The vast majority of startup investing as it exists today is an insider’s game. Early adopters and believers don’t have access to venture capital markets, so they don’t share in the financial upside of their favorite startup’s growth. Web2 investing is insular and exclusive, leaving out the very communities that make up a product: its early adopters.

But with Web3, the way companies raise capital and interact with their communities is changing. By tokenizing equity, Fairmint is democratizing access to ownership in high-growth startups.

DeFi has created ways for founders to raise money on a rolling basis. If an eagle-eyed user sees the enormous potential of a company, they can be among the first to invest. And more risk-averse investors don’t have to rush to make a decision until they see a product’s community already investing in it. DeFi gives startups freedom to break free from traditional fundraising rounds and focus on building their product.

Fairmint is creating a system that uplifts the entire community around a successful company, and doesn’t just reserve the riches for a select few wealthy insiders.

"Yeah. Everything I saw so far was boring apart from Fairmint solution, bullish on that one." - Fiskantes

We are adopting Fairmint because we can:

  • Raise without pitching (or even involving) VCs
  • Have our community as investors
  • Have ongoing liquidity pools
  • Offer crypto native token rewards
  • Be 100% compliant and do on-chain issuance
  • Unlock the resale of shares challenge

Imagine being able to raise continuously from the people that love and support what you do. Imagine being able to reward and compensate your community with your equity. Imagine living life on the frontier of stakeholder capitalism with unlimited fundraising, compensation & trading mechanisms. LFG tbh

Here are four key groups that make up productive and passionate communities:

  1. Freelancers now make up a significant portion of the workforce. By giving them equity, you can show that you care about their contributions.
  2. Global Employees: By tying their equity to stable currencies like USDC, you can reward your global employees continually and compliantly.
  3. Super Fans: The first few people who believe in your mission are more than just users; they're super fans. By rewarding them with equity, you can show that you appreciate their support and value their feedback.
  4. Traditional Investors: By prioritizing community ownership, you can demonstrate to investors that your product is more likely to succeed.

High Hopes and Hard Realities

It's tempting to see one's PFP as akin to a stock certificate. If "Pudgy" becomes a toy sensation or "Doodles" walks into a lucrative footwear deal, it might seem logical that NFT holders of these projects stand to gain. But herein lies the mirage. Owning an NFT doesn't entitle one to a slice of the commercial pie. Unlike shareholders in startups, NFT owners don't possess a security.

Take the Azuki venture, for instance. After amassing 40 million USD, largely from its dedicated community, the venture's valuation trajectory tells a cautionary tale. From a promising floor of 16.5 eth it plummeted to 4.85 eth. While the founders may bask in their eth windfall, it's essential for collectors to revisit the fine print. Often, the terms absolve founders of ongoing obligations, leaving holders navigating a terrain that sometimes mirrors the wild west of regulatory arbitrage.

Fairmint | Give your community skin in the game.
Fairmint empowers you to grant equity to anyone that adds value to your company and passively receive investment from your biggest fans. Launch in a few clicks and get back to building your business.
Running a business like a boss in the US — Mission Control — Chapter I
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Mercury | Banking built for startups
A complete financial stack to build your company. Scale with FDIC-insured bank accounts, debit cards, and 3-click payment flows.

NEWSFLASH!

Delaware, USA - Break out the bubbly! Ikigai Labs, our exclusive club for artists and collectors, has just fired up its continuous funding powered by FairMint.

Here's a taste of our mantra: "The internet is going spatial, folks. We're gonna live more in the digital realm, and who better to design those spaces than artists?" Our aim? A fresh, secure onchain art gallery for artists to dazzle us with immersive art.

Our Artist in Residency program is like a digital art bootcamp - only way cooler. Artists get a VIP ticket to the cutting edge of creativity and a chance to shape the future of the spatial internet. We're talking about a vibrant digital playground where art creation and experience keep evolving. Each piece tells a story, evolves with holder participation, and dares to ask, "What's next in user agency?"

On the horizon for Ikigai Labs? Launching more art collections, rolling out the red carpet for new collectors, and expanding our art gallery's offerings.

TAP is 🔥 tbh

Fairmint stands at the forefront of innovation in the securities industry, marking a significant milestone as the first SEC-registered Transfer Agent to seamlessly integrate with the Transfer Agent Protocol (TAP). This strategic move not only sets Fairmint apart but also highlights its commitment to revolutionizing the cap table management landscape. Recognizing the cap table as the nucleus of the securities stack, Fairmint champions the principles of openness, standardization, and company autonomy, a vision underscored by the insights of the international law firm Gunderson Dettmer.

TAP, distinguished as the first open-source software backend for equity management, is supported by Fairmint along with Poet Network and Plural Energy as its founding members. This initiative is rooted in the Open Cap Table Format (OCF), endorsed by over fifty leading US law firms and key industry stakeholders, aiming to empower founders and attorneys with control over their capitalization data.

The leadership at Fairmint, with Thibauld Favre and Joris Delanoue at the helm, is dedicated to fostering an equity management industry built on trust and transparency. By adopting open-source standards like TAP and OCF, Fairmint is not just creating another cap table management tool; it's paving the way for a more inclusive and efficient financial ecosystem.

The creation of TAP embodies the essence of collaboration, showcasing a collective effort to address and overcome the inherent challenges within the securities stack. The protocol's development signifies a unified vision to drive substantial progress in the industry.

Adding to the momentum, Fairmint welcomes Victor Mimo, a key figure in the technical development of TAP, to their team. Victor's involvement ensures the continued evolution and integration of TAP into Fairmint's offerings, promising a transformative impact on equity management.

In essence, Fairmint's integration with TAP represents a leap forward in standardizing the transfer agent industry, reinforcing the company's leadership in driving significant change and enhancing equity management for all stakeholders involved.