CfPA Announces 2026 Industry Award Winners Following Washington Summit

Washington, D.C., USA, November 3rd, 2026, FinanceWire

The Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) has named ORBITBeyond, Hempitecture, GigaStar, Tom Wright and Chicago TREND as recipients of its 2026 Industry Awards, presented at its third annual Regulated Investment Crowdfunding Summit, held October 20–21 in Washington, D.C.

The awards honor achievements in capital raising, sustainable innovation, crowdfunding infrastructure, investor education and community ownership. The five recipients illustrate how investment crowdfunding can connect business growth with broader participation in the economy.

The two-day gathering combined advocacy meetings, the Kingscrowd Live Pitch Showcase and networking with a conference at the National Union Building. Under the theme “Investor Outcomes and Crowdfunding in an Era of AI,” participants examined how the industry can strengthen investor relationships, support entrepreneurs and build confidence in private markets.

“The next decade of investment crowdfunding should be measured by what happens after the raise: how businesses grow, how investors are treated, and how communities benefit,” said Brian Belley, 2026 President of CfPA. “This year’s award recipients show the range of possibilities: from lunar infrastructure and sustainable manufacturing to creator financing, investor education and neighborhood ownership.”

2026 CfPA Industry Award Recipients

• Rocket Launch Award — ORBITBeyond: Recognized for an exceptional Regulation Crowdfunding debut supporting the company’s work in lunar transportation and infrastructure.
• Cool Innovator Award — Hempitecture: Honored for advancing plant-based building materials, including HempWool insulation, and using crowdfunding to help develop American manufacturing capacity.
• Trailblazer Award — GigaStar: Recognized for expanding crowdfunding infrastructure in the creator economy, enabling investment in future YouTube channel revenue while creators retain ownership and creative control of their content.
• Pay It Forward Award — Tom Wright: Honored for supporting founders and helping everyday investors develop their knowledge through mentorship and investor education, including his work developing the Angel Investing Academy.
• Social Impact Award — Chicago TREND: Recognized for using Regulation Crowdfunding to enable residents and everyday investors to become co-owners of shopping centers and participate in the future of their communities.

In written acceptance remarks, Pay It Forward Award recipient Tom Wright highlighted the “opportunity to improve our own lives while making the world a better place—through investing in start-up companies.”

“Ownership changes how people see their corridor. They stop being only customers. They become stakeholders,” said Lyneir Richardson in acceptance remarks submitted on behalf of Chicago TREND.

Ten years after Regulation Crowdfunding became operational, the summit focused on what happens after investors commit their money. Discussions emphasized timely reporting and investor communication, financing structures suited to different businesses, opportunities for liquidity, and human oversight of AI tools used in diligence, marketing and compliance.

Highlights included a fireside conversation with Sebastian Gomez Abero of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a session with FINRA’s James Murphy on funding portals in an era of AI, a recorded State of the Industry presentation from Kingscrowd CEO Chris Lustrino, and an AI debate moderated by Brookings Institution senior fellow Aaron Klein.

The focus on investor outcomes also connects with CfPA’s recently released Private Market Reporting Standard (PMRS) v1.0, a voluntary common format for investment, payment and performance data. Platforms, investors and advisers can review the standard and supporting resources.

CfPA thanks the summit’s sponsors, speakers, award recipients, volunteers and participants for contributing to this year’s gathering.

Watch the 2026 Summit

The conference recordings are available free on CfPA’s official YouTube channel: watch the morning session and afternoon session. Explore additional recordings in the CfPA video library.

Learn more about CfPA’s educational resources, policy work and membership at CfPA.org.

About the Crowdfunding Professional Association

The Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing the regulated investment crowdfunding economy. CfPA supports issuers, investors, regulated intermediaries and crowdfunding professionals through education, advocacy, industry engagement and policy work.

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