Archive: First Stage Investor
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New Pick: The De-Risked Ethereum Competitor Your Crypto Portfolio Needs
By Vin Narayanan on April 28, 2022
Most of you know that I’m an Ethereum bull. I believe that Ethereum is one of the most important networks in the crypto space. It’s the backbone for much of crypto’s decentralized finance (DeFi) system. Most NFTs trade on the Ethereum network. And trading volume for NFTs alone last year was $17.6 billion. Ethereum is by far the most popular network for decentralized apps. And all of this happened despite the…
Startup Insider: Exploring Equity Crowdfunding’s Explosive Growth
By Early Investing on April 25, 2022
Our friends at KingsCrowd have been tracking online startup investing since 2018. They gather data on deal volume, industry growth, investor check sizes, founder demographics and everything in between. So we were excited to learn about their…
New Pick: A Startup That’s Literally Reinventing the Wheel
By Andy Gordon on April 21, 2022
Startup disruptions are like earthquakes. The bigger the earthquake, the more widespread its impact. Likewise, major disruptions can upend entire industries. Major earthquakes can topple buildings. And big disruptions can expose the vulnerabilities of powerful legacy companies, diminishing their ability to compete. Airbnb disrupted the global…
Crypto Insider: The NFT Bubble Is Not a Death Knell
By Early Investing on April 18, 2022
What’s one word that will spook any investor in any market? Bubble. The word tends to stir up painful memories of the dot-com boom and bust of the late ‘90s, the financial crisis of 2008… and now, the NFT market. The NFT…
Bloomstack Pivots, Seems on Track to Survive and Thrive
By Andy Gordon on April 14, 2022
We recommended Bloomstack last June. We liked founder and CEO Eric Delisle’s idea of combining all the systems and platforms cannabis operators use into a single platform. Not only was it a great idea, but it also seemed to be working. Bloomstack was…
Startup Insider: What Instacart’s Valuation Trim Means for the Startup Market
By Early Investing on April 11, 2022
Instacart got a haircut. The company sliced its valuation by nearly 40% from $39 billion to $24 billion — despite the fact that it saw 30% year-over-year growth last year. And Instacart is not the only high-tech company trimming its valuation. So what’s going on?…
New Pick: A Moonshot That’s Charging Into the Autonomous Driving Era
By Andy Gordon on April 7, 2022
Autonomous driving hasn’t quite arrived yet. But it has spawned several startups that are playing a critical role in advancing autonomous driving technology and adoption. The startup Argo builds cloud infrastructure — including maps, software and hardware…
Crypto Insider: Vitalik Buterin Is Concerned About Crypto’s Future
By Early Investing on April 4, 2022
Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, is worried about the future of crypto. In an interview with Time magazine, he said he was concerned about the dangers to overeager investors, high transaction fees and the exorbitant displays of wealth that have come to be synonymous…
VirZOOM Fights to Find Sustainable Growth
By Andy Gordon on March 31, 2022
It must be possible to feel very good and very bad about a company at the same time. Because that’s how I feel about VirZOOM. To refresh your memory, VirZOOM offers an app that can be used with just the Oculus Quest headset or in conjunction…
Startup Insider: Data Takes Over
By Early Investing on March 28, 2022
In 2011, Marc Andreessen — co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz — proclaimed that “software is eating the world.” It’s been a mantra of tech investors ever since. But today an even more powerful force is overtaking software: data. Data is a gold mine for…
New Pick: A Functional Beverage That’s Delicious and 100 Times Healthier Than Coffee
By Andy Gordon on March 24, 2022
I never thought this day would come. I’m recommending a company that is replacing coffee with a hot beverage that is damn nearly as rich and roasty but a hundred times more healthy. Listen, I love my coffee. I drink three to…
Crypto Insider: Microsoft Invests in Ethereum
By Early Investing on March 21, 2022
Microsoft is officially paying attention to the crypto space. The tech giant backed a recent $450 million funding round for ConsenSys, a blockchain startup founded by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin. ConsenSys develops software that runs on the Ethereum network. And its valuation jumped to $7 billion with this…
Startup Insider: The Power of Luck
By Early Investing on March 17, 2022
When investors evaluate startups, they need to consider a wide range of factors. Some factors — like founder experience and financial performance — are straightforward. Others — like profit potential and scalability — are more speculative and difficult to measure. Then there’s luck. As…
Crypto Insider: Crypto Proves Itself in Russia-Ukraine War
By Early Investing on March 14, 2022
Crypto is experiencing its first major war. And it has a big role to play. The Ukrainian government has received millions of dollars’ worth of crypto donations. It’s creating an NFT to support its military. And a growing number of Ukrainians…
New Pick: New Space Regulations Are Poised to Launch This Startup to Success
By Andy Gordon on March 10, 2022
The five most exciting future markets are, in no particular order, robotics, medtech, fintech, energy and space/aerospace. But only one of them is harboring a big ugly secret. And that’s the space market. Imagine the FDA allowing companies to avoid listing harmful side effects…
Startup Insider: Ukraine’s Mighty Startup Scene
By Early Investing on March 7, 2022
When news broke that Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, people around the world responded with shock. Now headlines about the ongoing war describe civilians fleeing their homes, protesters resisting Russian forces and government officials discussing their next moves. But the mainstream headlines may not tell…