For 79 years, if you wanted the right to invest in early-stage companies like Apple in the 1970s, Facebook in 2004, or Airbnb in 2009, you had to be an “accredited investor.” The concept came from a 1933 law that created the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to guard against some of the excesses on Wall Street that had led to the 1929 crash and the ensuing Great Depression. Don’t Miss: Why Silicon Valley Elites Are Betting On This Startup's Vision For Reuniting American Families The Se