Zak Cassady-Dorion

Startup Exemption is the name Sherwood Neiss, Jason Best and Zak Cassady-Dorion created to describe their CrowdFund Investing (CFI) framework.  The framework is an exemption under Regulation D Securities Offerings that would allow startups and small businesses to raise a limited amount of seed and growth capital from their social networks using SEC-registered websites.  Their framework was the basis for the four Crowdfunding bills considered by Congress and was endorsed by the President.  It passed the US House in November, 2011, 407-17 and the US Senate on March 22, 2012 as part of the JOBS Act 73-26. The path from idea to law in 579 days can be found at: www.startupexemption.com & www.legalizecrowdfunding.org.

BIO

Zak Cassady-Dorion is co founder and partner of Startup Exemption, responsible for the framework of all current Crowdfunding legislation in congress, as well as the Crowdfunding portions of President Obama’s 2011 jobs act. The 3 co founders of Startup Exemption have bootstrapped their advocacy efforts and have worked closely with Chairman McHenry on hr 2930, including testifying before his committee on Crowdfunding.

Zak is currently the VP business development for a small business in upstate New York and has a passion for entrepreneurship. He has successful entrepreneurial experience in Latin America and South East Asia, in addition to a successful business development career with Wyndham Worldwide. He earned his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, ranked as the world’s top international MBA program and a BS from the University of Vermont. Zak is also fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.