offerings and ongoing regulatory compliance matters. 

The founder, Robin Sosnow, Esq., J.D., M.B.A., is a ground floor participant in the equity crowdfunding industry. Sosnow & Associates has deep experience navigating the securities exemptions influenced or created by the JOBS Act and uses a business-minded approach to strategize with clients to promote efficiency, reduce risk and develop cost-effective solutions for their legal needs. 

Interview with Scott Anderson, Former Regulator on Real Estate Syndication

A: Hi everybody, its Amy Wan from Bootstrap Legal. I’m here with Scott Anderson today because we are going to talk about capital raisers and raising money. Scott is the perfect guy to talk to you guys about all of this, so, Scott thanks for joining me.

S: Yeah, thanks for having me.

A: So the reason why I wanted to do this session is because ever since I published my article on capital raisers, I’ve just been inundated with calls and questions and people coming up to me at events asking all these questions. I feel like there’s a lot of confusion out there in the industry and at some point I thought, they don’t want to hear it from me, but they should hear it from you. For those of you who don’t know, Scott has his own law firm now, but he was the former deputy chief counsel at FINRA–the financial regulatory authority–the agency that regulates broker-dealers. Before that, he has led complex criminal prosecutions in the New York State Attorney General’s office and New York Stock Exchange and FINRA, so he brings a very unique prosecutorial perspective. A couple of years ago, Scott would have probably been the one on the enforcement side against capital raisers. Did I do your background justice, Scott?

S: Yeah, they did a great job. Thank you very much.

A: I want to clarify what all the regulations and laws are for capital raisers in the real estate syndication business. Let’s start with defining transaction-based compensation. What is it?

S: Sure, So, you know, the biggest thing people have to be concerned about is whether their activities are going to be deemed to be acting as broker-dealer. A broker is any person it’s engaged in the business of effecting a transaction in the securities for the account of another–so when you think about that and you think about what it means, it essentially means that if you are getting paid for being involved in the securities transaction, then very likely you may be acting as an unregistered broker-dealer. We care about that because the SEC has been very clear both in speech as well as enforcement actions. If you follow SEC enforcement actions, every month or so, there’s another action on an unregistered-broker dealer case. They are very actively pursuing these cases because they believe its the best way to protect investors.

A: If people do not have a broker-dealer license, is there any way they can charge transactions to be as compensation?

S: Just to be clear, transaction-based compensation is if you bring a securities transaction to another party and you only get paid if that person invests or your pay is conditioned on or subject to the amount of money that individual invests– that’s transaction-based compensation. Another way to refer to it more commonly is just “commission.” So, if you are receiving transaction-based compensation by bringing a securities transaction to another party, the SEC has been very clear that they view that as a hallmark that you are engaged in an unregistered broker-dealer activity. So, to answer your question, the answer is ‘no’–if you’re engaging those transactions you cannot do that absent either being registered as a broker-dealer being an associated person of a broker-dealer.

A: Let’s talk about compensation really quickly because I think when people hear commissions, they think ‘cash.’ I have been hearing folks say that they’re giving a piece of the equity as the general partner, or giving part of an acquisition fee or asset management fee. Does that count as compensation?

S: If it’s tied to the Securities transaction, yes, and that’s the problem. And by the way, when the SEC investigates these things, they take a very close look at how compensation was determined, how it’s calculated, and how it was paid. They take a very deep dive and look into it to make an assessment as to whether the compensation that was paid does, in fact, constitute transaction-based compensation.

A: What if someone is helping to raise money but is not charging for it. They’re not getting paid at all. Is that okay?

S: Traditionally the SEC primarily focused on whether somebody was receiving transaction-based compensation. That was the most important criteria for determining kind of a client’s risk, whether they had the risk of an enforcement action, but the SEC has taken broader perspective. When you consider whether you may need to be registered as a broker-dealer or an associate of a registered person with a broker-dealer, the SEC looks at other criteria. In addition to that, for example, are you involved in the solicitation of a securities offering? Are you involved in negotiating a securities transaction? Are you involved in executing a securities transaction? Are you receiving customer funds or holding customer securities? There is more, but those are examples of things that SEC will look at in making its assessment as to whether you should be registered as a broker-dealer. They should consult securities counsel–they don’t have to call me, but they should consult somebody who has some knowledge in the area to get some advice because you know, there could be significant consequences if they do this incorrectly.

