The JOBS Act, which will make a number of changes to securities laws to make it easier for smaller companies to go public and to raise money privately will be signed into law this Thursday, according to VentureBeat.  Here's the link:   http://venturebeat.com/2012/03/31/jobs-act-law/

Here are links to prior posts on the JOBS Act:

The JOBS Act is Good, But SarbOx Shouldn't Get All the Blame:  
http://www.allenlatta.com/1/post/2012/03/the-jobs-act-is-good-but-sarbox-shouldnt-get-all-the-blame-greg-gretsch-post.html 

Unintended Consequences of the JOBS Act: 
http://www.allenlatta.com/1/post/2012/03/unintended-contradictions-of-the-jobs-act-dan-primack.html 

Fundraising Bill Passes Senate:  
http://www.allenlatta.com/1/post/2012/03/fundraising-bill-passes-senate-enables-crowdfunding-and-eases-ipo-regulations.html 

Bill Gurley, a General Partner at Benchmark Capital, has another insightful post at his website abovethecrowd.com.  "Why Youth Has An Advantage In Innovation & Why You Want To Be A Learn-It-All" discusses the advantages that youth brings to technology and innovation.  It's a worthwhile read.  Here's the link:  
http://abovethecrowd.com/2012/03/26/why-youth-has-an-advantage-in-innovation-why-you-want-to-be-a-learn-it-all/ 

In the wake of the BATS IPO debacle, the NY Times DealBook has developed a short list of other failed initial public offerings that join BATS in the Hall of Shame.  The article is "Others in the I.P.O. Hall of Shame."  Here's the link:   http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/others-in-the-i-p-o-hall-of-shame/

Part of a venture capital firm's value add to entrepreneurs is their network of contacts.  Entrepreneurs want access to the right people at the right companies that could be customers for their products and services.  In "Big Venture Firm Raises the Networking Stakes," Sarah McBride of Reuters explores how Andreessen Horowitz leverages their contacts to help their portfolio companies.  Here's the link:   http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/26/net-us-venture-andreessen-idUSBRE82P0T120120326

With the upcoming passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, the way companies raise money is about to change.  The long-standing prohibition on general solicitation for financing is about to go away.  What this actually means in the future is that start-ups will now be able to publicly promote their financing.  While there are limits on what companies can say publicly, they can still market to a broad audience.  In "Start-up Pitches Post-JOBS Act: Pump Up the Volume," Paul Sloan, Editor of CNET, explores how companies might market their financings, and includes a great YouTube clip from .  It's a good article and worth a read:  http://news.cnet.com/8301-32973_3-57404184-296/startup-pitches-post-jobs-act-pump-up-the-volume/ 

According to reports, several banks may have manipulated the London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and reaped millions in profits.  Banks identified as being under scrutiny include Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase and UBS.  Here are links to a couple of reports:  

Fortune Term Sheet:  
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/23/the-wall-street-multibillion-scandal-no-one-is-talking-about/

Huffington Post:  
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-sunshine/bankings-newest-scandal-a_b_840334.html

Wall Street Journal:  
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120320-707783.html 
 

Dan Primack, Senior Editor of Fortune Magazine, has posted an article on the Term Sheet website discussing the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act that was passed this week by the US Senate, after previously being passed by the House of Representatives.  The JOBS Act is now back with the House for reconciliation and then will be signed into law by the President.  Dan's article is a response to a post written by Josh Kopelman, a Managing Partner at First Round Capital, supporting the JOBS Act.  Both articles are worth reading as they give two perspectives on the Act.

Here's a link to Dan's post at Term Sheet:  
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/23/unintended-contradictions-of-jobs-act/ 

Here's a link to the post by Josh Kopelman:  
http://redeye.firstround.com/2012/03/unintended-consequences.html 

VentureWire, a Dow Jones news service on the venture capital industry, has an informative article on Google's mergers and acquisitions strategy.  "Google Hones Amped-Up M&A Strategy" takes a look at how Google sources deals, works with venture capital firms, and integrates companies.  The article indicates that Google closed 78 acquisitions in 2011 for a total of $2.32 billion.  That's impressive.  Here's a link to the article:   
https://www.fis.dowjones.com/WebBlogs.aspx?aid=DJFVW00020120322e83maxh01&ProductIDFromApplication=&r=wsjblog&s=djfvw

The US Senate has passed an amended version of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act), which legalizes crowdfunding for start-ups and also loosens regulations for initial public offerings of  smaller "emerging growth companies."  The House previously passed a similar bill, and the two versions will now have to be reconciled and then signed by the President.

The crowdfunding provisions of the Senate bill will enable companies to raise up to $1 million per year from "small-dollar investors" through SEC-approved crowdfunding portals.  "Small-dollar investors" are able to invest a small portion of their annual income in these companies.

The IPO portion of the bill creates a new group of "emerging growth companies," which are companies that have less than $1 billion in annual revenue, and for up to five years exempts these companies from some of the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley act.  In addition, the bill relaxes the 500 shareholder rule, which requires companies with over 500 shareholders to make public disclosures, by increasing the number from 500 to 2,000.  The bill also loosens restrictions on equity research reports, and relaxes other requirements for the IPO process.

Here are links to a couple of stories on the bill:
WSJ - All Things D:  
http://allthingsd.com/20120322/senate-passes-crowdfunding-bill-with-added-protections-for-non-accredited-investors/?mod=tech 

NY Times: 
 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/business/senate-passes-start-ups-bill-with-amendments.html?_r=1&ref=business 

CNNMoney:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/22/smallbusiness/ipo-bill/index.htm?iid=HP_LN