The idea behind startup Loyal3 is as simple as it is disruptive: provide a technology platform for brands to sell their own shares (actually $10 fractions of shares) to consumers on Facebook -- a concept CEO Barry Schneider calls "the ultimate 'like' button." A simple idea, for sure, but a difficult one to pull off, which is why the startup has spent the past three years building a platform that can handle billions of small transactions, as well as earning the blessing of the SEC.
Loyal3 is slated to launch in May with a number of brands hoping to give their fans a chance to own the company. Mr. Schneider appeared with investor and former Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly at Ad Age Digital 2012:
