Summary: This week on the Everyone Funding Startups podcast we spoke to Sara Hanks, founder of the crowdfunding due diligence company, CrowdCheck. Sara is an attorney with 30 years of experience working in the corporate and securities fields. She recently stepped down as the General Counsel of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the overseer of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was chaired by Professor Elizabeth Warren. Sara brings a wealth of legal expertise in securities and startups to the emerging crowdfunding marketplace, and her new company, CrowdCheck, is designed to protect against fraud by performing due diligence checks on entrepreneurs. She was also a panelist at the SEC’s recent Forum on Small Business Capital Formation, talking about Title III of the JOBS Act. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here or by subscribing to the Everyone Funding Startups iTunes channel. 00:50 How did you originally get involved in working with the SEC? 02:49 What made you start your company, CrowdCheck? 03:59 Could you tell us a bit more about your reports that provide background checks, disclosure, and due diligence for crowdfunding? 05:08 Could you summarize the current state of the JOBS Act as we come to the end of 2012? 07:05 Will the resignation of Chairman Mary Schapiro and others have an impact on the SEC’s implementation timelines for the JOBS Act? 09:00 What do you think the SEC is wrestling with as it implements Title II at the moment? 11:20 What will the everyday American notice when these new regulations come into effect? 13:28 Why do you think crowdfunding will have a significant impact on minority and women-led companies? 15:49 What impact do you think it will have on traditional support industries like accountants, law firms, or consultancies? 19:57 Is the best place to start for people coming into the industry now the various industry associations that have sprung up in the US? 23:18 How can listeners get in touch with you and CrowdCheck? 24:15 End You can get in touch with Sara and the CrowdCheck team at www.crowdcheck.com, and you can follow them on Twitter @crowdcheck and on Facebook. Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of Everyone Funding Startups. Check out our new podcast page at EveryoneFundingStartups.com.
