iownit Capital and Markets, Inc., a platform built to provide investment infrastructure for investors into privately held companies, today announced the closure of a round worth $4.5M, led by a group of private investors.
iownit.us’ goal is to bring advanced technology to private securities markets and improve the capital formation process, offering a more simplified, secure, and efficient way for companies and their investors to transact. The new funding will be used, first and foremost, to wrap up the ongoing regulatory approval process and ensure the necessary licenses are in place before the official launch of the platform. Beyond that, the funding will enable iownit.us to expand its business development and marketing efforts in its Houston headquarters, as well as to improve the technology and expand the feature set of the platform.
“This funding shows the demand for a platform like this in the marketplace, and will be crucial in making sure our platform meets regulatory requirements,” said iownit.us CEO Rashad Kurbanov. “We’re doing everything we can to get this correct from the very start -- unlike many firms who say, ‘better to ask for forgiveness than permission,’ we ask permission first because we don’t want to ever be in a position where we’re asking for forgiveness.”
iownit.us is built on a permissioned, private blockchain that leverages the immutable and secure elements of distributed ledger technology, while providing security and privacy to issuers and investors. It is capable of supporting the private placement of securities such as equities, debt or other financial instruments. iownit.us will not be supporting ICO issuance or crypto trading on its platform.
Blockchain-leveraged platforms have been the subject of tremendous scrutiny from financial regulators. The iownit.us team has been actively involved in meeting compliance standards, working closely with regulators on complex issues to ensure the platform is compliant and ready for approval.