The Crowdfunding Revolution: A Conversation with StartEngine's Howard Marks

Technori

Scott Kitun talks to StartEngine co-founder Howard Marks. The conversation starts with Kitun's curiosity about Marks' early involvement in crowdfunding, despite having been an entrepreneur (founder of Activision) for a long time. Marks recounts his journey from investing in entrepreneurs in Los Angeles to eventually building StartEngine. He reflects on entrepreneurs' difficulties when raising capital, especially those who don't fit the traditional "Stanford-educated, white male" profile. Marks shares his experience with the initial skepticism and resistance faced, emphasizing the potential opportunity when the general consensus is against a new idea. He also highlights the success of StartEngine so far, its future prospects, and the company's recent launch of a secondary marketplace for trading alternative assets.
Highlights include:

Howard Marks reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, the origin of StartEngine, and the difficulty entrepreneurs face in raising follow-on investments, particularly those from diverse backgrounds (1:58).

Marks expresses his frustration with the traditional investment model and discusses how the Jobs Act of 2012 sparked his interest in crowdfunding as a potentially revolutionary opportunity (12:39).

Marks discusses the growth and success of StartEngine, the launch of its marketplace for trading, and the future prospects of the platform (14:02).