LION

LION stands for Local Investment Opportunity Network. LION serves as a clearinghouse for local investors willing to invest in local ventures. LION is made of a group of local citizens who create opportunities for local businesses, individuals, and local investors to network.

Our mission is to build prosperous local businesses, keep investing money in our community, and help build a more resilient and sustainable economy in East Jefferson County. To read a brief overview of our history and how we work, click here.

LION is not a loan or investment fund, and it does not make collective investment decisions. Our membership consists of local citizens who want to invest their money locally, thereby putting their investing money to work within our community. Keeping funds local facilitates greater economic self-sufficiency, job growth, economic development, and a dollar-multiplier effect whereby a dollar kept within the community can be spent many times over for a far greater benefit than a dollar invested away from our community.

If you are an interested local investor, we invite you to consider membership in LION. We have a simple application process that begins with a New Member Application form. All LION members sign our Membership Agreement that details matters of procedure, confidentiality, and dispute resolution. If you have any questions, please e-mail our New Member Contact Person.

Examples of opportunities that could receive local investor support (via loans or equity shares) are:

• Business start-up
• Business expansion
• Business line-of-credit
• Real estate (historically less likely to be financed)
• Non-profit and conservation financing

If you are interested in submitting a local (East Jefferson County, WA) investment opportunity for consideration, you may complete and submit our Investing Opportunity Submission form. Specific details regarding the nature of an investment are worked out and agreed upon between individual investors and owner/borrowers, not by LION. Please be aware that your submission could be legally considered a securities offering, and therefore you are advised to consult a knowledgeable attorney and/or educate yourself by reading this primer (prepared for Slow Money) before submitting. If you have any questions, please e-mail our Investing Opportunities Contact Person.

For information on how to set up a group like LION in another community, or for other requests or questions from outside our local community, please click here.

For inquiries of a general nature, e-mail us.

This page was updated on 5/10/2012.