Raising Capital Using Equity Crowdfunding and Cryptocurrency
Equity crowdfunding is a relatively new way for companies to raise capital. It gives people the opportunity to invest without having millions of dollars. The concept hasn't quite taken off in popularity, but some companies are already using it to their advantage.
Aristotle Loumis, Founder and CEO of Ellison Eyewear, shares how his company used the new tool to get off the ground. Since launching, sunglass maker Ellison Eyewear has raised about $300,000 using various types of crowdfunding, some of which was through cryptocurrency.
Loumis says he was inspired to create the company after a trip to Greece. All of the company's products are created in family-owned workshops in Greece.
Ellison Eyewear features a "loss-insured" membership. For people who are prone to losing their sunglasses, customers can get replacements without paying full price for a new pair.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
