Archive: startup investing

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New Pick: Invest in Ending Opioid Addiction

By Andy Gordon on March 18, 2021

DEAL DETAILS Startup: Phoenix PharmaLabs Security type: Common stock Round size: Side-by-side raise – up to $1.07 million under Reg. CF  Share price: $1.00 Valuation: $26,790,283  Minimum investment: $99.00 Investment portal: Netcapital Deadline: March 23, 2021 (Phoenix has requested an extension to April 23, 2021, but it has not yet been approved.)…
The tech sector is under attack. Lawsuits. Politicians. Regulators. They’re all gunning for the tech industry. But what about the venture capital firms that financed the industry’s growth?  These companies should also command our attention. Their money nurtured big tech companies in their early years. More…
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I’ve been writing about rising valuations for a while now. But this week, I saw a deal that was so crazily priced, I just have to write about it again. This young San Francisco-based startup had about $700k in annual recurring…
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Equity crowdfunding and venture capitalism share some similarities. But they’re also fundamentally different ways to invest. So it’s important to understand how they’re different. That way, investors can make the right decision when they’re crowdfunding a startup. In this week’s Startup Insider,…
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Startup Insider: Why CityZenith Is Hosting its Own Raise

By Early Investing on March 11, 2021

Andy Gordon first recommended CityZenith as an investment opportunity at a $20M valuation in the summer of 2019. He recommended them again this past September at a $27.4 million valuation. CityZenith briefly paused that raise (watch this week’s…

The One Thing All Good Founders Have in Common

By Andy Gordon on March 10, 2021

Why do founders become founders? There are certainly easier paths to wealth. Like what I do. A good startup investor makes more than a great startup founder eight out of 10 times. I should know — I’ve done both. And I’ve made a lot more investing…
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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.
Like a huge portion of Americans, I use Amazon a LOT these days. And with a 50% market share, it absolutely dominates online sales in the country.  But lately I’m frustrated with it. I’ve bought a few items recently that were…
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New Pick: This Medtech Startup is Ahead of Its Time

By Andy Gordon on March 4, 2021

Deal Details Startup: InnaMed Security type: Future Equity Agreement (SAFE) Valuation (cap): $20 million (to increase to $25 million) Minimum investment: $100 Where to invest: Wefunder Deadline…

Hardware Startups Have a Secret Strength

By Andy Gordon on March 3, 2021

Hardware is risky. Making something you can touch and feel usually takes more money and time than developing software products.  Yet five out of the last seven startups I recommended to my First Stage Investor members are hardware (or hybrid hardware and…
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Be a Value-Add Investor

By Adam Sharp on March 2, 2021

One of my favorite things about early-stage investing is that the companies are small enough that investors actually have a chance to make a meaningful impact. In the VC/angel world, this is known as being a “value-add investor.” As online startup investors, we can certainly add…
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If you’ve ever wanted to understand how really smart founders think — or how biotech startups operate — then this episode of Startup Insider is for you. Monogram Orthopaedics’ co-founders Ben Sexson and Dr. Doug Unis joined Andy Gordon and Vin Narayanan for a wide-ranging conversation about their…

Financial Rebellions: Investors Are Pushing Back

By Adam Sharp on February 26, 2021

We are living through a very unique period in financial history.  On one side, we’re in the midst of an amazing technological revolution. Software and new technologies are streamlining the way the world runs. Advances in renewable energy are picking up steam. Medicine is leaping forward…
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New Pick: Invest in Detecting Heart Failure Early

By Andy Gordon on February 25, 2021

Deal Details Startup: Oracle Health Security type: Stock Purchase Agreement Price per security: $2.00 Valuation: $20 million Minimum investment: $250 Where to invest: Republic Deadline…
Andy Gordon and I spend countless hours each week reviewing startups and talking to founders. So does our friend Chris Lustrino, the founder and CEO of KingsCrowd. And every now and then, we meet a founder so interesting that we ask them to…
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Big Tech Censorship Creating Startup Opportunities

By Adam Sharp on February 23, 2021

Back in October, I wrote a piece titled Big Tech’s Growing Vulnerability. In it, I discussed the rapidly increasing amount of censorship on sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. No matter how you view the big tech controversy, I think…