Archive: First Stage Investor
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Crypto Insider: Coinbase Tussles With the SEC
By Early Investing on August 1, 2022
Coinbase has been struggling lately. About two weeks ago, an ex-Coinbase product manager was charged with fraud over an alleged insider trading scheme involving crypto. Then last week, Coinbase shares dropped more than 20% after news broke that it’s facing an SEC probe into whether the platform is offering unregistered securities. Even Cathie Wood seems to be losing faith in Coinbase. Her Ark Investment Management firm bought about $3 million worth of Coinbase shares back in…
Startup Insider: Startup Investing in Your Golden Years
By Early Investing on July 28, 2022
Startups can often feel like a young person’s game. We hear all the time about innovative entrepreneurs under the age of 30, young companies full of recent college graduates and fresh new ideas from younger generations. For older startup investors, this can present a problem. Startup investors almost…
New Pick: Rapid, Eco-Friendly Lithium Production
By Andy Gordon on July 25, 2022
Everybody is worried about soaring oil prices. But I’ve been watching another resource that’s in high demand: lithium. Its price has shot up 434% year over year, leaving oil in the dust. Users are beginning to panic. In April, Elon Musk tweeted…
Blendid Makes Splendid Progress
By Teddy Lyons on July 21, 2022
Update as of October 13, 2022: Blendid’s raise is closing tomorrow. The company has made significant strides since our update, and we feel you should know the very latest in case you want to make a last minute investment. In July 2022, Blendid…
Crypto Insider: Shopify Explores NFTs
By Early Investing on July 18, 2022
Shopify is expanding into NFTs. The e-commerce platform — which allows retailers to sell their products directly to consumers — recently launched around 100 new features, including contactless payments, crypto payments and “tokengated commerce.” According to TechCrunch, Shopify’s tokengated commerce uses NFTs to “‘reward true fans…
New Pick: A Pizza-Making Robot Grabs a Slice of a Massive Market
By Andy Gordon on July 14, 2022
Robots are just beginning to make their presence felt in modern life. Surgery, prosthetics and warehouses are just some of the areas where robots have found a foothold in recent years. There will be many more. These are early days. But it’s not too early for…
Startup Insider: The Perfect Time to Invest in Startups
By Early Investing on July 11, 2022
Investing in startups is an opportunity to bet on the future. And they have very different risk considerations than stock investments do. Given the current bearish state of the stock market, startup investing seems more important than ever. The S&P 500 fell almost 21% in the…
Crypto Insider: Interoperability Is the Future of Crypto
By Early Investing on July 7, 2022
Two weeks ago, we recommended that First Stage Investor subscribers invest in Polkadot (DOT). Polkadot is a multichain crypto protocol that connects and secures a network of specialized blockchains. It offers interoperability, scalability, high energy efficiency and user-driven governance.
Startup Insider: How to Build an Investment Thesis
By Early Investing on June 30, 2022
Wherever you are on your investing journey, it’s important to have guiding principles. Once you understand your own interests and strengths as a startup investor, you can start to build an investment thesis to guide your decision making. An investment thesis is an argument for a…
New Pick: For This Startup, “Giving Back” Is a Seamless Marketing Strategy
By Andy Gordon on June 27, 2022
A few months ago, a founder pitched me on an interesting idea. It involved drinking and a form of bribery, so naturally I was interested. Her company increased attendance to a business event by sending a bottle of wine to invited participants. She claimed that attendance shot up…
New Pick: An Interoperability Coin With Staying Power
By Vin Narayanan on June 23, 2022
Well, that happened quickly. On June 12, bitcoin was trading for more than $28,000. By the end of June 13, it had fallen as low as $21,000. By June 18, bitcoin had dipped below $18,000. Bitcoin has rallied a bit since then and is currently trading around $20,350.
New Pick: A Potential Unicorn That’s Making Surgery Safer
By Andy Gordon on June 16, 2022
My first and last surgery was a couple of years ago. I’m glad I didn’t know then what I know now. My surgeon told me the risks were low and a favorable outcome was high. He didn’t mention that he’d be using instruments that would burn or at…
Crypto Insider: A Common Crypto Investing Misconception
By Early Investing on June 13, 2022
Crypto investing and startup investing have a lot in common. When evaluating startups and crypto projects (many of which are startups themselves), investors need to consider the technology or service being offered, its customer base, traction, scalability and — perhaps most importantly — its founding team.
Portfolio Update: CodeCombat Grows Revenue, Expands Customer Base
By Early Investing on June 9, 2022
We recommended CodeCombat almost two years ago in July 2020. The company develops video games that teach middle schoolers and high schoolers how to code. Since we recommended CodeCombat, the company has navigated the COVID-19 storm and is now growing sustainably and profitably. …
Startup Insider: When a Startup Is Worth the Hype
By Early Investing on June 6, 2022
Sometimes it can seem like every founder claims that their company is “revolutionary.” Startups love to highlight how innovative they are. They’re doing something no one else has managed to do. They’re changing the world. Of course, many of those startups aren’t nearly as…
New Pick: An Affordable Super Material With Hundreds of Potential Uses
By Andy Gordon on June 2, 2022
There will never be a “next” Facebook or Google or Airbnb. Companies are a product of a specific time, place, technology know-how and need. It’s as if the universe wills them into existence. Of course, founders play an important role. But there are a lot of…