Investor FAQ

• Are you an investment brokerage service? 

  No. We provide a direct investment service that connects green entrepreneurs and investors. We do not charge sales commissions based on the amount you are requesting. Entrepreneurs are expected to perform their own due diligence on interested investors.

• How do you differ from other carbon offsetting sites? 

  Other carbon offsetting sites ask individual or institutional investors to invest it in carbon offsets that the intermediary decides to invest in. The Green Investment Network advocates that any offset supplier, small or large, should be able to advertise an offset for individual or institutional investors to consider. We are not a gatekeeper preventing you from registering a green house gas offset, however, you should expect investors to perform a thorough due diligence on any offsets you advertise on this site.

• Why does this site specialize in green investing? 

  The green economy is taking off like the internet economy was in the 90's. It is estimated (World Economic Forum) that the total investment into clean energy was $30 billion in 2004, more than doubling to $60 billion by 2006. We see similiar trends in 5 other green economy sectors: carbon offsets, environmental technology, energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and green projects.

• How does this service work 

  You must first register as an Investor on the site for no fee and identify your basic investment preferences. Entrepreneurs continually submit their investment opportunities, each of which are filtered for review based on your pre-selected criteria. After your registration is approved by the site administrator, the summaries of a some relevant existing opportunities will be e-mailed to you immediately. Each email includes a link to our website that allows you to view further details of any opportunity that interests you and to initiate contact with the corresponding entrepeneur if you choose to do so. If the entrepreneur subsequently chooses to respond, you will be notified via your preferred contact method (email, phone etc.). At that point, you can then decide whether you wish to review the entire business plan and possibly even initiate the process of investing in the business. All ongoing new opportunities are made available to you using the same methodology as soon as they are created for as long as you maintain your membership with us. Our website also includes your own investor section which keeps track of all your own opportunities in an orderly, convenient fashion.

  It is strictly a matching service that offers quality opportunities to investors submitted by green entrepreneurs.

• Are there tax benefits to green investing? 

  There are many tax benefits associated with investing in small businesses in general. One such benefit applies to any losses resulting from investing in startup companies that fall under Internal Revenue Code, Section 1244 (which defines "qualified small business tax treatment"). These losses are deductible against ordinary income taxes.

  One-half of any gains realized from investing in "qualified small businesses", under section 1202 of the IRS code, if held for a specific period of time, can be excluded from capital gains tax. Regardless of the holding period, any gains realized from a Section 1202 "qualified small business", qualifies for a 1045, tax free exchange into a new "qualified small business". (See your accountant for specific details.)

  For further details on Investing guidelines, please refer to Internal Revenue Service or Securities And Exchange Commission.

• Why should I register to receive investment proposal summaries? Investors are a logical source to provide growth capital to small business. With over $40 billion invested annually in the US and growing all the time, the main obstacle is locating and identifying quality deals. The poorly performing stock markets, along with the growing resistance of investors to invest in companies they know little about, fuels the need for an alternative. The Green Investment Network allows an investor to view many green opportunities with the option to choose one that is a proper fit.
• How much can I expect to make for a return on my investment?  This is very dependent on the situation, size of investment, size of company, industry trends, etc. However, it is estimated that many investment returns in small businesses and start-ups have been in the range of 20-40% return on investment (ROI). Some prove to be less but they are sometimes much, much more.
• How is my privacy protected? Your information is not offered to any third party for other purposes and information you enter into the website is shared only with entrepreneurs whose proposal you express interest in.
• I have other questions, who do I contact? You may contact us by send email to admin@greeninvestmentnetwork.com or by using our Contact Us form.