Austin, TX, Aug. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Distinguished FinTech and crowdfunding expert Judd Hollas has signed on as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Newchip, an emerging online investment marketplace likened to “the Shark Tank for Everyday Americans”, the “Tinder for Investing”, and the “Kayak of Investment Platforms.”
In making the announcement, Newchip CEO Ryan Rafols stated, “Judd is one of the top executives in the industry and we are excited for him to join our team to take a lead in Newchip’s growth and expansion. Bringing over a decade of experience in founding, leading, and rapidly scaling one of the world’s top investment platforms, Judd will be integral in managing growth and connecting 200 million new Americans to investments in companies they believe in."
In discussing his role, Hollas stated “With recent regulatory changes under the JOBS Act bridging the investment and funding gap between the 1% and 99%, Newchip will soon become a household name and the go-to solution for investing and fundraising for startups, real estate deals, and small businesses. Even the top cryptocurrencies and bitcoins of the world may soon be available in and managed via our platform.”
Newchip’s approach encourages new investors to actively and affordably engage in planning for their financial futures by investing in companies that inspire them and that they believe will be successful. Newchip’s core users are millennial investors between the ages of 18 and 35. Throughout every sector today, millennials are the driving force of change. However, when it comes to investing they are taking a different path than the generations before them. It’s anticipated that this cause-centric generation will increase the demand for socially responsible investing (SRI) as 93% surveyed state that social impact is the #1 deciding factor for their investment decisions.
While only one-third of millennials invest in the stock market, according to a survey by Bankrate, they are willing to take on higher risk and lower returns in order to support and invest in entrepreneurs and technologies they believe in. A U.S Trust study recently reported that millennials are prioritizing social and environmental issues when choosing their investing strategy. Newchip’s investment marketplace addresses this issue by personalizing opportunities to what users are passionate about.
According to CTO Travis Brodeen, “Newchip is a social platform at its core. Similar to how Facebook curates your newsfeed content based on your preferences and interest, we utilize machine learning to cut out the noise and connect our users to investments based on their interests and preferences. We’re building a platform and community for both new and experienced investors to invest, track, and manage their investments together.”
Currently on iOS and launching its full web application in late 2017, Newchip’s goal is to unify a billion-dollar market that is fragmented into hundreds of platforms across the globe. Newchip is quickly becoming the vanguard of an evolving ecosystem that the World Bank expects to exceed $100 billion by 2025. While currently gaining significant traction and major partnerships, Newchip also plans to launch and integrate a secondary market exchange via blockchain in 2018.
Data out of the UK found companies financed by equity crowdfunding have a success rate of 87% compared to 44% of startups that raised via traditional funding methods. In fact, only 13% of crowd invested companies have failed since 2011. In addition to this advantage, investment crowdfunding creates a built-in base of support and brand ambassadors that have a stake in the success of funded companies.
Judd Hollas founded EquityNet.com in 2005, the first business crowdfunding platform in North America. He served as both CTO and CEO at EquityNet for ten years, and obtained five patents for crowdfunding, business analytics, and monitoring technologies. EquityNet remains a leading global platform with over 200,000 members, 10,000 companies, and $300 million in capital raised by client companies. While EquityNet is focused on accredited investors and larger investment deals, Newchip is focused on bridging the generational gap between millennial and more experienced accredited investors to solve the funding gap for early stage entrepreneurs.
For more information about Judd Hollas, click here.
About Newchip:
Newchip is an investment marketplace aggregator focused on connecting investors to vetted investment opportunities. By consolidating startups, real estate deals, and ICOs from across the market via partnerships and proprietary technology, Newchip connects and empowers a new generation of investors to invest in what they believe in. For more information, visit www.newchip.com