StartEngine
Reviews and Complaints

I have been part of StartEngine for a solid three years now. I have been snapped up in awesome investment opportunities in about ten companies. My blood was pumping with excitement as I felt proud to invest in such small start-ups that all had massive potential. However, all that came down crashing when I got an email a few days ago that read:

"Following a routine check, we have decided to shut down your StartEngine account because of certain irregularities. This verdict is final and cannot be overturned. We have terminated all investments connected to your account and will process any refunds that are in order.

Please find attached all required documentation that attests to your ownership of the investments that are completed.

Thank you for choosing StartEngine.
Best Regards,
Steve Bennett
The StartEngine Team"

This email left me feeling confused and disheartened. I subsequently sent out different emails inquiring for a clear and concise explanation, but I received the same response again and again:

"I apologize, but we cannot offer any additional information at this moment. Please refer to each of the companies you invested in for further assistance.

Thank you.
Best Regards,
Luca Roth
The StartEngine Team"

Although my investments are still sound, I am not allowed to do anything with them as I am effectively barred from reinvesting or cashing out whatsoever. I plan on reaching out to each company to find out what I can do. However, I feel that if StartEngine decides to implement a harsh decision like canceling an account, they should provide a concrete reasoning behind it.

If you plan on investing, I highly recommend you look for another firm that is more trustworthy and reputable than StartEngine.

Mike

First things first, there seem to be a lot of folks giving StartEngine low ratings who just don't seem to understand what crowdfunded venture investing is all about. I mean, let's face it, most start-ups fail; in fact, around 90% of them won't succeed and will leave your pockets empty. That's just the nature of the game.

Now, I myself am an experienced angel and venture investor and have been plying my trade for nearly 30 years, investing anything from $250k to $2m in a variety of start-up companies. Naturally, I've had my fair share of successes, failures and everything else in the middle. Nevertheless, that's not what I'm here to discuss.

Truth be told, I wouldn't normally get involved with crowdfunding or anything like that. However, a friend of mine wanted a few shares in a fledgling Seattle-based distillery, so I figured, why not give it a go. I saw that there was an option for investing as a business entity as they usually got through my LLC. But that didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped. Turns out, they were asking for my Bylaws, IRS forms, and quite a few other bits and bobs, and they wanted them ASAP. When I reached out to them for further clarification, they told me they were merely acting as an intermediary for a bank, who was itself nothing more than another intermediary.

All things considered, I think the main issue here is that this distillery thinks it's a good idea to use this type of (expensive) fundraising when they could be cutting out the middle man altogether and just going for it directly. Now, I'm not saying that StartEngine is a scam or anything like that - it just seems like an unnecessary step. My advice to the inexperienced investor is to avoid it, and my advice to seasoned venture investors like myself is the same - steered clear. Perhaps there's a middle ground that makes it worth investigating, but I can't say for sure.

I've been investing in start-ups using similar platforms for a few years now, and let me tell you, Start Engine is one of the simplest platforms out there. It offers a quick and easy way to learn more about the startups being promoted on their site. With just a few clicks, you can invest along with others in some of the most innovative companies of our time, from movie production to artificial intelligence systems and more.

Start Engine offers a minimum cost "auto" investing option that tries to make it easy to diversify your investments. However, if you're feeling more daring, there are also high-dollar investment opportunities that are sure to get your heart racing.

What sets Start Engine apart from its competitors is the involvement of Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary. With his knowledge and experience in business investment, you can rest assured that your funds are in good hands.

But as with any investment, there are risks involved. Once you deposit your funds and commit to investing, there's typically no turning back. Start Engine emphasizes the importance of understanding these risks before investing, and it's something you'll want to take seriously.

Despite the risks, investing in start-ups can be an exciting way to get in on the ground floor of an innovative company. And Start Engine makes it easy to do so. Sure, there are challenges involved, but I've missed out plenty on the stock market and other investment opportunities in the past. That's why I've decided to commit a portion of my income to start-up investing with a goal of doing as much research as possible before making my investments.

Overall, I'd say Start Engine is a great platform for anyone looking to invest in start-ups. It offers a simple and easy-to-understand interface, excellent investment opportunities, and involvement from a trusted investor like Kevin O'Leary. If you're looking to take a chance on an innovative company, this is certainly the platform to do it on.

