Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson has accepted an appointment as chairman of the board of Poliwogg Holdings Inc.
Gregory Simon, chief executive officer of New York-based Poliwogg, announced the appointment of Gov. Thompson today.
Poliwogg is developing an online marketplace that matches emerging privately held companies with individual accredited investors. It will be an introducing broker/dealer as envisioned by the JOBS Act.
Thompson is the former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services.
“Gov. Thompson brings a wealth of experience to the Poliwogg team,” said Simon, who collaborated with Thompson on global health issues as head of FasterCures. “Gov. Thompson is one of the nation’s leading advocates for the health and welfare of all Americans and we are gratified that he has agreed to lead our board. All of us at Poliwogg look forward to working with Gov. Thompson to develop innovative solutions to the healthcare and economic challenges facing American families, businesses, communities, states and the nation as a whole.”
Governor Thompson currently serves on the boards of directors of the following public companies: CareView Communications, Inc., as chairman of the board; Centene Corp.; C.R. Bard Inc.; United Therapeutics Corp.; Cytori Therapeutics, Inc.; and, TherapeuticsMD Inc.
“I am pleased to be working with Greg Simon again, and look forward to assisting him and Poliwogg founder Jeff Feldman on the launch of one of the most important developments in capital formation in the past 80 years,” says Thompson. “I believe that the JOBS Act, which creates the ability for accredited investors to participate directly in the private economy and crowdfunding, will provide the fuel to fund the innovation economy and will put America back to work and drive a new prosperity.”
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, is a law intended to encourage funding of U.S. small businesses by easing various securities regulations. It passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 5, 2012.
Poliwogg’s crowdfunding marketplace will go live once the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) adopts funding portal rules and approves regulations governing this new and exciting means of capital formation for small- and mid-sized private companies. Poliwogg will initially focus its efforts on investment opportunities with innovative companies in healthcare and the life sciences, community-based businesses and projects, and in portfolios of high-yielding investment grade assets.