A: I want to talk to you about the issuer exemption because I think that people have been interpreting in a very creative and interesting way where they’re just adding capital raisers to the sponsor entity or GP. Do you have a reaction to that?

S: If you receive transaction-based compensation, the issuer exemption is not applicable. And by the way, bringing people into the sponsor, you know under the issuer exemption, their activity can’t just be related to raising capital. They have to have significant responsibilities after raising capital. So from my perspective, I would be at the troubled with respect to that setup.

A: What if their additional responsibility after raising capital is ‘investor relations’?

S: Look, it has to be real. I mean the person who is going into the sponsor really has to have other responsibilities and those responsibilities can’t be the solicitation of investors. It has to be broader than that for the issuer exemption to work and again, as I mentioned a moment ago, it seems the motivation would be lost apparently to even engage in this structure because they can not receive transaction-based compensation or else there’s no issuer exemption available.

A: In terms of alternatives, people are looking at the Finder’s Fee exemption. Can you explain to us the Finder’s Fee Exemption? 

S: A couple of decades ago, the Commission gave some no-action guidance which became known as the Finder’s Fee Exemption. Basically the Finder’s  Fee Exemption was literally just limited so that you introduce somebody to somebody else and you walk away and then you receive a Finder’s fee for that introduction and the introduction doesn’t include a discussion on the merits of the investment, it doesn’t include a recommendation, it doesn’t include involvement and negotiation, it doesn’t include involvement and helping fund the transaction. It was a very limited exemption limited solely to an introduction, which the SEC indicated in such circumstances would not require registration as a broker-dealer. 

The problem now is that since the guidance came out, the SEC has largely, through cases, backed away from that guidance, specifically articulating that if you receive transaction-based compensation on a single security transaction, that may be enough to require that you be registered as broker-dealer. Anyone who is considering relying on the Finder’s fee exemption– I urge them to consult securities counsel. And when you’re getting the opinion from counsel that you can do this, ask the lawyer to put it in writing it so it’s very clear what the opinion and advice is, and so that if there’s ever an issue later with that opinion and advice, it can be shared as a mechanism for defending yourself against an SEC investigation. 

But the Finder’s Fee exemption is very limited now and the SEC priority has made it very clear, even in a non-fraud situation, that unregistered broker-dealer cases are an SEC priority because they want people engaged in these activities to have a certain level of knowledge. They want individuals engaged in this business to be supervised by a supervisor–generally a Series 24 supervisor, a broker-dealer who makes sure they’re complying with certain rules, etc. And they also expect that people engaged in the business as broker-dealers are gate-keepers. They have a responsibility to protect investors. And that responsibility is supervised directly by FINRA, which is a self-regulatory organization. I believe that gives the SEC comfort knowing that people engaged in this type of activity are regulated directly by FINRA and their activities being reviewed on a regular basis. 

A: Fantastic. Is there anything else you wanna add for our listeners?

S: Yeah I would just say that we’re talking about an area that the SEC cares very much about, that the SEC is consistently bringing cases on. You should be consulting legal counsel and not kind of guessing or putting patchwork together with respect to how you believe you can conduct your business. You should get an opinion from legal counsel.

A; If people have been engaged in the activities that we’ve been discussing today, and say they’re going to promise to not do that anymore or back away from it, given that they’ve already done some of these activities in the past, what should they do?

S: Well, they should consult counsel. I mean, the first thing they should do is stop engaging in the activities if they believe that their activities are illegal. Speak to legal counsel, who may confirm that you should be a broker-dealer. There’s a tremendous amount of risk for you to go forward and not be broker-dealer. People should take pause and listen to that advice and act on that advice with respect to what they should do about their previous activity. That’s a longer discussion and I think it’s a conversation they should have with legal counsel.  

A: Fantastic. Scott, how can people find and follow you? 

S: My website is finlawyer.com. My phone number, my e-mail address is contained there. 

A: Fantastic. Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Scott.

S: Yeah my pleasure. Nice seeing you 

A: You too. 

