1. What’s the purpose putting offering on the WNY Region Food System Initiative site?
We aim to increase the resilience and self-reliance of the food system in WNY through more local investment in food and farming businesses (FFB) in the region. We plan to educate FFBs in the region about new opportunities for raising capital through grassroots investment and help them prepare to make successful investment crowdfunding campaigns. We also plan to educate residents of the region about opportunities to invest locally by listing current investment crowdfunding offerings and through educational webinars, videos, and links.
2. Do you put together the investment transactions?
No. All the investment transactions occur exclusively on federally licensed crowdfunding portals. We just provide information. We help WNY residents find investment offerings from WNY food and farming businesses, and we help prepare residents and businesses for these transactions. If you’re interested in learning more about crowdfunding or securities law in general, please check out our other FAQs.
3. How can I prepare myself to be an effective local investor?
Read through these FAQs. Check out our resources. Consider taking one of our courses. And find one or more friends or neighbors to work with. Creating a small group, whether just an informal discussion group or a formal investment club, can spread the work required and is just more fun.
4. How can my company get capital through this site?
We don’t provide capital, per se, but we can help you develop a successful crowdfunding campaign. To help determine whether your company is a good candidate for crowdfunding, we are designing a short intake survey called ARE YOU READY FOR CROWDFUNDING? This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, augment the former, and fix the latter.
5. Do you evaluate the companies you list?
Not exactly. Any company that raises capital from a federally licensed crowdfunding portal must go through a review process that includes vetting the company principals and its books. And there are very specific rules about information the company can or cannot provide about its operations. We help WNY companies interested in crowdfunding prepare for this review process. Some of the companies we review go on to crowdfund, other do not. And only a some of the companies we list have been directly reviewed by us. You should always undertake an independent review of any company before you invest in it. See our FAQs for Local Investors.
We aim to increase the resilience and self-reliance of the food system in WNY through more local investment in food and farming businesses (FFB) in the region. We plan to educate FFBs in the region about new opportunities for raising capital through grassroots investment and help them prepare to make successful investment crowdfunding campaigns. We also plan to educate residents of the region about opportunities to invest locally by listing current investment crowdfunding offerings and through educational webinars, videos, and links.
2. Do you put together the investment transactions?
No. All the investment transactions occur exclusively on federally licensed crowdfunding portals. We just provide information. We help WNY residents find investment offerings from WNY food and farming businesses, and we help prepare residents and businesses for these transactions. If you’re interested in learning more about crowdfunding or securities law in general, please check out our other FAQs.
3. How can I prepare myself to be an effective local investor?
Read through these FAQs. Check out our resources. Consider taking one of our courses. And find one or more friends or neighbors to work with. Creating a small group, whether just an informal discussion group or a formal investment club, can spread the work required and is just more fun.
4. How can my company get capital through this site?
We don’t provide capital, per se, but we can help you develop a successful crowdfunding campaign. To help determine whether your company is a good candidate for crowdfunding, we are designing a short intake survey called ARE YOU READY FOR CROWDFUNDING? This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, augment the former, and fix the latter.
5. Do you evaluate the companies you list?
Not exactly. Any company that raises capital from a federally licensed crowdfunding portal must go through a review process that includes vetting the company principals and its books. And there are very specific rules about information the company can or cannot provide about its operations. We help WNY companies interested in crowdfunding prepare for this review process. Some of the companies we review go on to crowdfund, other do not. And only a some of the companies we list have been directly reviewed by us. You should always undertake an independent review of any company before you invest in it. See our FAQs for Local Investors.