Archive: Weekly Update
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Three Factors that Signal Upside Potential
By Andy Gordon on January 21, 2021
Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics. And one of the basics that every investor has to consider before making a startup investment is upside — does this startup have the right pieces put together to provide significant upside on my investment? That question often isn’t easy to answer. There are a lot of factors that decide whether a company succeeds or fails. But in that mix of factors, there are…
New Pick: Invest in Incredibly Accurate and Fast Food Safety Tests
By Andy Gordon on January 14, 2021
Deal Details Startup: SnapDNA Security type: Crowd SAFE Discount: 10% Valuation (cap): $28 million Minimum investment: $150 Where to invest: Republic Deadline: April 28, 2021…
Bitcoin’s Surge: Supply and Demand in Action
By Vin Narayanan on January 7, 2021
As I write this, bitcoin is trading around $38,300. That means investors that bought bitcoin at the previous market peak in late 2017/early 2018 are up 100%. And people that bought bitcoin at the beginning of 2020 are up about 432%. So why is bitcoin surging…
Closing Soon: Last Chance to Invest in Winc
By Vin Narayanan on December 28, 2020
About a month ago, the founders of Winc joined Andy and me on Startup Insider (click here to watch). They wanted to update the First Stage Investor members that invested in them on their progress. And they wanted to…
A Bright Future: Startups, Bitcoin and DeFi
By Vin Narayanan on December 21, 2020
I am hopeful. That’s not an easy sentence for me to write here at the end of 2020. Even as the new year approaches, there’s still plenty to be concerned about. A close friend’s dad has taken a turn for the worse (not COVID related —…
Bitcoin Breaks Past $20,000 Mark
By Vin Narayanan on December 17, 2020
Bitcoin did it! On Wednesday, bitcoin cracked the $20,000 mark and set a new all time high at $22,065.07. When I wrote to you last week, bitcoin was trading around $18,000. And I was hoping bitcoin would hang out around $18,000 for a…
New Pick: The Startup That’s Revolutionizing Visual Marketing
By Andy Gordon on December 14, 2020
DEAL DETAILS Startup: Cortex Security type: Preferred Stock Round size: Up to $1.07 million Valuation: $8.42 million Minimum investment: $250 Investment portal: Wefunder Deadline: February 15, 2021…
Slow and Steady is the Key to a Strong Crypto Asset
By Vin Narayanan on December 10, 2020
Slow and steady isn’t necessarily a bad thing — especially in crypto. Over the last seven days, the price of bitcoin has dropped about $1,000. As I write this, bitcoin is trading around $18,200. And that’s OK. In fact, if bitcoin decides to pitch a tent…
New Pick: Invest in Food Robotics That Works
By Andy Gordon on December 7, 2020
DEAL DETAILS Startup: Blendid Security type: Crowd note Valuation (cap): $50 million Discount rate: 20% or 25% Minimum investment: $100 Where to invest: MicroVentures Deadline: June 7, 2021…
Exclusive Crypto Update: The 2020 Crypto Surge
By Early Investing on December 3, 2020
The crypto markets are surging. Bitcoin is trading at more than $19,000. And the First Stage Investor crypto portfolio is in terrific shape. Monero is up 72% since we recommended it. Litecoin is up 82%. Ethereum is up 107%. Bitcoin is up 466%.
2021 Forecast: How Biden Will Affect Startups
By Andy Gordon on November 19, 2020
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting ready for 2020 to be over. Between the prospect of a vaccine and the new $5 million crowdfunding limit, I think next year has a lot going for it. Of course, next year will see the Biden presidency begin too.
Can Robots Invest Better Than Us?
By Andy Gordon on November 16, 2020
Can robots invest better than you or I can? That’s the fundamental question asked — and only partly answered — by six researchers who built an investment algorithm. The researchers compared the algorithm’s performance with the returns of 255 angel investors. The algorithm used the same…
New Pick: Invest in the Future of Soda
By Andy Gordon on November 12, 2020
Deal Details Startup: Smart Soda Security type: Stock Purchase Agreement Share price: $0.50 Valuation (cap): $10.7 million Minimum investment: $100 Where to invest: Republic Deadline…
What the New Reg CF Limit Means for Founders
By Andy Gordon on November 5, 2020
I’m doing something different today. I want to give founders some advice. I’ve been alerting every founder I talk to about this. And I’m shocked that just a handful of them are aware of the biggest boon that has come their way in a very long time. So,…
New Portal Joins the Crowdfunding Scene
By Andy Gordon on November 2, 2020
As early investors, we’ve seen dozens of exciting high-upside companies raising funds from the crowd this year. Deal flow has never been better. And crowdfunders have responded by backing these companies with record dollar amounts. It’s a good time to be an early investor (and a…
New Pick: Invest in Modernizing an Industry
By Andy Gordon on October 29, 2020
Deal Details Startup: SampleServe Security type: Common equity Round size: Up to $250,000 Valuation: $7,022,431 Share price: $1.00 Minimum investment: $99.00 Raise: Seed Investment Portal:…