Author: Vin Narayanan

Crypto Regulations Are on the Horizon

By Vin Narayanan on December 14, 2022

I had planned on writing about startups today. A major scientific breakthrough in fusion happened this week. The implications for humanity and startups are astounding. But then two massive crypto stories broke, so startups (and fusion) will have to wait.

What DeFi Needs to Mature Into a Thriving Ecosystem

By Vin Narayanan on December 2, 2022

Crypto Market Musings There are two things driving the market right now: FTX collateral damage and potential interest rate hikes. Every time an FTX domino falls — like BlockFi declaring bankruptcy a few days ago — crypto…
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Note: This recommendation was co-authored by KingsCrowd Senior Investment Research Analyst Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau. Moonshot companies are tricky to evaluate. By definition, moonshots are bold, audacious, innovative attempts to solve massive problems. And if the solution is successful, it can…
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FTX and the Crypto Regulations Still to Come

By Vin Narayanan on November 21, 2022

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks in the crypto market as it tries to sort through the fallout of crypto exchange FTX filing for bankruptcy. For a more detailed account of how it happened, please read this update I wrote…
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Stargate Finance Still Has a Shot at Success

By Vin Narayanan on November 18, 2022

I like to have the TV on while I write. The background noise helps my mind focus. And because I have YouTube TV, I can record almost anything I want and watch/listen to it later. Earlier this week, I put Meet the Press…

Crypto Markets Spiral on FTX’s Bankruptcy News

By Vin Narayanan on November 16, 2022

Someday, there will be a Netflix documentary about Sam Bankman-Fried. SBF — as he’s known in crypto circles — was worth more than $14 billion about 10 days ago. Today, the founder and former CEO of popular crypto exchange FTX is bankrupt. SBF’s stunning fall from grace is…
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Note: This recommendation was co-authored by KingsCrowd Investment Research Analyst Teddy Lyons. When you evaluate consumer packaged goods (CPG) startup investment opportunities, you need to focus on three critical components: Traction Brand Team.
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New Pick: A Digital ID That Protects a Person’s Privacy

By Vin Narayanan on October 28, 2022

If a secure identity verification system… Doesn’t collect conventional identity touchpoints (like name, address, phone number, etc.) or traditional forms of identification (like driver’s licenses and passports)   And can’t reveal your actual identity  Can it actually work? And…
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New Pick: The Best of the Oracle Blockchains

By Vin Narayanan on October 24, 2022

I say or write “timing the market is a fool’s errand”™ so often I’ve started trademarking it. It’s almost impossible to predict the bottom of any market. And crypto markets are much more difficult to predict than others. The crypto markets have been stuck in neutral for extended…

Bitcoin Gives Investors a Break During the Bear Market

By Vin Narayanan on October 21, 2022

Crypto Market Musings Bitcoin (BTC) is traditionally an extremely volatile asset. But not right now. Bitcoin volatility (.BVOL) is at a 100-day low. Since September 1, bitcoin has largely been trading in a narrow range between $18,400 and $20,000. And BTC…

The Trick to De-Risk Startup and Collectibles Investments

By Vin Narayanan on October 19, 2022

The baseball card universe has changed quite a bit since I was growing up. People don’t just buy cards for the bubble gum or trade doubles to complete their sets like I did. Instead, they seek out unique or scarce cards that can grow in value. They keep…
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How to Take a Value Investing Approach to Crypto

By Vin Narayanan on October 14, 2022

This week’s inflation news was not good. Inflation, unsurprisingly, has risen faster than expected despite the Fed’s aggressive rate hikes. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is up 0.4% from last month, and the core CPI (which excludes highly volatile food and…
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A Different Kind of Due Diligence Process

By Vin Narayanan on October 11, 2022

In order to survive and thrive, human civilization needs water, food and energy. Everything else flows from these three things. That’s why as a startup investor, I keep a close eye on anything that’s changing or potentially disrupting one of these spaces. Investing early in game-changing innovations in…
Crypto Market Musings As of this writing, bitcoin is up about 3% over the last seven days and trading around $20,000. Ethereum is up about 2% over the last seven days and trading around $1,358. There’s no Fed meeting this month, so we won’t…
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New Pick: The Next Generation of Sports Fandom

By Vin Narayanan on September 30, 2022

It’s been a heavy year for crypto investors. We’ve spent the year talking about bear markets, inflation, interest rates, stock market correlation, dollar cost averaging and so much more.  These are all important topics. They’re hardly fun or exciting, though. And investing in crypto…