MicroVentures Surpasses $50 Million Equity Crowdfunding Milestone, Generating ROI for Investors and Fueling Growth for Startups

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MicroVentures, an online venture capital platform, announced today it has raised more than $50 million directly for its portfolio companies, while generating positive returns for its investors through successful exits, such as the recent acquisition of Space Monkey, a cloud data storage company, by Vivint, the largest home automation services provider in North America.

Accelerated growth of MicroVentures will be fueled by new investment opportunities that cater to investors' rising interests, such as late stage pre-IPO companies and real estate. The company's focus includes investments in internet technology, media and entertainment, software, green technology, mobile, social and gaming.

"We set out five years ago to create the user-friendly platform that connects investors and startups at the seed stage," said Bill Clark, founder of MicroVentures. "Today MicroVentures not only connects, but leads investment rounds for our portfolio companies – the first equity crowdfunding platform to play this role. This milestone showcases the viability of the equity crowdfunding business and we look forward to continuing to grow alongside our investors and entrepreneurs."

The more than $50 million raised to date includes investments in successful companies such as Twitter (IPO), Facebook (IPO), Yelp (IPO), Republic Project (acquired), LaunchRock (acquired), and Loom (acquired by Dropbox). Other notable start-ups that are currently part of the MicroVentures' portfolio include Structured Polymers, Soldsie, Biomeme and Oru Kayak, who was featured in the last season of Shark Tank and is actively raising capital via the MicroVentures platform today.

"MicroVentures gave us the opportunity to pitch in front of over 20,000 global investors," said Nathan Derrick, CEO of Supplyhog. "This allowed us to spend less time raising capital and more time growing our business."

Since establishing itself in 2010 as one of the first equity crowdfunding platforms that is a FINRA registered broker-dealer, MicroVentures has grown its investor community from 200 individuals to more than 22,000 individuals. The company has done so through building expertise, security, selectivity, due diligence, personalized customer service and accessibility for both accredited and non-accredited investors. The MicroVentures team is committed to providing confidence for both startups and investors through its dedication to rigorous due diligence and to personal relationships with investors.

About MicroVentures

MicroVentures is one of the financial industry's first organizations which merges crowdfunding with the venture capital industry. The San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX based firm provides an opportunity for angel investors to invest in startups alongside Venture Capitalists, often at the same terms. MicroVentures conducts detailed due diligence on startups and if approved they help the startup raise capital from both accredited and non-accredited investors. For more information, visit www.microventures.com, or follow @microventures on Twitter.

SOURCE MicroVentures