The Big Ideas That Lit Up SuperCrowdLA

Highlights and Insights from a Transformative Gathering of Impact Investors and Entrepreneurs

May 07, 2025

Game-Changing Insights from SuperCrowdLA 2025

SuperCrowdLA 2025 was electric. Even after 1,000 hours of effort, what resonates most isn’t the exhaustion—it’s the gratitude. The depth of the content, the passion of the speakers, and the resolve of our community to drive impact through capital made this our most meaningful gathering yet. Over three days, we explored the future of finance, celebrated capital-raising wins, and lit the spark for the next wave of change-making founders. If you missed it, we’ve captured the essence in bite-sized takeaways—starting with these highlights.

Brigit Helms SuperCrowd Spotlight: The Truth About Impact Capital

Dr. Brigit Helms of Miller Center didn’t sugarcoat it: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” She called out the myth that social enterprises can always deliver outsized returns while changing the world. Instead, she challenged us to own the tradeoffs—longer runways, more patient capital, and often more modest financial outcomes—in exchange for deep, durable social good. She also spotlighted a structural gap: a lack of funding for companies in the “missing middle” between seed stage and scale. Women founders, she noted, face even greater barriers. Her call to action? Build an ecosystem that serves the entrepreneurs—not just the capital holders.

SuperCrowd Conversation: Pairing Profit and Impact

Moderated by Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau of KingsCrowd, this panel tackled the classic tension: can investors expect both meaningful social impact and solid financial returns? Panelists Jenny Kassan, Brian Christie, Gregory Wendt, and Justin Renfro offered a resounding “yes”—but with caveats. They urged investors to recalibrate expectations, consider alternative models like revenue share, and center community in the investment thesis. Jenny reminded us that policy still shapes the field, while Gregory championed “living economies” over the VC-style death race. Justin noted the power of community capital to surface overlooked founders. The throughline? Systems change starts with rethinking what we value.

SuperCrowd Conversation: Raising Over $1 Million

This powerhouse panel—moderated by Bruce Virga of Title3Funds—offered a masterclass in million-dollar raises. Tom Michael urged founders to begin with the end in mind, aligning capital strategy with exit goals. Eric Cox highlighted how platforms like NetCapital are evolving to meet entrepreneurs where they are. Danielle Godfrey shared that her firm has reviewed over 1,300 financial statements, emphasizing readiness. Johanna Cronin of StartEngine detailed how one company raised $30 million in just months, underscoring the power of urgency and community. Fred Pena, focused on film, noted that 18 of his 34 offerings have crossed the $1M mark. The secret? Know your audience, plan your path.

SuperCrowd Spotlight: Dr. Van Williams – Proactive Housing with Real Impact

Dr. Van Williams of ProActive Realty Group brought both warmth and wisdom as he shared the real-world impact of his work in affordable housing. With over $175 million raised across Reg D and Reg CF offerings, Dr. Van’s mission is simple: deliver housing 20–30% below market rents while returning capital to investors. From Las Vegas to Oakland, he’s developing projects that center community, often working directly with residents in crisis. “There’s no such thing as easy,” he said, “but communication, credibility, and compassion make all the difference.” His model proves that patient capital and social justice can align beautifully.

Spotlight: Doug Willmore – Growing Trees, Returns, and Impact

Doug Willmore of World Tree laid out an extraordinary case for agroforestry as a triple-win: environmental sustainability, financial return, and community empowerment. After serving as County Executive for Salt Lake, he turned his talents to planting over 7,000 acres of Empress Splendor trees across five countries—using capital raised through crowdfunding. Doug emphasized how different funding platforms, from Wefunder to Dealmaker, improved their offering over time. He shared how World Tree leverages small farmers—often dismissed by institutional investors—as partners, not risks. His advice: “Find your leverage point, and multiply the impact.” For World Tree, that’s turning $17M into a movement.

SuperCrowd Conversation: Crowdfunding Exits – Getting Your Money Back

Liquidity: it’s the elephant in the crowdfunding room. Gene Massey led a candid discussion with veterans, including Alexandria Fisher (NetCapital), Ed Stephens (Expert Dojo), Matt Warnock (Ridgecrest Herbals), Andy Field (Global Equity Crowdfunding Alliance), and Gregory Shepard (Startup Science). From IPO skepticism to acquisition strategy, panelists offered grounded perspectives. “IPOs aren’t success—they’re often failure,” Gregory warned. Alexandria emphasized investor communication and clarity on exit timelines. Andy urged founders to think globally from day one. The consensus? Exits in crowdfunding are rare—for now. But with strategic planning, international collaboration, and realistic valuations, the path to returns becomes clearer.

SuperCrowd Conversation: Crowdfunding Real Estate – Building Access, Affordability, and Opportunity

Moderated by Igor Shaltanov, this panel addressed both the promise and complexity of raising capital for real estate through crowdfunding. Dr. Van Williams emphasized his commitment to impact, noting ProActive Realty has returned over $7 million to investors since 2020 while lowering rents for residents in need. Jean Eidelman of Azure Printed Homes shared how 3D-printed homes from recycled plastic are not only scalable but also deeply resonant with investors—one $250 crowdfunder brought in family who later invested $500,000 via Reg D. Adrian Alvarez of InvestReady spotlighted how accredited investor verification tools are accelerating real estate innovation. The verdict? Crowdfunding is no longer an experiment—it’s a foundation for change.

