I took a cross-country train trip to meet founders starved of Silicon Valley capital

The passage of the JOBS Act in 2012, the rollout of Regulation Crowdfunding in 2016, and the improvements to the rules in early 2021 now allow anyone to invest in startups they love, not just rich people.

Here’s what I learned by speaking to hundreds of entrepreneurs who aren’t being served by the traditional venture capital ecosystem.

“Venture capital funding breaks records—and fuels bubble concerns.” Headlines like these abound these days. When reading the tech press, you would think that entrepreneurs are drowning in capital. But while this may be true in some sectors, the reality for the vast majority of founders throughout America is very different.