Circle acquired SeedInvest in 2019, as a further step toward realizing its vision of a more open, global, connected, and inclusive financial system. Fast forward to today, Circle recently announced its plans to become a $4.5B public company, with over $1 billion of fresh capital. In this session, Circle CEO and Co-Founder Jeremy Allaire and Ryan Feit, CEO and Co-Founder of SeedInvest, break down the evolution of the two companies and how Circle and SeedInvest plan to double down on online fundraising to make it faster and easier for entrepreneurs.

Speakers

Jeremy Allaire — Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Circle

Jeremy Allaire is Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Circle, a global financial technology firm that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of stablecoins and public blockchains for payments and commerce. Founded in 2013, Circle is the pioneer of USD Coin (USDC), the fastest growing, fully-reserved, and regulated dollar stablecoin. Governed by the Centre Consortium, led by Circle and Coinbase, USDC’s market cap is more than $26 billion with over $800 billion in transaction volume. Previously, Mr. Allaire co-founded and led multiple global internet technology companies with thousands of employees, hundreds of millions of consumers served, and multiple successful public offerings on NASDAQ. He has provided expert testimony on digital assets and monetary policy before the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs, US Senate Banking Committee, and he has been named to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) High-Level Advisory Group on FinTech. Mr. Allaire provides perspective and policy recommendations at the highest levels inside financial bodies across the US, UK, and Europe.

Ryan Feit — Co-Founder and CEO, SeedInvest

Ryan Feit is the CEO and Co-Founder of SeedInvest. Prior to founding SeedInvest, Ryan worked at Wellspring Capital Management and Lehman Brothers in New York City where he invested in, financed, and managed dozens of private and public businesses. Ryan was instrumental in the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act which changed 80-year-old U.S. securities laws to make it possible for entrepreneurs to raise capital over the Internet. Since 2012, he has worked closely with members of the SEC, FINRA, the White House, and the Treasury Department on the implementation of the JOBS Act. Ryan currently serves on FINRA’s Fintech Committee and previously served as a board member of the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates and the Crowdfunding Professional Association. In addition, he frequently serves as a subject matter expert on startup investing and the JOBS Act for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, CNBC, FoxBusiness, the Economist, and the New York Times as well as a columnist for Fortune Magazine and Inc. Magazine.