SuperCrowd Conversation: Lights, Camera, Funding! – Bringing Indie Film to Life with the Crowd

Moderated by yours truly, Devin Thorpe, this panel explored how filmmakers can leverage crowdfunding to bring passion projects to life—without sacrificing production quality or financial structure. Ray Ellingsen of Moving Pictures Media Group defined development as a checklist of risk-mitigating steps: script coverage, cast attachment, and—most critically—distribution guarantees. Michael Praver shared how he’s helped finance 65 film projects by accessing $100K–$125K in startup capital, often without upfront fees. Both emphasized that equity crowdfunding is becoming a viable fourth lane of film financing—alongside debt, deficit, and private equity. For indie creators with a market-ready story, the crowd might just be the green light.

SuperCrowd Spotlight: Sarah Hardwick – How Aptera Crowdfunded $140M

Sarah Hardwick delivered a masterclass in resourceful marketing, sharing the behind-the-scenes hustle behind Aptera’s viral rise. With just $10,000, she produced a video powerful enough to ignite a movement—and it worked. The clip went viral, racking up 1.6M+ views and catalyzing an eight-figure raise. Sarah emphasized storytelling, audience segmentation, and a robust ambassador program with over 800 global volunteers. From giving ambassadors business cards to building committees for social media, policy, and outreach, Sarah showed that belief drives community—and community drives capital. Her three keys to success? Captivate. Belong. Inspire.

Live Pitch Competition – Health Tech Takes the Crown

Three remarkable founders took the stage, but one pitch stood out. Sharon Samjitsingh, CEO of Health Care Originals, wowed both judges and the audience to win both the Judges’ Choice and the SuperCrowd (Audience) Choice Awards. Her company’s wearable device uses AI to monitor lung sounds and predict respiratory attacks—transforming chronic disease care from reactive to proactive.

With $12M in contracted revenue, a powerful IP portfolio, and partnerships with top health organizations, Sharon’s pitch was tight, compelling, and deeply personal. “Sound,” she said, “is the great equalizer.” And at SuperCrowdLA, her voice rose above the rest.

Spotlight: Jason Fishman – How to Raise Millions from the Crowd

Jason Fishman, CEO of DNA, closed the day by reframing crowdfunding as a marketing exercise, not just a capital raise. Drawing on insights from 500+ campaigns, Jason highlighted how strategic outreach, persona development, and audience testing separate seven-figure successes from stalled starts. He underscored the power of LinkedIn for investor discovery and praised speakers like Sarah Hardwick for modeling best practices. Jason also reminded founders that campaigns rise or fall in the “hard middle,” urging them to craft shareable content and stay resilient. “Don’t give up,” he said. “The tools work. But only if you use them right.”

Final Thoughts
As we close the books on SuperCrowdLA, one truth echoes loud and clear: capital is not just about dollars—it’s about power, purpose, and possibility. The voices we heard, the ideas we shared, and the community we built together represent the future of finance. Whether you're an investor, founder, or ecosystem builder, thank you for showing up. Thank you for leaning in. And thank you for believing that together, we can fund the change we want to see in the world. Let’s carry this momentum into what comes next.

Support Our Sponsors

Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include FundingHope, the American Independent Business Alliance, SuperCrowd25 and Crowdfunding Made Simple. Learn more about advertising with us here.

Max-Impact Members

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Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar

If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.

Impact Cherub Club Meeting hosted by The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, on May 20, 2025, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Each month, the Club meets to review new offerings for investment consideration and to conduct due diligence on previously screened deals. To join the Impact Cherub Club, become an Impact Member of the SuperCrowd.
SuperCrowdHour, May 21, 2025, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Devin Thorpe, Champion of Social Good and CEO of The Super Crowd, Inc., will lead a session on "The Secret to Higher Investment Returns via Impact Crowdfunding." He’ll share powerful strategies and real-world examples that show how aligning your investments with your values can lead to strong financial and social returns. If you're an investor looking to maximize impact or curious about the growing world of impact crowdfunding, this is a session you won’t want to miss! Don’t miss it!
SuperCrowd25, August 21st and 22nd: This two-day virtual event is an annual tradition but with big upgrades for 2025! We’ll be streaming live across the web and on TV via e360tv. Soon, we’ll open a process for nominating speakers. Check back!

Community Event Calendar

Successful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET - Click on Events.
Crowdfunding Addict: Lessons Learned from a Year of Daily Investments, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET.
Regulated Investment Crowdfunding Summit 2025, Crowdfunding Professional Association, Washington DC, October 21-22, 2025.

Call for community action:

Please show your support for a tax credit for investments made via Regulation Crowdfunding, benefitting both the investors and the small businesses that receive the investments. Learn more here.

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