Archive: startup investing

What to Do When a Startup Goes Public

By Andy Gordon on November 18, 2020

Every investor would love to have my dilemma. One of my First Stage Investor portfolio companies will be listing on a public stock market (also known as going public or IPO’ing) in a couple of months.  I first recommended this company back in 2016 — and I recommended follow-up investments two more times in the following years. Investors who acted on my first recommendation have seen the company’s valuation go higher and higher. And…
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The Trick to Evaluating Market Size

By Adam Sharp on November 17, 2020

One of the most important (and trickiest) factors to evaluate in startup investing is the size of the opportunity. How big can a startup  become? How big is the market it sells into — and how fast is it growing? Before investing in any startup, you…
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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…
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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…
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Big Changes for Non-Accredited Investors

By Adam Sharp on November 10, 2020

Last week the SEC announced that it was increasing the limit on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) deals from $1.07 million to $5 million.  In case you weren’t aware, anyone can invest in Reg CF deals. You don’t have to be an accredited investor like you do…
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Startup Insider: The Need for Equal Access

By Early Investing on November 9, 2020

We’re entering a new era in startup investing. Starting next year, startups will be able to raise $5 million from investors like you and me (instead of $1.07 million). That means we’re going to see even more high quality startups to invest in. But the new…

Startup Investing Just Got 5x Better

By Adam Sharp on November 6, 2020

Something monumental happened for startup investors this week. The SEC increased the limit for public startup fundraising rounds from $1.07 million to $5 million (per year, per company).  This is a very big deal. Startups can now raise almost five times…
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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,…

Brick-and-Mortar Retail Isn’t Dying

By Andy Gordon on November 4, 2020

Thank goodness this isn’t the 80’s. If COVID-19 happened back then, we’d be in a full-blown depression by now. The rolling shutdown of non-essential stores and restaurants across the country would have maimed and crippled the economy. The 80’s had great music but no internet — and no…
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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…

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…
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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:…
The slow-moving, overly cautious SEC is finally doing the right thing. It’s reportedly raising the limit on Reg CF funding from $1 million to $5 million.  That means when a startup raises money through crowdfunding, they can raise up to $5 million. And that’s a big…
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Don’t Miss Out on Startup Deals Like I Did

By Adam Sharp on October 27, 2020

A few years back, I was invited to invest in Calm.com — a meditation app. “Meditation app?!” I thought. And then I quickly dismissed the deal. It’s gone on to be an absolutely massive winner. The company has grown incredibly — it’s now reportedly raising at…
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Startup Insider: Check Out the Competition

By Early Investing on October 26, 2020

When we evaluate startups, one of the key factors we look at is competitors.  Who are the company’s competitors?  Is the startup competing against other startups or against legacy companies?  How does this competition affect its chances of success? And…

Invest in Technological Disruption

By Adam Sharp on October 23, 2020

These are strange times, economically and socially. The future seems as uncertain as it’s ever been. At first glance, now might not appear to be a good time to invest in startups. But I truly believe it is. The primary reason I’m still investing…