San Deigo, CA, May 28, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EquityNet (www.equitynet.com) founder and CEO Judd Hollas will speak today at the Second Annual Crowdfund Global Expo in San Diego, California.  The Expo will provide attendees with an unparalleled, comprehensive overview of the global crowdfunding industry. Mr. Hollas is a keynote speaker and will present interactive data that characterizes the types of companies that use crowdfunding in addition to data regarding the activity and interests of angel groups, venture capitalists, and other funding institutions within the crowdfunding industry. 

“I am very pleased to speak again at the Fintech Global Expo,” says Hollas. “Last year was a wonderful experience, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to address new and exciting trends that are developing within the crowdfunding industry. EquityNet has granular characteristic and activity data on over 16,000 companies and thousands of investors that I look forward to presenting at the expo.”

The Second Annual Fintech Global Expo is a deep dive into the innovation occurring within the crowdfunding and overall fintech industry, with new data releases, a press conference for lending fintech analysts and reporters, special sessions devoted to retail investors and much more. The Second Annual Fintech Global Expo is different from other conferences in that it brings together not only startup and established leaders within the burgeoning fintech industry from the United States, but also introduces groundbreaking international companies who serve some of the largest markets in the world.

Worldwide venture capital investment in the fintech sector has grown four times faster than the rate of overall venture capital investment in the last three years, according to a recent Accenture study. With the recent IPOs of Lending Club and Ondeck, increased API connectivity, mobile device proliferation and borrowers’ increased use of online platforms, many investors and consumers alike believe that 2015 will be the year that crowdfunding comes of age.

With so many changes occurring in a rapidly growing market, Coastal Shows, the producers of the Crowdfund Global Expo (CFGE) series, have expanded this year’s main conference to cover multiple aspects of the thriving financial technology industry. The conference will bring together global leaders from the world's leading platforms with dedicated panels on Europe and Asia. The panels will cover innovations, case studies and lessons learned within the marketplace/P2P lending, real estate, alternative finance, crowdfinance, bitcoin infrastructure, and online investment industries.

Mr. Hollas will join industry expert speakers to discuss how institutional capital has driven change in the crowdfunding market and how that affects equity crowdfunding. According to industry research by Crowdsourcing.org and the World Bank, crowdfunding generated $16.2 billion in funding transactions in 2014 and will surpass $300 billion in funding transactions by 2025.

About EquityNet

EquityNet is a recognized pioneer of crowdfunding and has operated one of the largest business crowdfunding platforms since 2005. The multi-patented EquityNet platform includes over 100,000 individual entrepreneurs and investors, incubators, government support entities, and other members of the entrepreneurial community. EquityNet provides access to thousands of investors and has helped entrepreneurs across North America raise over $300 million in equity, debt, and royalty-based capital.