StartEngine

For starters, the numerous one-star reviews here don't really understand crowdfunded venture investing. Sure, companies fail -- usually about 90% of them, and you're not going to get your money back.

I'm an experienced angel/venture investor, usually investing $250k to $2m in various startups, and I've been doing this for nearly 30 years. I've had some hits, some misses, and some in-betweens. But that's not the point.

I wouldn't normally touch this kind of thing with a ten-foot pole, but a friend wanted some shares in an up-and-coming Seattle distillery, so I signed up. They had an option for investing as an "entity" (a business), and as I normally invest primarily through an LLC, I ticked that box. What a mistake. They wanted my Bylaws (uh, from 30 years ago, where are they?), several IRS forms, and other things, and they wanted them RIGHT AWAY. When I contacted them, they said they were just the middleman to a bank (who itself is a middleman).

Ultimately, the problem here is that the distillery in question is using this dubious form of (expensive) fundraising, when they should just go direct. StartEngine isn't *exactly* a scam, it's just unnecessary. If you're an inexperienced investor -- avoid it. If you're an experienced venture investor -- avoid it. Maybe there's some sweet spot in the middle that makes it worth it, but... I dunno.

START ENGINE IS A SCAM.

DO NOT INVEST WITH THIS COMPANY.

START ENGINE IS A SCAM.

DO NOT INVEST WITH THIS COMPANY.
START ENGINE IS A SCAM.

DO NOT INVEST WITH THIS COMPANY.

Took my $ and never invested it in boxable and neve asked me for more info to get the investment moving forward.

I am trying to invest in a company. The first thing that happened is no Start engines kept asking me to verify the purchase amount which I did. However, after verifying, because I kept getting messages from Startengine that I needed to verify my account-I got charged 4 times and only wanted to be charged 1 time. I tried to contact them about this error and that is where the problem started. When I tried to contact them via the links in the email that said I could schedule a call to discuss my problem it says the page does not exist. The only way to contact them was via a form which asked for the usual info.-name, phone number reason for contacting them. I filled out the form and the next day I got an email form Nicole F. Saying that my account was verified. That had nothing to do with what I put in the contact form-I simply want a refunded for one of the amounts that I was charged. Today, I went on the internet and found a contact number which I was happy to find and dialed quickly, only to hear a VM that basicially directed me back to the form. Oh, I almost forgot-there was a link so I could chat with someone, but guess what-it was between 12pm and 5pm MST, so I waited until that time and tried to contact them via that and it said that I was contacting them outside of hours and need to try at the normal business hours. This had been a horrible experience all around and this isn't even the company I am trying to invest in which is a shame, because it will be the last time i do anything through Start Engine unless a miracle occurs and they get things up and running smoothly.

Ease of use. The site is comprehensive in its offerings. Friendly design. I felt that I was in charge of my choices.

Tried many times to contact SE, to no avail. Their website is not helpful. How can a person make contact with SE?

Wide array of interesting investments in start up companies. Easy to use, intuitive interface. Reccomend!

Looking forward to how the company grows, and working with them by investing in start ups

Thanks

Bill

If you have been burned by this scam please email me at
*******@yahoo.com
I am going to file a complaint with the FTC.
Then an attorney.

I have invested in multiple companies with Start Engine. It's easy to use and very good early high return investment opportunities.

I have been investing on StartEngine for over 2 years and have invested in over 30 companies (some multiple times). Since these investments carry an extremely high degree of risk, I tend to spread out money over multiple sectors and corporations. There are currently little or no secondary markets for these securities and as such be considered long-term commitments. They should also be considered as part of an overall investment strategy.

I worked in Financial Services for over 35 years and was precluded from investing in "hot" IPO's. The advent of Equity Crowdfunding can be advantageous to both investors and pre-IPO companies seeking investment capital.
Investors also need to realize that equity Crowdfunding is a nascent industry and is evolving rapidly both from an investment perspective and regulatory oversight.

Overall, I have been impressed with StartEngine on multiple levels:

1) Howard Marks, the CEO has been a proponent of the industry and has sponsored webinars, seminars, conferences, company overviews and Q&A sessions. I have participated in some and watched some of the videos of the conferences.
2) Anytime that I have had a question, it has been responded to within a day and often sooner.
3) StartEngine highlights the risk on every investment with a caveat like "This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment."
4) A wide selection of offerings across multiple sectors.
5) Once familiar with the process and platform, it is simple to use. Some investments may require you to be an "accredited investor" which requires additional paperwork due to regulatory issues.

I would also say that prior to investing anything, I did considerable research and reading. I devoured everything on Start Engine's website as well as explanatory articles.

They take your money and run. I can NEVER get any replies to my inquiries. I'm filing a complaint with the SEC and Attorney General's Office!
BEWARE!

I bought JTAI before it went public for $600 for 800 shares. When it went public, I got 39 shares, which is $27.

TOOK MY MONEY AND RAN WITH FOLKS RUN FOR YOUR LIVES.AND I CANNOT CATCH A LIVE PERSON TO SAVE MY LIFE

Start Engine apparently does nothing to make sure that the offerings on the site are legitimate, much less worthwhile investments. I have been investing on StartEngine since the earliest days of the platform with company like Elio (circa 2016), and just about every single company I have invested in has failed or the company is MIA. I see other investors commenting that they have had the same results.

I have also attempted to invest in Start Engine itself, but for whatever reason my investments keep being rejected. I have tried on three separate occasions, so there are three separate rejected investments on my account.

The site says you can 'Fix' the investments, but when I try to fix them and charge a bank card again it doesn't work, and without explanation. It just says that it failed. I tried with three different cards. Flash forward a few weeks and I realize that Start Engine has kept my money on some of my attempts to fix the investment. I try to contact Start Engine and they don't get back to me so I dispute one of the charges with a chargeback request. This gets them to respond, and they say it will be 5 to 10 days for a refund to be applied on a different charge but that they are fighting the chargeback request so that one will likely take 90 days. They then state that they will refund me promptly if they win the chargeback request... WTF?

WHY would they OFFER me the opportunity to fix the investment if they are going to automatically reject it?
WHY would they TAKE the money if the investment is not available/current/or whatever their reason was for rejecting it?
WHY would they KEEP the money after they rejected the investment?
WHY would they DISPUTE the chargeback request if they admit the money should be refunded?

Start Engine boggles the mind with their incompetence.