Archive: Pre-IPO Profits
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The Real Reason VCs Are Investing So Much In Startups
Last month, I flew out to Seattle for an event to meet up with angel investors, venture capitalists and some of the largest players in wealth management and private equity. The people in the room represented firms that had more than $10 trillion in assets under management combined. And we had a frank and open discussion about how this unique group of people approached investing in alternative asset classes like startups, crypto and real estate (among others). …
Startup Valuations Remain High, But There Are Exceptions
By Adam Sharp on January 18, 2022
I had hoped that the dramatic startup valuation increases in seed and Series A rounds would start slowing late last year. Unfortunately I haven’t seen much evidence of that so far. I’d guess that seed stage startup valuations are still up around 2.5x since I started…
Crypto Startups Keep Attracting Massive Investments
By Adam Sharp on December 21, 2021
NYDIG is a startup that specializes in solutions for institutional bitcoin investors. And it recently raised a whopping $1 billion at a $7 billion valuation. Here’s an excerpt from CoinDesk’s reporting: NYDIG said Tuesday it raised…
A Space Investment Worth Consideration
By Adam Sharp on November 23, 2021
Last week I found a space SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) that I think has big potential. The SPAC is dMY Technology Group (NYSE: DMYQ), and it will soon merge with Planet Labs. Planet Labs owns and operates a fleet of…
Five Ways to Balance Your Microbiome
By Adam Sharp on November 9, 2021
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately researching the importance of the microbiome — the trillions of microbes (including bacteria, viruses and fungi) that live in and on our bodies. What’s mind-blowing is that a healthy microbiome plays a key role in preventing so many…
Strong Follow-On Deals Have These Features
By Adam Sharp on October 26, 2021
When I first got into startup investing, I was mostly investing in early-stage deals. Valuations usually fell between $3 million-to-$10 million (with a few exceptions of around $40 million). I was focused on trying to find the potential big winners as early as I could. And I definitely…
Watch Out for This Serious Startup Investing Red Flag
By Adam Sharp on October 19, 2021
Oftentimes in seed rounds, companies explain that they need to raise money before really getting the business started. This can be a serious red flag, depending on the situation. If the company was founded months (or years) ago but has made little to no progress, that’s…
Investing in Indian Startups
By Adam Sharp on October 5, 2021
Indian startups are booming. The country’s middle class is growing rapidly, the population is technologically savvy and the economy is doing well. Unfortunately, I have only one Indian startup in my portfolio. But it’s a banger. The company is ClearTax, and it is killing it. ClearTax…
The Perfect Environment for Startup Investing
By Adam Sharp on September 28, 2021
While you all know I’ve been a bit frustrated with the high valuations of startups today, there is a lot to be said for investing in this asset class in our current environment. Many bonds are yielding -5% after inflation is…
Startup Investing in 2014 vs. Startup Investing in 2021
By Adam Sharp on September 21, 2021
When I first started investing in startups in the summer of 2014, seed-stage deals were typically valued between $4 million and $5 million. I remember seeing a few deals at $1 million and a few more at $2 million and $3 million. Today I’d estimate the…
Online Startup Investing Is the Future
By Adam Sharp on September 14, 2021
One of the concerns people have about online startup investing is getting a read on founders over the internet. However, I don’t think this is a real problem. The best way to evaluate founders is to simply evaluate their business. How much progress have they made?…
The Gut Microbiome’s Connection to COVID-19
By Adam Sharp on September 7, 2021
There is growing evidence that COVID-19 severity is influenced by our gut microbiome. Those who have high levels of beneficial, symbiotic bacteria in their guts tend to have better outcomes than those who have “dysbiosis” (unhealthy gut microbiomes). A study in the prestigious…
Big Tech’s Disturbing Censorship Continues
By Adam Sharp on August 31, 2021
Big tech censorship continues to be a major concern. I first wrote about this issue almost a year ago. I’ve also written about how it creates investment opportunities. And this trend of censorship shows no signs…
The Immense Promise of Microbiome Medicine
By Adam Sharp on August 24, 2021
As many of you know, I’m very excited about the potential of the microbiome as both an investor and as a way to improve your health. Last month, I wrote to you about why startup investors should be excited about this sector. And…
A Public Venture Capital Fund Worth Investigating
By Adam Sharp on August 3, 2021
Draper Esprit — a publicly traded venture capital (VC) firm — is in the news again. TechCrunch just published a piece titled “Why Draper Esprit doubled down on its status as a publicly listed VC.” Here’s a snippet of what Draper…
Microbiome Startups Are the New Frontier for Investors
By Adam Sharp on July 27, 2021
The health area I’m most excited about for the next 10-plus years is microbiome medicine. A microbiome is the collection of microorganisms in a particular environment, like soil or the human body. One of the most important microbiomes in our body is our gut microbiome. It’s…