Archive: First Stage Investor
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New Pick: Revolutionary Prosthesis Technology That Competitors Can’t Touch
By Andy Gordon on January 27, 2022
Lots of sectors are broken: banking, housing, education, day care and infrastructure. But none of these are as broken as the physical disability space. Fewer than one out of five arm amputees who need prosthetics actually use them. Available prosthetics are too heavy, clumsy and uncomfortable. They’re super expensive. And their functionality is shockingly limited. It’s an inexcusable state of affairs… not only because limb-different people deserve better, but also because we can make far better…
Crypto Insider: Six Major Crypto News Stories Explained
By Early Investing on January 24, 2022
The crypto markets have been in a downward trend lately. But long-term crypto investors have nothing to worry about. That’s because there are big things happening in the crypto world. In fact, six major crypto news stories broke on the same day in the last week…
Startup Insider: ESG Investing Makes an Impact
By Early Investing on January 20, 2022
A growing number of investors are focusing on companies with ESG initiatives — environmental, social and corporate governance. These non-financial factors are standards that measure the ethical impact and sustainability of an investment in a company. This is also known as impact investing or sustainable investing. …
New Pick: Invest in the Uber of the Apparel Industry
By Andy Gordon on January 13, 2022
Passenger drones – AKA flying cars – are technological marvels. But science fiction has been promising flying cars for decades. So seeing them become reality now feels right. But apparel startup Sene feels like it’s been ripped from the future. It has made a commercially thriving…
Startup Insider: A Conversation With Serial Entrepreneur Mark Lynn
By Early Investing on January 10, 2022
While many Americans across the country have pledged to take part in dry January, others still seek out alcohol as a way to relax and socialize. If only there was a high-quality company that could provide for both types…
New Pick: Invest in One of the Government’s Only Trusted Capital Providers
By Andy Gordon on January 6, 2022
Here’s the deal. I’ve just given you $100 million to start your own bank (you can thank me later) on your own private island. U.S. rules don’t apply there. You make your own rules. So what would they be? Here’s my fantasy list… I’m the only…
Startup Update: Turning Misfortune Into Opportunity
By Andy Gordon on December 30, 2021
We first presented Amsterdam-based Tradefox in 2017 (back when it was called Scrap Connection). We presented the company again in 2019. It provides a business intelligence and trading platform for…
12 Things We’re Grateful For
By Early Investing on December 23, 2021
It’s been a heck of a year. We saw Congress propose using crypto to fund a $1 trillion infrastructure bill… ProShares launch the first bitcoin ETF… and NFTs take the world by storm.
New Pick: A Life Preserver for a Planet Drowning in Plastic
By Andy Gordon on December 20, 2021
We’re drowning in plastics. The problem is monumental and global. It’s threatening to slowly but surely kill the planet. It’s also getting worse. And what’s really worrisome is that the biggest companies in the world can’t figure out how to stop it. They’ve been…
Crypto Insider: Don’t Trust Visa
By Early Investing on December 16, 2021
Visa – which controls around 80% of the global card payments market – is moving into crypto consulting. The company plans to advise clients who want to navigate the world of crypto. And it already has a bank signed up – UMB Bank in Kansas City. Most bafflingly,…
Startup Insider: The 2021 Holiday Gift Guide
By Early Investing on December 13, 2021
The holiday season is upon us. And that means it’s time to do some shopping. If you’re in need of some quality gift ideas, look no further. In this episode of Startup Insider, Vin Narayanan and Andy Gordon provide gift recommendations from some of…
New Pick: Repairing the Broken Relationship Between Pharmaceutical Companies and Patients
By Andy Gordon on December 9, 2021
Deal Details Startup: Responsum Health Security type: Crowd SAFE* Valuation (cap): $4.5 million Discount: 0% Minimum investment: $100 Where to invest: Republic Deadline: January 2, 2022…
Crypto Insider: Explaining the NFT Explosion
By Early Investing on December 6, 2021
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have officially taken the world by storm. Collins Dictionary named “NFT” 2021’s word of the year. The use of the term increased 11,000% this year. In basic terms, an NFT is a piece of digital content linked to the blockchain. NFTs are also…
Aavrani Grows Sales and Sets Its Sights on Expansion
By Andy Gordon on December 2, 2021
I just got off the phone with Justin Silver, the co-founder and COO of Aavrani. He reported significant progress on several fronts. We introduced Aavrani — a beauty company rooted in Indian tradition and rituals — to First Stage Investor…
Startup Insider: Grammarly Raises $200 Million at a $13 Billion Valuation
By Early Investing on November 29, 2021
Grammarly is on a roll. The popular auto-editing software tool has raised $200 million from Baillie Gifford and other investors at a $13 billion valuation. Grammarly is not a particularly exciting company. It helps delete unnecessary prepositional phrases and other grammatical errors — not exactly earth-shattering…
New Pick: A Legal Services Marketplace Brimming With Upside Potential
By Andy Gordon on November 22, 2021
Deal Details Startup: UpCounsel Security type: SAFE Valuation (cap): $28 million Minimum investment: $250 Where to invest: Wefunder Deadline: December 9,…