Australia is discriminating against investors and we’re the poorer for it

"Many Australians dream of starting their own businesses. But they face restrictions on where they can access startup capital. In Australia you must be certified as a “sophisticated investor” to invest in risky, early stage ventures that cannot yet comply with costly disclosure requirements. A “sophisticated investor” is someone with an income of at least A$250,000 per annum or assets worth A$2.5 million. But this qualification not only discriminates against some investors, it is a very limited view of what it means to be “sophisticated”. It also ignores recent changes in how companies interact with an important group of early investors – their customers. Even more, it robs startups of valuable capital." Read more

Jason Zein The Conversation 28 Nov 2016