The forum, scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C., will be webcast live and focus on how entrepreneurs, small businesses, and smaller public companies can more effectively raise capital from investors. The event serves as a key annual touchpoint between regulators and the small business community.
The forum aims to identify challenges in the capital-raising process and generate policy recommendations to address regulatory barriers facing smaller entities. The SEC positions the event as a collaborative effort to gather input from innovators, investors, advisors, and policymakers on improving capital formation mechanisms.
Participants can submit policy recommendations in advance by emailing smallbusiness@sec.gov by noon ET on March 5. The event will conclude with online voting to prioritize recommendations that will be included in a formal report to the Commission and Congress, giving stakeholders direct input into the regulatory process.
The forum represents part of the SEC's ongoing efforts to balance investor protection with capital formation needs of smaller entities. The agency has increasingly focused on small business capital-raising issues as part of broader initiatives to support economic growth while maintaining market integrity.
"The annual Small Business Forum is a unique opportunity for innovators, investors, advisors, and policymakers to come together and help identify challenges in capital raising," said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. "I encourage members of the public to join us to share ideas and have their voices heard on ways to improve capital formation."
The event will feature appearances by SEC Commissioners and panel discussions with thought leaders from across the small business ecosystem, covering capital raising strategies for companies ranging from early-stage startups to late-stage private companies and smaller public entities. Both in-person and online participants will have opportunities to engage in the policy development process.