NIN Ventures, a venture capital (VC) fund being managed online, is taking advantage of the JOBS Act to publicize its fundraising efforts. At $100,000, the Chicago-based firm's minimum investment threshold is significantly lower compared with other VC funds, according to VentureBeat.
Founder Nin Desai explained: "I have been working in the private equity and venture capital industry for almost a decade and during that time I noticed, venture capital funds were only accepting investments of at least $5 million which traditionally came from entities such as endowment funds, large institutions, pension funds, and wealthy individuals. Given the recession, these firms and individuals who were normally willing to write big checks had become increasingly rare."
NIN allows any accredited investor to sign up and invest through its site. The VC fund, in turn, will invest in startups involved in financial services, Internet and digital media, education software, cloud computing, and mobile communication. Investors can login to NIN's website to monitor quarterly reports, the report detailed.
The JOBS Act rule 506©3 rule permits investment firms and other businesses to make their fundraising campaigns known to the public, the report added.
The venture capital industry is highly risky in terms of investment because investors have low odds of seeing a return. NIN is one example of how the JOBS Act can potentially move VC away from being an inside club and how this trend could affect the VC industry itself, VentureBeat reported.
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