StartEngine is really impressive, and they're doing things in the investment industry that have never been done before. They're their own broker dealer and the first ones to launch a secondary platform that allows you to trade Regulation CF and Reg A+ shares! This means that you don't have to be locked into your investment in a startup until it either IPOs or is bought out, which is a game-changer. You can actually buy or sell your Reg CF and Reg A+ shares on the platform, which is really exciting!
They're even launching a real estate platform soon, which is going to be amazing. I've invested on StartEngine and I'm absolutely loving it. It's so easy to use and I'm totally hooked. The negative reviews I've seen are only reflecting ignorance, because they don't understand what investing in startups under Regulation CF or Reg A+ means. These are private companies that are hoping to become profitable and potentially go public one day, so you're not buying shares like you would on Wall Street. You're paying pre-IPO prices and hoping that the company becomes successful, which is a very different game indeed.
StartEngine has also got the highest amount of Regulation A+ listings on the market, which is proof of just how incredible they are. From both the business and investor perspectives, StartEngine is definitely the way to go.

I am someone who frequents StartEngine.com and I have to say, I am impressed with the number of companies available for investment on their platform. Compared to other websites, it offers a high number of startups for you to invest your money in.

One thing to note though, StartEngine is NOT a trading platform. So if you are looking to buy and sell shares, this is not the right place for that. Instead, they focus on enabling startups with your money, so keep that in mind.

However, the platform is very straightforward and easy to use, which is a huge plus. Another perk is that it offers a lot of discounts for investing early on, which is a great incentive for investors considering the platform.

While their customer support may be a bit slow, they are very detailed and attentive to your needs. Recently, I needed a document that was not available on their website, and although their response took some time, they went above and beyond by providing me with a report that I was able to use. Overall, although their support may not be the fastest, they do provide quality help.

I have had to cancel investments in the past due to additional research, and both times I received my money back because I cancelled before the money had been invested. However, I recommend doing your due diligence first before making any investments.

Remember, StartEngine is not a trading platform, so do not expect to sell your investment anytime soon. Most investments in startups are for years before they can be sold again.

Lastly, most of the companies I invested in regularly send updates on their status, which is very helpful. Overall, I believe that StartEngine is an excellent platform for long term investments. As someone who has personally invested in their startups, I plan on continuing to add to my portfolio as long as it makes sense financially.

StartEngine.com ain't doing much to ensure that their offerin's are legit or good investments. I've been investin' on the site since way back in the day with companies like Elio around 2016. Sadly, every single company I've invested in has either gone bust or disappeared into thin air with no explanation. And others have told me they've had the same bad luck.

I even tried to invest in StartEngine itself, but for some reason, they keep rejectin' my investments. I've tried three times and each one got rejected and I don't know why. The site says I can 'fix' the investment but when I tried to charge my card again, it failed, without any reason given. I tried it with three different cards and it still didn't work. I ended up realizin' later on that StartEngine was keepin' my money on some of my fix attempts. I tried to reach out to StartEngine for help and they never responded. So, I got fed up and disputed one of the charges with a chargeback request. That finally got 'em to respond, but it was too late by then.

They told me it would take 5-10 days to get a refund on a different charge, but they were fightin' my chargeback request, which meant it could take up to 90 days. They then said they'd refund me promptly if they win the chargeback request. Like, seriously, what the heck?

Why'd they even offer me the chance to fix the investment if they were always gonna reject it? Why'd they keep my money when the investment wasn't even available or somethin'? And why'd they dispute my chargeback request when they were gonna give me a refund anyways?

Honestly, StartEngine is a headache of incompetence and they need to shape up before they mess up even more investors.

I had been an investor on StartEngine for quite some time now, having invested in over 30 companies, with some investments made multiple times. As an investor, I always make sure to spread out my investments across multiple sectors and corporations since these investments entail such a high degree of risk. Currently, there are little to no secondary markets for these securities, so it is crucial to consider them as long-term commitments as part of an overall investment strategy.

