The JOBS Act Signing: A Giant Step for Entrepreneurship in America

At the White House yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching one of the most forward-thinking pieces of pro-business bipartisan legislation to date signed into law by President Obama: the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.

The JOBS Act reduces many of the regulatory barriers that have, up to this point, made it nearly impossible for young startups to raise much-needed capital from investors. If hundreds of Members of Congress and thousands of young American entrepreneurs, myself included, are correct — and I believe we are — this historic moment is going to redefine business as we know it.

Among other capital formation measures, including the expansion of mini-IPOs, the amended JOBS Act includes an edited version of Congressman Patrick McHenry’s “crowd funding bill,” which allows startups and small businesses to raise up to $1 million annually through a number of small-dollar donations using web-based crowdfunding platforms.

Even amid concerns about the long-term potential investor fraud (which was answered, in part, by an amendment from the Senate designed to protect non-accredited investors), the United States Congress still went forward and did the right thing: they stepped up, with majorities in both the House and the Senate, to overwhelmingly support a bill that many young entrepreneurs feel will significantly improve the U.S. startup ecosystem. Read more.......