Rebecca Kacaba (DealMaker)
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Rebecca Kacaba (DealMaker): Raising Capital from Retail Investors
Rebecca Kacaba, CEO and co-founder of DealMaker, explains how the platform helps North American companies raise capital from retail investors, with regulation built into the technology so 'it's as easy to sell shares online as it is to sell shoes.' She lays out the brand benefits of retail shareholders — organic promotion, beta testers, and holders who don't flip at IPO — and points to rising retail allocations (OpenAI, SpaceX, Gemini) and a $73M retail offering with a $2,300 average check. She also covers trends like under-35s opening trading accounts six times more often, retail demand for AI, robotics, defense and consumer brands, and her founding story as a capital markets lawyer who wanted everyday people to access the asset class where real wealth is made.