Archive: AngelList
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Startup Price Inflation Signals Danger for Investors
By Andy Gordon on March 30, 2022
Price inflation in the startup world is running rampant. This isn’t new. But I do wonder when it’s going to peak. We’re not there yet. If anything, it’s getting worse. I’ll give you a recent example. I was talking to a founder yesterday who heads a seed-stage company whose software improves workflow. It achieved $250,000 annual recurring revenue (ARR) last year. It’s projecting $480,000 ARR for this year. It sells mostly to small companies…
Strong Follow-On Deals Have These Features
By Adam Sharp on October 26, 2021
When I first got into startup investing, I was mostly investing in early-stage deals. Valuations usually fell between $3 million-to-$10 million (with a few exceptions of around $40 million). I was focused on trying to find the potential big winners as early as I could. And I definitely…
Investing in Indian Startups
By Adam Sharp on October 5, 2021
Indian startups are booming. The country’s middle class is growing rapidly, the population is technologically savvy and the economy is doing well. Unfortunately, I have only one Indian startup in my portfolio. But it’s a banger. The company is ClearTax, and it is killing it. ClearTax…
The Perfect Environment for Startup Investing
By Adam Sharp on September 28, 2021
While you all know I’ve been a bit frustrated with the high valuations of startups today, there is a lot to be said for investing in this asset class in our current environment. Many bonds are yielding -5% after inflation is…
What Investors Can Learn From Meb Faber
By Adam Sharp on July 6, 2021
My friend Meb Faber just put out a must-read document about online angel investing. It’s long — but it’s well worth the read. Meb reveals his biggest wins, his favorite AngelList syndicates and lessons he’s learned since he started.
Syndicate Leads Should Have Skin in the Game
By Adam Sharp on May 18, 2021
About a third of the deals I’ve seen on AngelList recently share a disappointing trait — the syndicate lead has only invested $1,000-to-$2,000. This is almost always a red flag, because it’s a sign that the lead has a low amount of conviction in the deal. And that…
When Is a High Valuation Worth It?
By Adam Sharp on May 11, 2021
In recent months, I’ve talked a lot about how expensive some startup rounds are becoming. That doesn’t mean you should avoid every round that looks expensive at first glance. Sometimes startup investments seem expensive when they are…
Don’t Write Off Weird Startups
By Adam Sharp on April 13, 2021
Some of the best startup investments I’ve made — and some of the best that I’ve missed — have been “crazy” or “weird” ideas. Take Density, one of the first startups I invested in back in 2014. Density’s mission is to…
Three AngelList Syndicates Worth A Look
By Adam Sharp on March 30, 2021
I’m an AngelList superfan. It’s a beautiful marketplace for early-stage investors. The site has grown incredibly since I started investing in 2014, and today there are more than 100 syndicates to choose from. Here are some of my favorites. Jenny Rooke – Biotech …
New $5 Million Limit Enables Attractive Crowdfunding Deals
By Adam Sharp on March 23, 2021
Last week, the SEC’s new rules around equity crowdfunding went into effect. Now companies can raise up to $5 million per year from the crowd. On the first day, we got a good idea of the potential of this new medium. Gumroad — an online platform…
Top Tips From Six Years of Startup Investing
By Adam Sharp on March 9, 2021
I’ve now been investing in startups for more than six years. And it’s taken that long to prove concretely that what I’m doing is working. This is the frustrating — yet rewarding — truth of startup investing. It takes a very long time to see results.
Robert Downey Jr. Starts an AngelList Fund
By Adam Sharp on February 2, 2021
Well, this is somewhat unexpected — actor Robert Downey Jr. just launched an AngelList rolling fund. The fund — called Footprint Coalition Ventures — will invest in sustainability and environmentally-focused startups. Here’s an excerpt from…
Pay Attention to Reg CF Deals
By Adam Sharp on January 26, 2021
On March 15th, the fundraising limit on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) campaigns will go from $1.07 million to $5 million. Startups that raise capital using Reg CF are the deals that non-accredited investors can access. With the $1 million limit, Reg CF just wasn’t worth it…
The Strength of Early-Stage Companies
By Adam Sharp on January 5, 2021
We live in a remarkably disruptive time. New technologies are changing the way almost every industry operates. There’s a lot of opportunity for innovative companies to make a big impact. But we also live in a very unique time when it comes to finance and monetary…
Investing in Startups Without Traction
By Adam Sharp on December 22, 2020
As a general rule, I prefer to invest in companies that are growing quickly. That means startups with plenty of traction. However, sometimes I do break that rule — and doing so recently produced a great outcome. Back in 2016, I invested in a…
Rolling Funds Transforming AngelList
By Adam Sharp on December 15, 2020
Rolling funds on AngelList are continuing to pick up steam. And I’ve been thinking about what the long-term impact of these funds could be for a while now. I believe that — like I said back in September…