Having worked in Financial Services for over 35 years, I was never allowed to invest in "hot" IPOs. But with the advent of Equity Crowdfunding, both investors and pre-IPO companies seeking investment capital can now benefit from it. However, investors must understand that equity Crowdfunding is still a nascent industry and is continuously evolving from both an investment perspective and regulatory oversight.

Overall, I have been thoroughly impressed with StartEngine on multiple levels. Firstly, I admire CEO Howard Marks's proponent stance of the industry. He has sponsored webinars, seminars, conferences, company overviews, and Q&A sessions, and I've even participated in some of them and watched some conference videos. Secondly, the company's customer service is top-notch. Whenever I have any questions, they have been addressed within a day and often sooner. Thirdly, StartEngine always highlights the risk of every investment with a warning that reads, "This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment." Fourthly, the company offers a broad selection of offerings across various sectors. And lastly, once you get familiar with the platform and process, it is simple to use. Although, some investments may require additional paperwork due to regulatory issues, particularly for "accredited investors."

I would also like to point out that before investing in anything, I did thorough research and reading, devouring all the information available on Start Engine's website and explanatory articles. All in all, if you're willing to take on high-risk investments, StartEngine is an excellent platform to consider.

I recently had an experience with StartEngine that left me feeling frustrated and disappointed. My startup company conducted interviews with StartEngine, WeFunder and Republic, and ultimately decided to go with StartEngine. However, we quickly realized that the promises made by their sales team were nothing more than lies.

Firstly, we were told that we needed to raise $45K from friends and family before StartEngine could help us get more investors. However, after we raised $50K from our loved ones, StartEngine only sent out an email to a small number of people, resulting in only a few page views and investments. Surprisingly, we received most of our page views and funding from friends and family in the first 30 days.

Secondly, we were promised that StartEngine was committed to our startup's success. Unfortunately, this couldn't have been further from the truth. Shortly after they received their $10K setup fee, StartEngine stopped supporting us altogether. They didn't seem to care if our startup succeeded or not - all they were interested in was having as many companies on their platform as possible.

Thirdly, we were assured that we could set any valuation to start the campaign and then lower it later at any time. However, when we tried to lower the valuation a few months later, StartEngine refused to let us do so. This was completely opposite to what we were told during the initial discussions to close the deal and collect the $10K fee on all investments.

Lastly, StartEngine promised that they were experts in Facebook ads, and that this would drive traffic and increase investments. However, our experience with StartEngine's Facebook ads resulted in negative ROI, yet they continued to push us to spend more money on ads, for which they would get a fee.

As a startup, I would advise avoiding StartEngine at all costs. It was a complete scam, and it was evident that most of their employees were recent college graduates who had no idea what they were doing. Even more alarming was the fact that they didn't seem to care about our experience or whether our startup was a success or a failure. Consequently, their senior management was only focused on signing up more companies and investors, to collect more fees.

If you ain't too fussed about a company's morals, StartEngine might be right up your alley. But let me tell you, they done me dirty. I was trying to raise a bit of cash via StartEngine, and they sold me on the idea that I could launch my campaign within a month and get in on the end-of-year funding rush. But when November and December came and went, they blamed a whole heap of errors and incompetence for missing the deadline. And when I called them out on it, they had the audacity to say that the salesperson who told me about the end-of-year rush was just plain lying. Give me a break.

So, months go by, and I'm out over $15k according to what StartEngine wanted me to do, and still nothing has launched. They keep trying to get me to sign a bunch of legal documents without giving me or my lawyer any time to review them. And when I finally demand to have my lawyer look over everything, they take days to respond and tell me they can't give me the "adequate service and attention" that they supposedly promised.

But the worst part is yet to come. When I finally get in touch with StartEngine's founder and CEO, Howard Marks, I try to tell him about how much stress this has been causing me and my wife, who we just found out has Stage IV cancer. But instead of showing me a bit of empathy, he sounds more like a slimy Wall Street character than anything else. He tells me that he thinks "raising capital is the right thing to do" and that sometimes they have to "pass on mistakes" to their customers. What kind of BS is that?

