The Coin Process
Everything revolves around business opportunities. Entrepreneurs work with approved COIN partners, like the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship and the Small Business Development Center to vet their business opportunities with a goal of refining their plans so their business opportunity has a better chance of becoming an investment opportunity. Entrepreneurs then submit their vetted opportunities for consideration to COIN members through the COIN website, and those opportunities are shared with investors in the COIN database. If a COIN investor, or group of COIN investors, are interested in an opportunity, they can reach out to the business opportunity owner to start a conversation.
COIN will also host or co-host presentation showcases where entrepreneurs can present their vetted business opportunities in-person to COIN investors. During these showcase events, entrepreneurs cannot speak publicly about the specific terms of the potential investment, but after the showcase events, private follow-up meetings can be arranged where presenters and interested investors can continue to build relationships, and if/when appropriate, discuss investing opportunities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has rules:
https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/rule-506-regulation-d
As does Washington State: