THE SIGNAL

Hey crew, this week we’re covering the future of investment crowdfunding rules, open raises, and a driver rising through the IndyCar ranks, Wesley Gundler.

Let’s dive in.

INDYCAR
The Future of Fan Ownership

Wesley Gundler is a 17-year-old motorsports driver from North Carolina’s Triangle region who was recently selected as ENVE Motorsports’ first driver in the USF2000 series.

Wesley is supported by Apex Resource Center Partners, a driver development organization founded by Trish Johnson, who has spent more than 40 years in motorsports across training, operations, and team leadership.

Over the course of her career, Trish repeatedly saw talented drivers struggle to progress: not due to lack of ability, but due to inconsistent guidance, limited access, and fragmented development pathways. Apex was created to bring structure, professionalism, and long-term thinking to early-career driver development.

Apex Resource Center Partners was built around a simple idea: start professional development earlier.

If “Jerry Maguire” were set in motorsports, the story wouldn’t begin once drivers reach the professional ranks. It would begin much earlier: when guidance, structure, and representation matter most, and when talented drivers are most vulnerable to stalling out due to lack of access or direction.

That philosophy shapes how Apex operates today. The organization currently supports Wesley and is building a broader platform intended to serve additional drivers over time. Trish has been approached by multiple families seeking similar development support.

Wesley is scheduled to make his first USF2000 race appearance on the Streets of St. Petersburg in late February.

Apex Resource Center Partners is currently conducting a Fan Community Round on Wefunder. Full details, risks, and disclosures are available on the official offering page.

Ask Wesley and Trish questions in a Townhall on Thursday Jan 29 @ 3:30p ET. Learn more and RSVP link 

Disclosure: Incolo provides consulting services to Apex.

RAISE INSIGHTS
$20m Community Rounds?

The current Reg CF limit is $5m every 12 months, but $20m Community Rounds may be coming. Sherwood Neiss and several others in the industry who are petitioning for greater capital access. Often founders raise more than $5m by raising traditionally before their Reg CF round or running a parallel round:

• Reg CF - $5m only, any type of investor, unlimited investors via CrowdSPV or Custodian

• Reg D 506(c) - unlimited capital, accredited only (have to validate they are accredited)

In practice, Reg CF structures allow companies to include a larger number of individual investors, which multiple founders mobilize for customer engagement, referrals, and community participation after an investment has closed.

Takeaway: If this new limit is passed, it would affect the number of companies who might otherwise not have opened their private raises to the community.

OTHER RAISES
Who’s Raising?

Koios Medical is MedTech FDA cleared AI used in 1,000+ hospitals and clinics to detect cancer earlier.

Surge Networks is building the data “oil” wells for AI and recently launched locations in New Orleans.

Windlift’s tethered drone tech has multiple applications across cargo ships, US, and NATO defense.

Disclosure: Incolo serves as a business consultant to Surge and Windlift

A reflection

4,594 investments and counting have participated across 26 companies since founding incolo back in 2019.

That represents thousands of people who chose to put capital behind founders and ideas they wanted to see become real in the world.

I’ll never know all of their stories. But often, I get to witness something meaningful: introductions, partnerships, and conversations that later show up as real revenue growth for the companies they’ve supported.

I’m grateful for the community that has formed around these companies and for the willingness of individuals to take risk in pursuit of building something together.

One consistent lesson has stood out over time: companies tend to benefit most when communication with their investor base is clear and specific.

Founders who regularly share updates and articulate the types of connections that could be helpful often unlock unexpected opportunities. Likewise, investors who stay engaged beyond the transaction sometimes play a meaningful role in a company’s growth.

It’s a reminder that capital formation doesn’t end when a round closes, but marks the start of a longer relationship.