Today's American Minute — Joint Stock Companies funded Europe's Age of Exploration
Joint Stock Companies financed English Exploration & the Founding of the Colony of Virginia - American Minute with Bill Federer
and Enland's First Permanent Colony in America - American Minute with Bill Federer Joint Stock Companies funded Europe's Age of Exploration
After the Reformation, Protestant countries formed the first "joint–stock" companies. A joint–stock company was much like modern-day crowd–sourcing or crowd–funding. Any individual could invest in a ship sailing to the Far East in search of spices, and when the ship returned, investors received a profit.