And it doesn't stop there. Howard promises me that he'll eliminate all StartEngine fees moving forward, but then he turns around and lies about it in an email. It's clear to me that StartEngine's own CEO has no sense of morality or decency, and that starts to trickle down into the company culture as a whole.

Honestly, I ain't surprised that StartEngine has an 'F' rating with the Better Business Bureau. These guys only care about themselves and their own fundraising efforts. They don't give a blue tick's tail about you or your wallet. If you've been wronged by StartEngine like I have, I suggest filing a complaint with the BBB like I did. Maybe if enough people speak up, they'll finally start to change their ways. But until that happens, I'd steer clear of this snake pit if I were you.

So, what's the deal with Start Engine? Well, let me tell you about my experience with them. Overland ATS LLC had some ups and downs with this crowdfunding platform and I want to share my thoughts on it. First off, I think investors need to be cautious when considering investing in Start Engine offerings. Many of these investments are in non-voting common stock and many of these startups have operating losses and negative equity. Financial disclosures can sometimes hide some of the more unpleasant truths about these investments as well. Additionally, the shares offered are often so minuscule that they have very little value, even if the startup becomes wildly successful. These convertible bonds, which are occasionally offered at minimal interest rates, are also somewhat dicey. Sometimes, these bonds accrue interest instead of paying it outright. And oftentimes, bonds and interest payments are converted in a way that can make you face a loss even before you've actually begun investing. Some startups even reserve the right to buy bonds back at a heavily discounted rate. It's all legal, but I don't think it's ethical.

Investors should also be careful of Start Engine's rolling closings. You need to write a non-refundable check and Start Engine takes a 6% commission. The startup gets the rest of your money, but the funding in a rolling closing is only a small part of the capital raise the company needs. Would I call it a scam? Well, that's up for debate, but I do think it's a bit fishy.

If you're thinking of investing in a Start Engine campaign, read the Offering Detail. Most campaigns provide very little financial details, so this is a crucial step. Additionally, I think investors should invest in ideas and products that they find personally appealing. So, if a startup is offering bottled water in a market that's already saturated with giant beverage companies selling water for cheaper, or if they are developing a niche accounting software when there are thousands of other programs out there, investors might want to re-evaluate that campaign.

For startups looking to start crowdfunding campaigns, they need to be aware of the differences between crowdfunding platforms. Overland ATS LLC did not have a positive experience with Start Engine. We found the contracts to be vague and unresponsive. We even paid $5,000 for extra support, but received minimal support in return. Start Engine Promote, which we contracted to manage our advertising, was also a disappointment. They ignored terms of the contract and diverted our respondents to their own website. Our contact was also non-responsive and never returned our calls or emails.

Perhaps our biggest issue with Start Engine had to do with Form C and the Overview presentation. We were told our attorney had to sign a statement certifying everything was true and correct and complied with all applicable SEC regulations after our application was finalized. Our attorney was not allowed to see Start Engine's website or download a copy of Form C. This was asking a lot of him, as they had looked over all our information, but not him. He signed off after they assured him that they had made no changes. However, our campaign was substantially stripped of some of our best features without our knowledge. We were not happy about this and when we tried to add those features back in, we were met with resistance. The "committee," which is a mysterious and final arbiter of what can be placed on the website, repeatedly rejected our drafts but never gave us a good reason for doing so. The restoration of our information took over a month and by that time, we decided there was no point in paying the $1,000 fee. Our campaign clock ran out and our offering was not successful.

Overall, I can't say that our experience with Start Engine was a positive one. But that doesn't mean that other companies won't have better outcomes. It's up to each startup to decide which crowdfunding platform to use, but they should make fair offers to their investors and be aware that not all crowdfunding platforms are created equal.

This company is horrible. They are only in it for themselves. They were so in touch when they wanted my business but couldn't give me the time of day when we had a problem that needed resolution immediately. Zero customer service and a CEO that is arrogant and dismissive. Use another platform for investing. Buyer beware.

I deposited money with StartEngine that has completely disappeared. There's no one to speak with. Online chat is a bot that starts tickets that go nowhere. Email barely gets a response and doesn't even attempt to solve the problem or make contact. All it does is tells you they opened a ticket. Then they never follow up. This has all the hallmarks of a poorly funded business about to go under. Or a scam.

