Are you an entrepreneur that needs to raise capital to grow your business? Do you need to raise capital in the next 12 months? Do you have community of supporters or customers? Our Direct Public Offering Lab provides you with the tools you need to raise capital from a much larger audience. Once you complete the DPO Lab™, you will have the tools in place to conduct a legally compliant offering of an investment opportunity that is open to both wealthy and non-wealthy investors and that you can advertise to your networks, customers, affinity groups, and more.

Schedule a call to learn more about joining the Lab.

The Lab includes the following modules:

1. Getting Ready

• Understand DPO basics
• Prepare to market your offering
• Make sure everything is in order

2. Design Your Offering

• There are so many options – preferred stock, common stock, LLC interests, debt, revenue-based debt . . .
• We demystify your options and help you choose the best path for your current situation and long-term plans.

3. Compliance Strategy

• How do you make sure that the way you do your offering is legal?  We explain the options and help you choose a strategy for staying within the legal requirements.

4. Marketing Your DPO

• What does/doesn’t work
• Who can sell the offering?
• What are the elements of a marketing campaign?
• What can they say?
• Get ready to hit the ground running with your marketing campaign!

5. The Prospectus

• What do I need to disclose to potential investors?
• This document serves many purposes – marketing, warning of risks, disclosure of important facts, and more.  We help you create a prospectus that is compelling for potential investors while still meeting legal requirements.

6. Get Ready to Submit for Approval

• Before you can start marketing your DPO, you need approval from the state securities regulators.  We take you through the process step-by-step and manage ongoing communications until your DPO is approved.

7. Launch

• What you need to launch your DPO. Get everything in place to ensure a smooth capital raising process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the course format? Are there specific times I need to be available?

This is a virtual course. Materials are provided via an online interface so that you can go at your own pace. There are some live Q&A calls but, if you can’t make the scheduled time, they are recorded so you can listen to them whenever you want.

What is the time commitment?

The whole course should take an average of six-eight weeks to complete. We anticipate the total time commitment to be in the range of 50-60 hours, but this can vary depending on what materials (business plan, financials, formation documents, etc.) you already have in place.

How long does the whole DPO process take?

Once you complete the course, CEC (in partnership with its sister law firm, Cutting Edge Counsel) completes the legal documents and submits your application to the state. The average time for completing the state review process is three months for registered filings in California (other states can be faster). Once you get the go-ahead from the state, you have one year to reach your capital-raising goal, although some of our clients have reached their goals more quickly.

Do I need an attorney?

No, all legal services required to complete a DPO are included in the course fees and are provided by our sister law firm, Cutting Edge Counsel.

Can we have more than one team member participate?

Yes, but we recommend having one person with primary responsibility for completing the DPO.

Will there be opportunities to get support and feedback from other class participants?

Yes! We have found this to be one of the most useful parts of the Lab. We will provide opportunities for small group and peer-to-peer interaction.

What types of companies have done the Lab in the past?

Please see these short profiles about our previous participants.

If I change my mind about doing a DPO, can I get a refund after I’ve joined the Lab?

The portion of the class fee designated for access to the course materials is non-refundable once you have been given access to the course. Any unused funds remaining in your retainer account are refundable to you if you need to stop or pause the DPO Lab® process.