Rafe Furst says he’s a “junkie” for entrepreneurship. He’s been investing in and launching small businesses since 1996, and last year he helped push through legislation that made both a whole lot easier. It’s called the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, signed into law on April 5, 2012, and it legalized crowdfunded investment in the United States. This gives private businesses and startup companies the ability to raise small amounts of money from many investors, rather than asking a few for larger sums. Furst believes that by allowing small businesses to cast a wide net, more will get funded and as a result, more will succeed.
This year he and fellow entrepreneur Chance Barnett launched their own online platform, crowdfunder.com, to help small business raise money through crowdfunded investment.