MicroVentures

MicroVentures was founded in 2009 and was one of the earliest equity crowdfunding platforms to emerge from the JOBS Act era. The company operates as a fully FINRA-registered broker-dealer — a legal status that many equity crowdfunding platforms do not hold — which means its offerings undergo more substantive regulatory scrutiny than those on pure funding portals. The platform offers both Regulation CF deals (open to non-accredited investors with minimums around $100) and Regulation D deals (accredited-only, typically $5,000 minimums), along with later-stage secondary market offerings and venture fund products.

The platform's differentiator is its due diligence process. Unlike open-marketplace competitors like Republic, which accept offerings broadly, MicroVentures' team actively curates and negotiates terms on behalf of investors, and has historically declined over 95% of applications. This filter produces a smaller volume of deals compared to competitors — typically 1–3 new offerings per month rather than dozens — but each listing has passed through a professional screening process. MicroVentures also operates a secondary marketplace where accredited investors can trade shares of previously invested companies, though liquidity here remains thin and most positions require patience to realize returns.