Let’s Talk about the Real Estate Syndication ‘Capital Raiser’ Trend

Over the past few years, a certain bubble has arisen in the real estate syndication industry that causes many of us securities attorneys to worry. A new breed of sponsors self-labelled as “capital raisers” has come into existence, and their practices of raising capital in conjunction with the sale of securities is looking increasingly more like multi-level marketing than the tightly-regulated activity it is required to be. In other words, many of the capital raising activities we’re seeing probably violate securities laws.

Over the past few months, I’ve seen or heard about the following suspect practices:

  • — Capital raisers getting paid for raising capital from acquisition or asset management fees
  • — Deals with over a dozen individuals in the sponsor team
  • — “Deferred equity structures” where a capital raiser is rewarded with a slice of the management or sponsor entity depending on how much is raised
  • — Capital raisers claiming to be “part of the General Partnership” when they’re not mentioned anywhere in the PPM or Investor Summary/Deck
  • — Investors being presented with the same deal from multiple different people claiming to be part of the Sponsor
  • — And more.

What’s a Broker Dealer?

The federal activity-based definition of “broker” in Section 3(a)(4) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is straightforward:

BROKER. — (A) IN GENERAL. — The term “broker” means any person engaged in the business of effecting transactions in securities for the account of others.

The definition’s operative terms are “engaged in the business” and “effecting transactions” and both are broadly construed by the SEC.

Borrowing from a speech by David Blass, Chief Counsel of the SEC Division of Trading and Markets, (https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/2013-spch040513dwghtm):

The test for broker-dealer registration is broad and depends on various activities a person performs in one or more securities transactions.

Some examples of activities, or factors, that might require private fund adviser personnel to register as a broker-dealer include:

  • Marketing securities (shares or interests in a private fund) to investors,
  • Soliciting or negotiating securities transactions, or
  • Handling customer funds and securities.

The importance of each of these activities is heightened where there also is compensation that depends on the outcome or size of the securities transaction — in other words, transaction-based compensation, also referred to as a “salesman’s stake” in a securities transaction. The SEC and SEC staff have long viewed receipt of transaction-based compensation as a hallmark of being a broker. This makes sense to me as the broker regulatory structure is built, at least in large part, around managing the conflict of interest arising from a broker acting as a securities salesman, as compared to an investment adviser which traditionally acts as a fiduciary and which should not have that same type of conflict of interest.

When we talk about “compensation,” we mean more than a mere commission. The SEC has a broad view of compensation–it can be a commission, cash, equity, warrants, options, cryptocurrency, etc. The important factor is whether the compensation is “transaction-based” or based on the success of a transaction. For example, an algorithm defining the percentage allocation of a syndication GP or manager based off the amount of capital each sponsor member brings in would probably be considered transaction-based compensation. However, a scenario where John Doe will get 5% of a manager entity for a variety of duties, including capital raising, even if he is unable to raise a single dollar, is less likely to be considered transaction-based compensation. The operative question here is whether the compensation is dependent on a successful transaction. Only registered broker-dealers licensed with FINRA can be paid transaction-based compensation–and I have yet to come across a ‘capital raiser’ holding such licensure.

If It Walks Like a Duck

Despite the above, many individuals seem to have fostered their own interpretations, or designed fancy agreements or loopholes around the transaction-based compensation rule. I’ve seen this happen before in other industries. However, the answer is always the same—it doesn’t matter what you label the activity or how creative you try to be about it. It really comes down to what is actually happening—does the scheme look like transaction-based compensation or not? When the SEC looks at the situation, if it looks like transaction-based compensation is going on, that is probably what they will label the activity. In other words, ‘if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and swims like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

While there is no formula to say what is transaction-based compensation and what it not, generally I tell clients that if they are going to bring a business partner into the sponsor role, that person had better be a true sponsor. Conservatively, this means that they bring value or a unique skill set to the offering, have duties and responsibilities throughout the lifetime of the deal—not just during the capital raise—and those duties should include activities that don’t involve raising capital (or investor relations or anything else relating to investors). Additionally, it means that any compensation an individual receives should not be tied to how much capital they raised—whether that compensation is in cash or equity.

