When Facebook announced in March 2014 that it was acquiring virtual-reality pioneer Oculus VR for $2 billion, the news caused jaws to drop throughout the tech industry. It also left at least a few of the 9,522 people who had contributed to Oculus’s Kickstarter campaign less than two years earlier grumbling that they should be cut in on the windfall.
Sorry, crowdfunders: The $2.4 million you put up via Kickstarter entitled you to posters, T-shirts, and prerelease versions of the Rift headset, not equity participation in a landmark deal. But Oculus’s journey from crowdfunding phenom to blockbuster acquisition did get people asking a bigger question. Sites such as Kickstarter and its archrival, Indiegogo, have had a transformative effect on how startups bootstrap themselves. Why shouldn’t the masses be allowed to invest in new companies and have a chance at realizing a profit?
That pent-up desire has been particularly acute ever since President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act in 2012. Better known as the JOBS Act, the law includes provisions designed to let startups use the web to sell equity stakes to large numbers of people. “For the first time, ordinary Americans will be able to go online and invest in entrepreneurs that they believe in,” the president explained. Last summer saw the first of the JOBS Act’s crowdfunding provisions take effect. And though one of the key parts of the law is still working its way through regulators, it may finally kick in next year.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2015 من Fast Company.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2015 من Fast Company.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Campus Radicals
Welcome to UATX, Austin's new well-funded and controversial anti-woke university.
What Went Wrong at 23 and Me
The company's DNA spit tests were going to remake healthcare. The science proved more complicated.
Toxic-Workplace Avenger
Her landmark lawsuit helped ignite the Me Too movement. Gretchen Carlson is now on a crusade to protect all workers.
A Lousy Bet
Sportsbooks, leagues, and networks: the new unholy alliance to promote legal gambling.
CAN'T STOP ROLLING
MOBILE GAME MAKER SCOPELY TOOK IN $2 BILLION IN JUST 10 MONTHS FROM ITS HIT GAME MONOPOLY GO. PLAYERS, IT SEEMS, ARE ADDICTED TO THE FUN.
A minimum hourly wage law for NYC delivery workers has boosted their pay-but not everyone is reaping the benefits.
$19.56, the hard way
IT'S A TOUGH JOB BUT GENZ NEEDS TO DO IT
HOW DAVID HOGG IS RALLYING YOUNG PEOPLE TO PURSUE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST AND MOST IMPORTANT CAREERS IN AMERICA: POLITICS.
INNOVATION BY DESIGN
For 13 years, our Innovation by Design Awards have been shining a light on stunning creations. The following pages highlight 20 of this year's winning projects, from an app that helps resettle political refugees to a massive restoration project in Detroit. Plus, a list of winners and finalists in all 50 categories.
How's This for a Cliffhanger?
That poor henchman over there has a hammer stuck in his forehead.
CREATOR ECONOMY
Carpe DM New platforms monetize intimate\" bonds between creators and their fans.