Very poorly managed and handled. I placed an order, they took my money, and then I got several emails saying my payment did not process. But they took money from my account. When I confronted them, they simply say they will cancel my order and refund my money. I have not received my refund. Startengine is a scam. How could a company that claims to deal with stocks and billions of dollars be so terrible disorganized?

I tried to use StartEngine and submitted my companies information online. Then I got an email to set up a call, sounded pretty good. I was stuck with Rose Weinmann, what a colossal waste of time... not only was she late for the call she couldn't answer any of my questions so she elected to go for the standard " I ***'t think your company is a good fit for StartEngine" (in a very smart assed tone millennial way... for sure) and couldn't get off the phone fast enough. Maybe StartEngine should look into hiring seasoned sales people and not just "pretty people". How disappointing...

StartEngine seems to be a one way street. I tried investing one and after I invested about 3 years ago, it was the last I ever heard about it. Looking now I see the person listed as the company co-founder's linked in profile shows them leaving immediately after the startengine funding. If you are looking to raise/take money from unsuspecting suckers, it might not be a bad platform but I have seen zero people who have claimed to make any money from a start engine investment. It is basically a donation because you lose the money you invest and there will be no profits, stocks or other returns coming back.

Visually, the website is nice, and the investing process is pretty straightforward. HERE'S WHERE YOU REALLY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION. Every company has a profile page, sort of like a dating website. Once you have viewed an investment opportunity - again, simply viewed it - that company is automatically added to your account as a pending investment... as if you actually clicked a button that says 'I want to invest in this company... even though you didn't. Then, you receive frequent emails reminding you to come back and invest. It's important that you visit your account and manually cancel these 'pending' investments as soon as possible. Once, five days after viewing a particular investment, they automatically charged my credit card for a company that I did not, and would not, ever invest in. After whining and threatening, they reversed the charge. This is only my experience.

So, let me tell you something about my StartEngine experience. I decided to invest some money and sent $520 via credit card on Tuesday. And you know what happened then? The CC company stalled the purchase and I had to waste my precious time calling them to confirm the transaction. Finally, I got everything sorted out and thought that it was done and dusted. Sadly, it wasn't.

The very next day, I received an auto email from SE saying that my charge didn't go through and I needed to do it again. So, I did what they asked of me. To my surprise, the very next day I received another auto email from SE saying that I had $1040 pending purchase, which was twice the amount I wanted to invest. I just couldn't understand why it was happening, so I decided to call them up to get some clarity.

Guess what? I got a recording telling me to email them, and I did just that. But after that, I heard nothing from them. I sent two other emails, each one more urgent than the last, but still heard nothing. And then I started feeling like I'd been ripped off. I kept wondering if I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.

Finally, after a week of trying to get in touch with StartEngine, I decided to notify the CC company that I had been ripped off, and requested that they try to get my money back. It was either gross incompetence, or outright fraud... but there is SOMETHING wrong with this company.

Overall, my experience with StartEngine was extremely negative, and I would advise anyone thinking of investing through them to be extremely cautious and double-check everything before handing them your hard-earned money.

StartEngine is one of those sites that you just can't trust with your hard earned money. They seem to be posing as an investment platform but in reality, they're just a scam site. Their platform is inundated with worthless companies and unreliable owners who seem to set ridiculous valuations.

But let me tell you about my personal experience with StartEngine. Fortunately, I was able to catch their antics and cancel all my proposed investments before losing any money... but it was a close call. There have been countless instances where individuals like myself have lost their life savings because of this fraudulent site.

And don't even bother trying to get in touch with their customer service team. Their phone number is inactive, and they never answer emails. It's as if they don't even care about their users!

If you don't believe me, just do a simple YouTube or Google search on StartEngine. You'll find tons of information on the scams they've pulled, the fraud they've committed and the shady founders of the companies on their platform. Trust me when I say, this is one company you want to avoid at all costs!

In fact, both Howard Marks and Kevin O'Leary should be behind bars for the schemes they've orchestrated through StartEngine. But they've somehow managed to avoid getting arrested. With that being said, I urge you- stay away from StartEngine! If not, you might just end up losing all your money to these fleecy company founders.