Other (Legal) Ways of Working With Capital Raisers

There are other ways to work with capital raisers. For example, once could start a fund of funds, or a sub-syndication that invests in a parent syndication. The capital raiser can raise capital for their own fund (and thus, become the “sponsor” of their own offering), which would then invest those proceeds in one or more other funds or offerings. In these scenarios, the fund generally charges the investor an administrative fee, carried interest, or other fees to compensate them for bringing the deal to investors and doing due diligence. It also helps smaller investors group money to be able to invest in deals that require high minimum investments. The downside of the fund of funds approach, though, is higher transactional costs (to create the sub-syndicate) and the additional burden of meeting possibility of needing to be a registered investment advisor, or RIA (or an exemption from RIA licensure).

I used to talk about other ways to folks could help others raise capital, such as specific types of consulting agreements that do not pay transaction-based compensation, but I’ve seen such an abuse of these methods lately that I’m less inclined to talk about them.

Why Haven’t People Talked About This Issue Before

While “capital raisers” have been around for a while, their arrangements looked far different from the multi-level marketing schemes we’re seeing today. Traditionally, capital raisers who joined a sponsor group would know exactly which deals of which they were a co-sponsor. The number of sponsors in an offering would be limited in number, and the capital raiser would get a small, fixed percentage of the sponsor’s share for fulfilment of all their duties, regardless of whether they succeeded in raising money for the offering.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Violations of securities laws come with a number of consequences. I always explain to clients that they’re dealing with two different types of risk—regulatory risk and litigation risk.

Regulatory risk is in relation to risk that federal or state regulators (i.e., the SEC, FINRA, state securities agencies) come after you for violation of securities laws. The consequences range from rescission, fines and penalties, criminal charges, jail time, and being labeled a ‘bad actor.’ At the state level, some states have more draconian laws which allow the investor to require the capital raiser (if they are an unlicensed broker dealer) to repurchase all unlawfully sold securities.

While all of these are bad, I believe the most detrimental punishment for a real estate syndicator is the bad actor label, which means that that individual cannot be a director or officer of any company that is raising capital for a period of time (sometimes forever). Effectively, this means that if you are labeled as a bad actor, you cannot be part of the sponsor group for a real estate syndication (or any other private placement), and you are limited in your investments in real estate syndication (and other private placements).

Still, as scary as regulators seem, regulators are often civil servants mandated to uphold their agency’s mission. If you are cooperative, life will be easier.

That is not true, however, of the plaintiff’s bar. If your investors hire an attorney to sue you, the sponsor, you may be in for a world of hurt. Plaintiff-side attorneys sometimes work on a contingency (so are not motivated to settle for less than a large sum) and other times, bill by the hour (and thus are motivated to make the process long and painful). My plaintiff-side attorney friends often joke to me that they love it when sponsors get sued because they get to bill for 100 times the amount of money the sponsor would have spent to avoid the issue in the first place. Just remember—we live in the most litigious country in the world, and Americans love to sue.

You may be wondering why you haven’t heard of any sponsors getting sued over all this stuff. There are many answers. For one, I believe that ‘capital raiser’ problem has become big enough to attract attention from regulators—and that the axe hasn’t fallen yet (but will). Secondly, there are a lot of people running around who quite frankly have never talked to an attorney, and were trained by someone else who also hasn’t talked to an attorney. And third, people don’t tend to air their dirty laundry, so if they’re getting investigated by regulators or sued, they’re not going to advertise that fact. I can tell you though that I’ve gotten more concerned inquiries about capital raisers in the past few months than the past few years. And, I’ve gotten more calls from folks asking for referrals to a litigation attorney in the past few months than I have over the past few years.

Why This Is Important

This is important because of the ramifications that today’s non-compliance may have on future offerings. The rule of thumb in securities offerings is that you must disclose all material information that an investor would want to know when they invest—this includes any personal or business bankruptcies, litigation, criminal proceedings, and run-ins with regulatory authorities. Once you get a formal order or enforcement action by a regulatory authority or become embroiled in litigation on a past syndication deal, you must disclose that information in your future deals in writing. This may sound like nothing right now, but for clients who have been in this situation, it’s an uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing feeling.

