What the heck is a “recession incession” and more pearls of wisdom from Fundrise CEO Ben Miller

Welcome back, GowerCrowders!

We are firmly in the grip of the holiday season, and I’ve got a wide array of new deals and CF industry news for you this week. In other words, this week, I’m your very own real estate crowdfunding Santa Claus.

This week, I’ll cover AcreTrader’s recent Webinar + Live Q& A for Rolling Fork Timber Tract as well as a new Australian offering from the farm-focused crowdfunding platform, the Natone Creek Farm. 

In industry news, I’ve got a big update from the OASB, Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, which recently released its Fiscal Year 2022 Report, which included several data points relating to regulation crowdfunding and the world of small business financing. 

I’ll also look at a new development at real estate crowdfunding platform NYCE and cover two new podcasts from the fine folks over at Fundrise. 

Let’s get into it.

New Crowdfunding Platform Deals

AcreTrader recently held a live webinar for the Rolling Fork Timber Tract. Joining the discussion was investment analyst Van Poindexter and AcreTrader Investor Relations Manager Zoe Buonaiuto. 

The webinar, which took place on Monday, December 19th, covered several topics, including how professional forest management benefits a timber investment over time, the Southwestern Arkansas “wood basket,” and the harvest and exit optionality provided by a large timber property- like Rolling Fork. 

While you may have missed the live webinar, you can still access a copy of their insightful discussion on AcreTrader by filling out the form, here.

For our next deal,  let’s head to the land down under, where AcreTrader recently listed the Natone Creek Farm, a 422-acre row crop farm in Tasmania, Australia. This offering gives investors the ability to grab a piece of this productive farm with versatile soil- and to help the sponsors support capital improvements and diversify their business internationally. 

As of the writing of this article, the Natone Creek Farm is 88% subscribed- so definitely check out the deal page if you’re interested in owning a piece of the first AcreTrader offering on the magical island of Tasmania, just off the Australian mainland’s coast.

General Crowdfunding Industry News

The Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, or OASB, recently released its Fiscal Year 2022 annual report. In it, the SEC Small Business Advocacy Office discusses a myriad of topics affecting…you guessed it…small businesses. They cover a wide range of metrics and events, including rising interest rates, labor market issues, inflation, and even geopolitical conflicts like the War in Ukraine. 

More relevant for you guys is their focus on small business capital formation, including a look at how small businesses access capital, including through regulation crowdfunding. It is a bit of a long read- but I guarantee you will come out of it with a more granular understanding of the triumphs and challenges in the small business space and the crowdfunding market as a whole.

Check it out on the SEC site, here.

Crowdfunding Platform Updates

Real estate investment platform NYCE recently listed its shares on Securitize, a digital securities platform. NYCE, a firm with the stated goal of becoming the “Robinhood of real estate,” previously raised capital using the Reg CF exemption, aka Regulation Crowdfunding. The firm has investment opportunities listed on both Republic and WeFunder, with the firm’s first project- TEMPLE I, trading on Securitize, in what they call their first “digital liquidity event” for a Reg CF securities offering. 

Get the rest of the story at Crowdfund Insider, here.

Multimedia Links (Videos, Podcasts, etc.)

As always, we’ll finish up with a couple of podcasts. This week we’ve got two new options from Fundrise’s in-house podcast, “Onward.” 

In the first, Fundrise CEO Ben Miller speaks with Larry Silverstein, the chairman of Silverstein Properties and a long-term investor in defining Manhattan properties- like the World Trade Center. The interview covers the interesting twists and turns of Mr. Silverstein’s life, the history of New York City, and how the two intersected to give him a front-row seat to perhaps the most amazing success story in American real estate- the revitalization of Manhattan. You can listen directly on Fundrise.com here.

The second podcast, also on Fundrise, is a scenario-planning discussion with CEO Ben Miller and Cardiff Garcia. In the talk, both share their predictions for what the next year may bring, the implications of the 80/20 rule for inflation, and what the heck a “recession incession” is. While no one has a crystal ball, both of these professionals know their stuff- and you should definitely listen to what they have to say- even if you don’t entirely agree with their predictions. You can listen to a copy on the Fundrise site here.

That’s all for now- but I’ll be back next week with new deals, platform updates, crowdfunding news stories, and more. Until then!