Fast Company magazine ran an interesting feature  – Shaking Up Crowdfunding – recently about the challenges of financing equity shares in start-up companies using the story of an ad executive interested in buying Pabst Brewing Co. for $300 million as background.  From a simple tweet to international influence on U.S. securities legislation and the passage of the JOBS Act making crowdfunding a reality, the article is a great read.  The U.S. Small Business Administration also offers this overview of the differences between peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding, noting that 40 percent of entrepreneurs start new companies with less than $5,000.