NextGen Crowdfunding says new rule spurred investor commitments of over $1 mln

(Reuters) - Equity crowdfunding site NextGen Crowdfunding said on Tuesday that investors made more than $1 million in commitments after new U.S. investment regulations took effect two weeks ago.

Crowdfunding is an alternative means of funding a project or venture by inviting contributions from a large number of people, often via the internet.

The new rules allow anyone to invest in private companies, but just three dozen startups were peddling stakes to the public on nine funding websites, news site Crowdfund Insider said at the time the rules went into force. Many entrepreneurs had predicted more activity in crowdfunding.

A new level playing field has emerged for startups and emerging businesses seeking alternative financing, NextGen founder Aubrey Chernick told Reuters in an email.

"Entry-level and non-accredited investors can now join accredited investors in supporting early stage companies," he added.

NextGen, whose website aggregates information from separate crowdfunding services, says it pulled together information from different platforms to arrive at its estimate of investor commitments.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission drafted regulations for equity crowdfunding after a law passed by the U.S. Congress four years ago that loosened rules restricting investment in private companies to "accredited investors", generally people with a net worth of $1 million or more.

(Reporting by Vishal Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Clarence Fernandez)