About David Drake

Six Mistakes I’ve Learned Through Failure

I have failed hundreds of times with startups. From coupon cutting to club promoting, from restaurant services to technology companies, from venture-capital funds to hedge funds, you name it and I can tell you where I failed.

Top 10 Rules of Thumb for Startups

In my more than 20 years as a serial entrepreneur and investor, I have seen a few common mistakes among startups and entrepreneurs. Here are some tips to fix those mistakes:

Startups Cannot Live Without Outsourcing

Despite its known drawbacks, outsourcing is a smart strategy that an entrepreneur can use well beyond its benefits of keeping overhead costs and operational expenses to a minimum.

2013: What's In Store For Crowdfunding And Angel Investors

CrowdFunding will lead the way!
The first half of 2013 will be a time when self-assessed delivery, customer and consumer communication and angel experience in quality control and supply chain operations will become key topics. Governance topics will evolve subsequently by Q3 2013.

Italy Leads The U.S. -- In Equity Crowdfunding

Last March 29, Italy’s Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB), the equivalent of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US, submitted requests for public commenting on the equity crowdfunding rules currently considered. It seems that Italy will surpass the JOBS Act in the implementation of the first equity crowdfunding law in the world.

Crowdfunding's Latest Invasion: Real Estate

Crowdfunding is rapidly changing the real-estate investment market, offering developers new ways to finance projects, small investors a way in, and the socially conscious an avenue to support their local communities—and their local farms.

Where to find the next Devil’s Violinist – and the next Paganini of 24 Caprices

Maria Paganini had no relatives since Niccolo Paganini (1872-1840) rose to infamy levels as the Devil’s Violinist. None of the Italian or Argentinian Paganini families dared to live up to the greatest violinist of all time.

Alternative Finance Update: Top 4 Emerging Leaders in Real Estate Crowdfunding

The crowdfunding industry offers real estate entrepreneurs and investors the financial technology solutions, the conducive regulatory environment, and the opportunity to access and raise capital for real estate projects. As the industry’s competitive landscape continue to evolve at a rapid pace, new real estate crowdfunding firms enter the scene and challenge the market dominance of platforms who were leading the pack as early entrants to the space.

A growth story in the midst of bad news

Real estate crowdfunding is on the rise and is inarguably the hottest sector within the crowdfunding industry in the United States. In 2014, a total of $1 billion was raised through reale state crowdfunding platforms alone.

The Economics of Immigration

We need to retain brain capital in the U.S. as the foreign nationals who exit our universities with graduate degrees are currently not allowed to stay. Entrepreneurs return home and end up competing with American companies – removing potential jobs that should be kept in the U.S.

Stepping on the Peers

Institutional investors are taking over the nascent peer-to-peer lending industry, and in doing so, taking the “peer” out of the equation. For their part, “peer-to-peer” lending platforms like Lending Club, Prosper, FundingCircle, Zopa, Peerform, and Ratesetter are embracing the shift.

A Storm is Coming: PE Funds Fall Under Reg D 506 C

In spite of prior delays, on August 29, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission finally issued its first proposals for rules under the Jobs Act that would relax general solicitation for accredited investors.