I gotta tell ya, I had a bit of a hiccup with StartEngine. Bought me some shares a little over a year ago and when I decided it was time to sell, I got a real cryptic message back from 'em:

"We're planning to quote StartEngine shares on our Secondary platform once our next campaign closes, but we can't give you a firm date for that just yet. We'll give our investors a heads up when trading becomes available down the road."

Now, I gotta say, that Secondary platform they're jawing on about is one downright mysterious animal. Nobody seems to know exactly what it is, how it works, or when anybody can use it. It's like an investment Bermuda Triangle taking down all your hard-earned bucks with it. Seems to me like StartEngine has a harder time than a dog trying to catch its tail when it comes to getting investors their cash back.

I mean, what kind of investment company doesn't have a clear-cut plan for its investors' money? It's like, hey, we got your scratch, but we don't know when you'll ever see it again. Sorry, pal. Yeah, right. And what's this about a Secondary platform anyways? How's that connected to the initial offering? You got me. Sounds like one big excuse to keep folks waiting in the wings forever.

Now, don't get me wrong. StartEngine might still be worth checking out. Maybe you'll have better luck than me. But take my advice and tread carefully. Seems to me like these guys are making investing a lot harder than it needs to be.

First of all, let me start by saying that StartEngine's website is pretty nice to look at. It's easy to navigate and you can find what you need without too much trouble. But here's the thing - you really need to pay attention when you're browsing the investment opportunities. Why? Well, because once you view a company's profile page, it's automatically added to your account as a pending investment. That might not seem like a big deal, but it can be.

Let me explain. When a company is added as a pending investment, you'll start receiving emails reminding you to come back and invest. And that's the thing - you didn't actually click any buttons or make any commitment to invest in that company. But it's still pending in your account, and you're getting emails about it. It's important that you go into your account and manually cancel these pending investments as soon as possible.

Why? Because they might charge your credit card without your consent. I know this from experience. Five days after I viewed a particular investment, they automatically charged my credit card for that company - even though I had no intention of investing in it. After I complained and threatened to take my business elsewhere, they eventually reversed the charge. But it was a hassle that I could have avoided if I had just cancelled that pending investment in the first place.

So, while I like the look of StartEngine's website and I appreciate the simplicity of their investing process, I would caution other investors to be careful when browsing the investment opportunities. Don't let a pending investment linger in your account, or you might end up with a surprise charge on your credit card. And that's not a good thing.

I started investing on StartEngine in June of 2022, and I have had mixed experiences with the platform. My first investment with Rentberry went smoothly - I verified my profile, linked my bank account, and funded my investment with no issues. However, my recent attempt to invest in Boxable was much more frustrating.

For some reason, I had to verify my profile and link my bank account again to invest in Boxable. I invested $1K and moved on, but then I received an email telling me to "Deposit Funds." I assumed that I had to do so for the investment, so I deposited another $1K. However, when I checked my Boxable investment, the "Funds Received" tab was NOT checked, and my money was nowhere to be found. I tried reaching out to customer support at ***@startengine.com but didn't receive a response.

As a result, I am canceling the second $1K investment and filing a complaint with the better business bureau to get my money back. I am also considering filing with the FTC because it seems like they are driving up their value by taking and holding our funds for no reason. Overall, my experience with StartEngine has been mixed, and I hope they can improve their processes to make investing easier and less frustrating.

This website is alright, but I gotta say, they left a sour taste in my mouth. They didn't make it very clear about the owners bonus. I mean, I thought the owners bonus was for the business owner I was investing in. Like they were offering a special deal, invest this amount and get 10% more shares. But no, it turns out the owners bonus is actually a subscription thingy on Start Engines website. You gotta fork over 275 bucks and then you get extra shares in whatever you invest in on their website. I like investing, but dang, I wasn't about to spend that kind of cash just for some extra shares. Especially since I was only planning on using their site one time. They really gotta make things more clear. I feel bad for all those little investors out there who might get turned off from investing again. They should rename that thing! Maybe StartEngine Membership or something like that? That way, they'll have less ticked-off peeps and even more customers once they make it crystal clear what's going on. Hey, StartEngine, please fix!

