Author: Allison Brickell

Subscribe to Allison's feed.

News Fix: Cannabis Industry Reaches New Highs

It’s April 20, which means cannabis enthusiasts around the country are celebrating what Ronald Reagan once called “probably the most dangerous drug in the United States.” Today, that remark seems pretty outdated. A full 37 states have legalized marijuana in some form (medically or recreationally). Eighteen states have legalized recreational marijuana. And an overwhelming majority of Americans support legalization. A 2021 Pew Research poll shows a staggering 91% of Americans…

Lessons From a New Startup Investor

By Allison Brickell on April 6, 2022

I’ve been working at investment-related companies since 2015. But I’m still pretty new to the investing world. My background is in communication and journalism, not finance. So for the last seven years or so, I’ve been researching the online startup markets and observing my colleagues’ approach to investing.

News Fix: Ukraine Turns to Crypto, NFTs Cool Off and Public Pensions Divest From Russia

By Allison Brickell on March 9, 2022

Since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, the war has taken over worldwide news headlines. From the atrocities of war to human rights catastrophes, heroic acts by Ukranians and the impact of the war on the global markets, it’s hard to keep up with all of the news.

What Disruptive Startups and Figure Skating Have in Common

By Allison Brickell on February 23, 2022

In the startup world, big ideas have the potential to become big moneymakers. Good ideas — especially if they’re executed well — can change the world.  But revolutionary ideas scare people. They often fail because the world isn’t ready for them yet.  As startup…

News Fix: Global Crypto Edition

By Allison Brickell on February 2, 2022

It’s been a hectic start of the year for crypto. Now that we’ve made it to the second month of 2022, let’s dive into crypto news updates.  Market Update First, a market update. Bitcoin has been on a downward trend…

Two Ways Startups Are Benefiting From the Great Resignation

By Allison Brickell on January 26, 2022

Headlines about the “labor shortage” have become a near daily occurrence. Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs and looking for better offers.  But in reality, there isn’t a shortage of people who want to work. It’s just that more people are rejecting the low pay…

Five Steps to Achieve Your Investing Goals in 2022

By Allison Brickell on January 5, 2022

It’s a new year. And that means it’s the perfect time to set goals for 2022. Whatever your investing goals are, now is the right time to define them. Get specific about what you want to accomplish. Whether you prefer to have a five-year plan or…

Customization and the Future of Retail

By Allison Brickell on December 8, 2021

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit family. Thanksgiving dinner — filled with plenty of pie, of course — was delicious. And the next day (Black Friday) I took a leisurely stroll through the local Boscov’s.  Now, I typically don’t pay too much…

How to Avoid Crypto Scams

By Allison Brickell on November 10, 2021

You’ve heard of Dogecoin. Now get ready for Squid Game.  Or rather, don’t get ready for it. Because the Squid Game token is a scam. The token — based on the popular Netflix series Squid Game — experienced a wild…

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…

3 Qualities to Look for in a Startup Before You Invest

By Allison Brickell on September 15, 2021

If you’re at all new to startup investing, you might feel a little overwhelmed. I know I’ve felt that way. It’s one thing to invest in the stock market. At least there, you’re investing in a public company that has years of financial data…

How Crowdfunders Can Invest Better Than Venture Capitalists

By Allison Brickell on August 25, 2021

Drake Dukes, co-founder of startup data platform Gravity, shared some interesting data recently from his analysis of 992 unicorn founders. Now for our secret sauce… Here is the FounderDNA™ of every unicorn founder (992 analyzed): 53% are Serial Founders 35% are Technical…

Envisioning a Better System for Women’s Health

By Allison Brickell on August 11, 2021

As the senior editor at both KingsCrowd and Early Investing, I do a lot of reading, editing and research on startups.  At KingsCrowd, I edit dozens of analyst reports on a regular basis. These reports provide detailed analysis of…