Santa Monica, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/04/2016 --The Crowd Invest Summit, a new conference connecting everyday Americans with crowdfunded investment opportunities, has announced OTC Markets Group Inc., operator of the OTCQX®, OTCQB® and Pink® financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, has agreed to sponsor its inaugural event taking place December 7-8 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles.

The Crowd Invest Summit was developed with the vision that every American, through the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (also known as the JOBS Act), can now be a venture capitalist – or "shark."

OTCQX: Home of the First Crowdfunded IPO

OTC Markets Group has been highly visible in the equity crowdfunding industry since automotive startup Elio Motors went public on the OTCQX market in February following its successful Regulation A+ offering. Elio Motors' shares began trading at $12 and are currently trading around $20. Recently, OTC Markets Group has advocated for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to extend Regulation A+ to include all SEC reporting companies.

"OTC Markets Group is at the forefront of our industry. They understand and appreciate the power of online capital raising, which is why we are thrilled to have them as a Silver Sponsor at our conference," said Darren Marble, co-founder of the Crowd Invest Summit and CEO of financial marketing firm CrowdfundX.

"We're excited to support the inaugural Crowd Invest Summit," said Jason Paltrowitz, Executive Vice President of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group. "The JOBS Act and Regulation A+ have democratized capital raising, allowing small companies to leverage the power of the Internet and social media to raise capital and go public. The future of finance is here and it is online, data-driven and social."

"Having a partner like OTC Markets Group on board in a big way is proof there is a huge demand for the kind of conference and expo we are producing," said Josef Holm, co-founder of Crowd Invest Summit and founder and CEO of crowdfunding marketing and PR software firm Krowdster.

"OTC Markets Group - like the other financial institutions, platforms, funds and service providers that have come on board to sponsor our event - is a testament to this growing new industry that has allowed issuers to raise capital more easily and efficiently," said Alon Goren, co-founder of the Crowd Invest Summit, founder and CEO of enterprise crowdfunding software company InvestedIn.com and monthly Ventura / Santa Barbara area event 805 Startups.

Shark Alert: An All-Star Lineup

The Crowd Invest previously announced Robert Herjavec, founder of Herjavec Group and star of ABC's Emmy Award-winning hit Shark Tank, will speak in a Fireside Keynote Chat. New keynote speakers include Top 10 LinkedIn Influencer James Altucher, and new featured speakers include Jason Paltrowitz of OTC Markets Group, Phil Nadel of Barbara Corcoran Venture Partners, Ron Suber of Prosper Marketplace, Tim Draper of Draper Associates, Dara Albright of Dara Albright Media, Forbes Contributor Devin Thorpe, and others.

"I look forward to joining some of the preeminent authorities in the crowdfunding space at the Crowd Invest Summit this December," continued Jason Paltrowitz. "It promises to be a great event."

About The Crowd Invest Summit
The Crowd Invest Summit was founded by three pioneers in the equity crowdfunding sector: Josef Holm, Darren Marble and Alon Goren. The conference was developed with the vision that every American – whether accredited or not – can now be a venture capitalist – or shark.

Visit us online at www.CrowdInvestSummit.com. For sponsorship opportunities, visit CIS Sponsors. Follow and engage with us on social media via: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and via the event's primary hashtag #CIS16.

OTC Markets Group Inc. OTCoperates the OTCQX® Best Market, the OTCQB® Venture Market, and the Pink® Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link® ATS, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS is operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC and SEC regulated ATS.