Well, let me tell you about my experience with StartEngine. It took them a whopping 3 whole months to run an AML check on my LLC for trading in their secondary market. During that time, they held onto my money and froze any transfers back to the original source account. You know what's interesting? When I suggested involving the SEC in investigating, magically approval came through. Hmm, makes you wonder. Also, their toll-free number just points you to their email address. Come on guys, that's so childish. It's like a kindergarten operation if you ask me. I was considering giving them only 1 star, but I have to admit their customer service emails are polite. However, they lack anything useful in terms of content.

Update time, folks! StartEngine's response was to an issue that's still plaguing their management of the data customers upload. 3 times already, a different company's IRS form was linked to my company and stalled the AML process. Recently, they updated their trading policies page and asked me to enter my name to acknowledge it. However, their 'bots' (whatever that means) can't seem to associate my name or even the company name with my account. I had to wait for 2 whole weeks before they finally responded to my request for help. For Pete's sake, email is not an efficient way to run a help desk.

Overall, my experience with StartEngine has been far from satisfactory. They need to get their act together and invest in better systems. It's ridiculous to have to wait for months just for a simple AML check to go through. And let's not even get started on their customer service. They might be polite, but they're not helpful at all.

Recently, I came across a StartEngine Ad while browsing the internet. The Ad was recruiting investors for a company named Boxabl. Upon researching the company, I got fascinated by their business model and decided to invest $2000 in their venture on June 8,2022. The money was shown as withheld in my account on StartEngine, waiting for the campaign to end.

To my surprise, even after the end of the campaign, my money had not been released from escrow and was still stuck in Boxabl's account. I tried reaching out to StartEngine to inquire about the delay, but their responses seemed very generic and provided no explanation for the delay.

To my disappointment, on November 1st, 2022, I found out that there was a new campaign launched for Boxabl on StartEngine that was raising more money. Upon checking my StartEngine account, I discovered that my initial investment had been refunded on October 31, 2022, without any explanation, interest or reason, almost five months after I had invested.

After doing little research, I found out that Boxabl is doing great and is expanding rapidly. I am left to wonder, where did my investment in Boxabl go? I am disappointed in StartEngine's poor customer service and the way they handled my investment in Boxabl. It seems like they have a reputation of broken dreams and failed promises. I hope they take ownership of their mistake and work towards rebuilding the trust that they have lost.

I recently looked into StartEngine, a website where investors can invest in new companies. I wondered how much money I could make by investing with them, so I asked many of the companies on the website. Unfortunately, most of them said they didn't know because their company is "new". Others mentioned that investors would receive stocks in the company, generally around 2 to 6 shares. This seemed like a low return, given that the average share in a new company is around $10.00, and most investors expect to make a larger return on their investment.

After questioning these companies, I realized that the only ones making any money here are the companies themselves, and not the investors. In my opinion, this is a very risky investment, and buyers should be aware of the potential dangers involved.

Another thing that struck me as strange about the StartEngine website is the fact that I've sent at least three emails to Mr. Kevin O'Leary (aka "Mr. Wonderful"), who is the new executive there, but I have not received any replies to my questions about the companies he claims to represent. I wanted to know if these companies are trustworthy or scams, but since I've received no reply from Mr. O'Leary or his office, I feel that I may already have the answer that I was looking for.

Overall, I would suggest being very cautious when dealing with StartEngine and other websites like it. While there may be some good investment opportunities available, buyers need to be aware of the risks involved, and do their own due diligence before making any investments.

StartEngine claims to help startups with offerings and going public, but unfortunately, there are no representatives for you to talk to unless you are investing. If you are seeking investment, it is 100% radio silence except for spam. They keep soliciting you to buy into other people's businesses. They tell you to show up places to meet the man, they tell you to schedule appointments, all in spam. You respond and eagerly wait for their responses for days, but to no avail. There is no customer service, and they refuse to delete accounts even on request. Who is to say who all they sell your information to? They claim they have to retain the information for 5 years.

If you are seeking investment, you sign up for an investors account. So even if you have no business with them and you find out they are a sham, they still get to keep your information, which depicts you as a client or investor. This is a lie and manipulation! They can use this information to deceive investors and the public about their real intentions. As far as I am concerned StartEngine is not using your data to help you. It is the same old corporate scam of self-service.

