Author: Vin Narayanan
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Why Competition Is Critical for Startup Investors
I had a chance to play poker with some founders a few weeks ago at LA Tech Week. I mostly kept my mouth shut at the table. Between the game and flowing drinks, the founders were in a chatty mood. And I didn’t want to interrupt the flow. One of the more fascinating conversations was about their shared hatred of certain questions that venture capitalists ask. And at the top of the list was, “What happens…
What You Can Learn From the Investor Community
By Vin Narayanan on August 16, 2022
As you read this, I’m probably attending an LA Tech Week event. Tech weeks have become increasingly popular over the past few years. They’re like an industry conference on steroids. Tech weeks are designed to bring a community’s tech industry together…
How to Invest During a Bear Market (and Stay Sane)
By Vin Narayanan on August 12, 2022
I talk about investing all the time. I speak to groups at investment conferences. I talk about investing on multiple podcasts. I write about investing. I text about it with my friends. My barber talks to me about it while I’m getting a haircut (I’d rather talk football,…
Crypto and Public Markets Take Inflation in Stride
By Vin Narayanan on August 12, 2022
Crypto Market Musings Finally, some good news. Bitcoin is trading around $24,000 and is up by more than 4% over the last seven days. Ethereum is trading above $1,880 and is up more than 10%. This week’s inflation data triggered the rally. The consumer price index…
New Pick: An Ethereum Alternative With a Stunning Transaction Rate
By Vin Narayanan on August 11, 2022
As I’ve written — and said — often, trying to time the markets is a fool’s errand. The crypto markets, in particular, are too volatile to time precisely. And for buy-and-hold investors, investment time horizons are more important than investing at exactly the right moment. If you’re holding…
The Search Engine Market Is Waiting to Be Disrupted
By Vin Narayanan on August 10, 2022
Since its launch in 1998, Google is the only search engine that’s really mattered. Yahoo, Excite, Lycos, AltaVista and others just couldn’t keep up. As of July, Google controlled almost 84% of the search market. Bing — Google’s closest rival —…
New Pick: Invest in Better Crypto Wallets
By Vin Narayanan on July 29, 2022
We’re firm believers in investing in good projects with long-term upside — projects that can survive multiple bear markets, thrive in bull markets and deliver outsized returns over the long run. Finding projects like that with solid traction is even more difficult.
Crypto Bear Market Continues Despite Relief Rally
By Vin Narayanan on July 22, 2022
Crypto Market Musings Relief rallies happen when a lack of bad news — or news that wasn’t quite as bad as investors expected — causes the markets to go up. And they typically take place during bear markets. We usually don’t…
An Investor’s Approach to Business Models
By Vin Narayanan on July 20, 2022
I have Netflix on my mind. Yesterday, I wrote about how Netflix exploited market inefficiencies to build a dominant consumer brand for our Pre-IPO Profits members. (Editor’s note: It probably isn’t the market inefficiency you’re thinking of. Click here to sign…
Market Inefficiencies Are an Investor’s Best Friend
By Vin Narayanan on July 19, 2022
There are many different ways to think about which startups to invest in. Some prefer investing in highly disruptive technologies or businesses — like Uber, Tesla or Impossible Foods. Others prefer startups with large or rapidly growing markets. Others like to focus on strong…
Aave Emerges From Celsius Bankruptcy Unscathed
By Vin Narayanan on July 15, 2022
I wrote extensively about the strong correlation between bitcoin and the Nasdaq Composite and the inverse correlation between bitcoin and the strength of the dollar for Early Investing subscribers today. But crypto’s rich and diverse…
A Strong Dollar Drives Bitcoin’s Price Down
By Vin Narayanan on July 15, 2022
Crypto Market Musings Phew. June inflation numbers came in hot on Wednesday — and the markets mostly yawned. Bitcoin is trading (as of this writing) at around $20,000. It was trading around $21,000 last week. Ethereum is trading around $1,131. It…
There Is No Crypto “Contagion”
By Vin Narayanan on July 8, 2022
Crypto Market Musings Crypto’s recent correlation with the stock market is finally paying dividends. The stock market is rallying — and so is crypto. As of this writing, bitcoin is up almost 11% over the last five days and is trading…
Tread Carefully When Investing in Energy Startups
By Vin Narayanan on July 5, 2022
With gas prices averaging around $4.88 per gallon, people are clamoring for a solution that both drives costs down now and keeps costs down in the future. The problem is that a fuel crisis is the worst time to search for…
New Pick: An Interoperability Coin With Staying Power
By Vin Narayanan on June 23, 2022
Well, that happened quickly. On June 12, bitcoin was trading for more than $28,000. By the end of June 13, it had fallen as low as $21,000. By June 18, bitcoin had dipped below $18,000. Bitcoin has rallied a bit since then and is currently trading around $20,350.
When Disruptive Startups Drop the Ball
By Vin Narayanan on June 22, 2022
I’m a huge golf fan. I watch all the major tournaments. I watch several Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) events a year. One of my dreams is to watch the Masters in person. I love playing too. In fact, I love playing so much that I recently golfed on…