Archive: Facebook

Instagram Embraces NFTs

By Vin Narayanan on April 15, 2022

NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are having a moment.  These tokens typically represent some sort of collectible — often a digital collectible. But NFTs can also be used to represent wine, sneakers and other physical goods. Like bitcoin, NFTs are based on blockchain technology. Each NFT is unique (that’s the non-fungible part). And each NFT is verifiable. Take an NFT of a baseball card, for example. Say only three NFTs/baseball cards for a particular…

Data Is Eating the World

By Vin Narayanan on March 23, 2022

For more than 10 years, “software is eating the world” has been an article of faith among startup investors. Marc Andreessen — co-founder of both Netscape and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) — wrote these famous words in a blog post in…

The Metaverse Must Be Decentralized

By Adam Sharp on October 29, 2021

As soon as I saw the headline, I cringed. “Facebook changes its name to Meta.”  The new name is a not-so-subtle reference to the Metaverse. Facebook plans to invest $10 billion to build an immersive VR platform (demo here).
Full disclosure: I own a small amount of DWAC shares (.02 percent of portfolio investment). Note that this is a highly speculative investment and is already up a ridiculous amount. Do not construe this as financial advice.  On Thursday, former President Donald Trump launched a special…

Look Beyond Big Tech Investments

By Allison Brickell on October 13, 2021

Last Monday, Facebook experienced an outage that lasted for about six hours. Users couldn’t access Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp or OculusVR.  The effects were felt across the world. Suddenly, everyone who relied on Facebook or WhatsApp for communication was left in a lurch. Even…

How Congress Is Trying to Regulate Big Tech

By Vin Narayanan on June 30, 2021

Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft are under assault. If Congress succeeds in its all-out war against these tech giants, you will have to rethink how you invest in tech startups. If you’re surprised by this news, I don’t blame you. The…

Big Tech’s Growing Vulnerability

By Adam Sharp on October 30, 2020

Today we’re going to talk about big tech censorship — and how it makes established social media platforms vulnerable to disruption. I’m going to try my best to avoid the political side of things and focus solely on the investing implications. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Apple and…

Eight Wishes for Early Investors

By Andy Gordon on December 18, 2019

Now that 2019 is wrapping up, we’re looking ahead to 2020. So here are eight wishes Andy Gordon hopes will come true for early investors everywhere next year.
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Investing in “Firsts” Is Overrated

By Adam Sharp on December 10, 2019

New startup investors often seek out “first-to-market” companies. And being first to market can be an advantage. But it’s not a guarantee for success.
In the news this week: New York hemp farmers get a break, Saudi Arabia backs Travis Kalanick again and David Marcus says bitcoin isn’t a currency.
In the news this week: Pennsylvania introduces a comprehensive marijuana legalization bill, the former CFTC chair calls for a digital dollar and Canva’s valuation gets a boost.
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Top Blogs for Startup Investors

By Adam Sharp on October 15, 2019

To learn more about startup investing from some of the top venture capitalists in the world, check out Adam’s recommended reading.
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In this month's poll, we'd like to hear your thoughts on what you like about First Stage Investor and how we can do better.
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The Bank of England is suggesting a network of digital currencies replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Meanwhile, Binance is moving into stablecoins and bitcoin remains a flight to safety.

News Fix: Bitcoin Network Surpasses Another Milestone

By Allison Brickell on August 10, 2019

In the news this week, bitcoin strengthens its security, Oklahoma marijuana dispensaries sue Facebook, and Lyft ends its lockup period early.

Poll Shows People Trust Bitcoin More Than Libra

By Allison Brickell on July 29, 2019

A recent poll shows people trust Facebook’s Libra crypto less than they do bitcoin. Here’s why.