Many of you get into real estate syndication to provide for your families. If there is anything I can wish for my clients, it is for you and your families to avoid going through the stress and pain that regulatory action and litigation oftentimes bring. In some cases, the stress becomes too much and results in people losing their families. Please don’t let the reason you get into real estate syndication end up as the thing you lose.

The Different Types of Regulatory Exemptions

What are the different types of regulatory exemptions people can use to raise capital?

When raising capital, entrepreneurs must generally register with the SEC, or fall under a regulatory exemption. Those who register with the SEC are the likes of public companies, such as the ones you see on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq. However, the vast majority of capital raised in the United States is actually raised privately, not publicly, and falls under a private placement exemption.

Of the $1.8 Trillion raised under Regulation D from 2009-2017, 99.9% of the capital was raised under Rule 506(b) and 506(c). There’s good reason for this–those exemptions are fairly easy to use and provide federal preemption, meaning issuers don’t have to deal too much with state laws.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to the various SEC securites regulations and rules is that the more the SEC allows you to do, the more they’re going to ask for in return.

Most issuers raise capital under Rule 506(b), which allows an unlimited raise amount and unlimited numbers of accredited investors, but limits you to up to 35 non-accredited investors. You should have a substantial, pre-existing relationship with these investors, and cannot generally solicit (or advertise). Investors can self-certify (or fill out a form) that they are accredited.

About 4% of capital raised under Regulation D is raised under Rule 506(c)–a newer exemption that became effective only in 2013 as a result of the JOBS Act. Much like Rule 506(b), this rule allows unlimited raises and unlimited numbers of accredited investors, but bars investments from an non-accredited investors. However, issuers are allowed to generally solicit (or advertise) the offering, meaning that they can announce it online through ads, social media, at meetups, through unsolicited email, via radio, etc. However, issuers must verify that their investors are, in fact, accredited (thus, no more self-certification process, as was the case in Rule 506(b)). This is a more probing investigation of the investor involving W-2s and tax documents, and a source of friction when closing an investor, so many issuers will not use a Rule 506(c) offering unless they have a well thought-out plan to take advantage of the advertising capability that Rule 506(c) offers.

The Difference Between Joint Ventures and Syndications

A joint venture and syndication may often look alike, but are governed by vastly different laws.

A joint venture primarily governed by contract law and involves a few business partners who, regardless of whether they invest in the deal or not, are all actively involved and each contribute unique skills to the overall success of the project. Unique skills may include, for example, construction management, property management, due diligence, underwriting, searching for financing, handling accounting and legal, etc. However, these must all be real significance skills. Getting a group of people together every Tuesday to drink wine and vote on the color of the paint for the building, for example, doesn’t rise to the level of a unique skill.

In a syndication, one or few people are part of the sponsor or managing team. They are responsible for the overall success of the project and they each bring a unique skill. Everyone else who contributes money but is not actively involved in the deal is considered a passive investor. Syndications are a type of securities offering.

A security, or investment contract, is defined by the Howey test, which is a four prong test. It defines an investment contract or security as:

  1. an investment of money due to
  2. an expectation of profits arising from a
  3. common enterprise which
  4. depends solely on the efforts of a promoter or third party.

In a joint venture, because all business partners are involved, they are not relying on a third party for the venture to be successful. In a syndication, passive investors rely on the sponsor or management team to realize an ROI.

This is what female founders want

This is a slightly longer explication of my medium post.

Female tech founders are definitely well aware of the conversations surrounding gender these days. And let’s not kid ourselves–tech isn’t the only industry with issues around gender discrimination, harassment, or implicit bias.

I had the opportunity to attend Jason Calacanis’ Founder University with 50 other female founders this past week (which was organized by his amazing staff, including Jacqui Deegan, and graciously hosted by Wilson Sonsini).

Towards the end of two days of intense, deep learning from industry experts, Jason brought up the fact that the topic of gender discrimination was a topic that was not discussed at all (or, at least, barely. Only one person made a slight reference to it). Jason explained that he and Jacqui debated about whether or not to bring up the topic, and ultimately decided to leave it up to attendees to bring it up:

“But you didn’t want to talk about it — you just wanted to talk about your companies.”

Continue reading “This is what female founders want”