If you are seeking investments, these people will not help you unless they know you. So be prepared to have to go to their events and make sure you get noticed. If you don't, they have no time for you unless you are giving them money.

I am extremely disappointed with StartEngine, and I would not recommend them to anyone. They have such a poor attitude towards people who are not investors. Although they claim to be supporting start-ups and allowing them to go public, it seems to me that they are simply in it to make money for themselves. My experience with StartEngine has certainly left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I will be avoiding them in the future.

I invested $600.00 with Start Engine and want my money back and keep getting the run-a-round! I need this money for bills and have requested several times that my money be put back into my Charles Schwab account. Please help me!

I invested in two companies through StartEngine and they have been holding onto a significant amount of dollars without notifying me. I invested in two companies through StartEngine and they have been holding onto a substantial sum without notifying me. Then I asked about it and my contact to them is being ignored.

I have invested with start engine more than a year ago, I have been asking for updates on my account and they just send emails and addresses to email them my problem, but I never get any real information about my investments, and I'm so tired of asking and asking for something that is mine. The address is ***00

I have invested with start engine more than a year ago, I have been asking for updates on my account and they just send emails and addresses to email them my problem, but I never get any real information about my investments, and I'm so tired of asking and asking for something that is mine. The address is

Start Engine was running a promotion where referring new people would result in rewards for both the referee and the referred. The individuals I referred, as well as their referrals, have received their payments. However, despite my efforts in contacting Start Engine for over a week, responses are scarce. I possess evidence of my referral count and my own referral source, yet they deny my claims. I wish to receive the payment I'm due.

I invested money into stock. I am a disabled senior and have legitimate questions like when can I sell and what is value of stock and where can I look this up. I ask to talk to someone. Their phone number is not working and all they do is ask me to send an email only. I keep asking these questions with no response. I only want to talk to a real person and they keep denying me this. I'm worried this company could be fake. I ask if holding period. No response. Please help.

I invested $*** with Start engine. I have self directed IRA and the funds came from my debit card connected to my LLC checking account. To make the story short I have a night mare to explain Start engine what self directed IRA is. Summited documents every day, 50+ emails. When some one responds to my email they have no clue what's going on. Finally after a month I canceled my subscription and still no refund in my account. This company has no experience and offer no help if you need. No phone to contact for help and the email they have no one has a clue. Beware investing with this company!

I was trying to buy some shares for a blockchain company through start engine. They had an option for start engine owners bonus which charged an additional $275 on top of the $258 I was spending on top of the shares. Not only is this feature non refundable but it was tagged onto my order and very misleading. Only after being charged on my account I read more about it and I definitely did not want the charge to my account. This is a marketing ploy, very misleading on start engines behalf to the consumer and a betrayal. I also researched start engine on Complaintsboard.com to find out people were being snubbed by their staff with their investments. I have no idea if I will be able to get my money back now.

Can't track date from site of transaction. Due to their system failing to take a confirmation supposedly to prevent fraud. Also making me make a deposit to open an account. When a deposit would have been made when I invested in the business I invested in twice. Now they're holding a *** because they didn't receive their own confirmation. When I hit their link, that they created. A week later or more NO MONEY. Just emails saying conform but no links, no help, email them but that's a slow way to get help when it started with a link. I wrote them email calling them the fraud which is more truth. If they need a hold a *** for excess amount of time over a fault in their system. I JUST WANT MONEY BACK before

Hi, my name is redacted. I have invested in some companies on Start Engine, including Start Engine itself, WiGL, Parallel Flight Technologies, and Metaiye Knights. They said I'm supposed to be issued shares of the companies I invested in, but 6 months after the funding closed, all I received is an E-Paper about the amount I invested, and that's it. I haven't heard anything else from any source about the money and how to claim it, despite my research. I have spoken to the support team, but they only mentioned that after my investment was finalized and they issued that certification, their responsibility ended, which contradicts their policy of issuing shares. They have stopped responding to my inquiries. I hope Complaintsboard.com can intervene and help me resolve this issue. Thank you!