SEC Announces 2020 Small Business Forum, to Be Held Virtually

Washington D.C., May 20, 2020 —The Securities and Exchange Commission will virtually host its 39th annual Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation on the afternoon of June 18, 2020.  The Forum is a unique event where members of the public and private sectors gather to craft suggestions for policy impacting emerging businesses and their investors, from startups to smaller public companies. 

This year the Forum will be a completely virtual event conducted via livestreaming and video conferencing and will highlight challenges faced by small businesses in the current environment as well as success stories from startups to small cap businesses across the country.  The event will feature discussions about women-owned, minority-owned, and rural businesses and their investors, as well as the potential paths for the next generation of publicly-owned companies.

“The Forum provides an important opportunity for us to engage directly with the small business community, hearing first-hand from small businesses and their investors about their experiences in capital raising,” said Chairman Jay Clayton.  “Every year we take back valuable insights that shape our perspectives on capital formation and investor protection efforts.”

This is the second year that the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will host the Forum.  “The Forum is an opportunity to spotlight the incredible passion and innovation of small businesses and to engage in a thoughtful discussion about the challenges that small businesses are facing as they look to raise capital. Our team is thrilled to bring together the entrepreneurial community in a virtual environment this year,” said SEC Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation Martha Legg Miller. “We look forward to empowering small businesses and their investors across the country to share their perspectives on how we can improve capital raising policies.”

This year the Forum will take place over a half-day beginning at noon ET, and, as always, will be free and accessible to the public.  It will begin with a session highlighting perspectives and insights from thought leaders across the capital formation marketplace, followed by two consecutive sessions where participants will formulate capital formation policy recommendations for Congress and the Commission.  Participants may register for this virtual event here. 

Information on the full agenda and logistics, including speakers, panel topics, and policy deliberation sessions, will be announced in the coming weeks and will be available on the Forum website.

Members of the public are invited to suggest topics to be discussed at the Forum through the registration form or by contacting smallbusiness@sec.gov.