Search results for: Risk

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    Crypto is Rising – And It’s Going to Last

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    By: Adam Sharp on December 18, 2020

    Cryptocurrencies moved up dramatically over the last week. From our portfolio bitcoin was up 25%, Decred was up 49%, XHV was up 45% and NANO was up 17%. This is what we’ve been waiting patiently for. Those of you who held throughout the crypto winter deserve a round of applause. Congratulations. I know it wasn’t easy, but now we’re likely…

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    Bitcoin Breaks Past $20,000 Mark

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    By: Vin Narayanan on December 17, 2020

    Bitcoin did it! On Wednesday, bitcoin cracked the $20,000 mark and set a new all time high at $22,065.07. When I wrote to you last week, bitcoin was trading around $18,000. And I was hoping bitcoin would hang out around $18,000 for a few weeks before continuing its slow and steady ascent to $20,000 and beyond. Bitcoin cracking $20,000 this…

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    New Pick: The Startup That’s Revolutionizing Visual Marketing

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    By: Andy Gordon on December 14, 2020

    DEAL DETAILS Startup: Cortex Security type: Preferred Stock Round size: Up to $1.07 million Valuation: $8.42 million Minimum investment: $250 Investment portal: Wefunder Deadline: February 15, 2021 Take the following with a grain of salt… “I’m recommending Cortex to you today without doing any research. My reasons below all come from personal taste and unsubstantiated opinion. I know what I’m…

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    Crypto Pullback Provides Buying Opportunities

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    By: Adam Sharp on December 11, 2020

    Crypto prices have pulled back from recent highs over the last week. Bitcoin is trading around $18,000. Ethereum is around $548. Smaller altcoins on the whole have pulled back sharply. This is completely normal action during a bull market. A larger pullback wouldn’t surprise me either. Crypto markets are still young and volatile. I think this kind of cycle will…

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    Beware Hot Tech Stocks

    By: Adam Sharp on December 11, 2020

    As you might have heard, Airbnb had its long-awaited IPO (initial public offering) yesterday. Like a lot of hot public offerings this year, it was pure insanity. Airbnb’s IPO shares were initially priced at $68 — so that’s the price that a small group of well-connected investors paid. But shares opened for trading to everyday investors at $146 — more…

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    Be Ready for Direct Listings

    By: Vin Narayanan on December 9, 2020

    I’m starting to think IPOs — initial public offerings — are overrated. That’s a really weird thing for an early investor to say. Because for early investors, the IPO is the holy grail. It’s why you invest in startups. An IPO is one of the few moments in time when you can turn paper gains of 10X, 50X or 100X…

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    New Pick: Invest in Food Robotics That Works

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    By: Andy Gordon on December 7, 2020

    DEAL DETAILS Startup: Blendid Security type: Crowd note Valuation (cap): $50 million Discount rate: 20% or 25% Minimum investment: $100 Where to invest: MicroVentures Deadline: June 7, 2021 Conversion provisions: Conversion Provisions: In connection with equity financing of at least $1 million, the Company has the option to convert the Crowd Note into non-voting preferred stock (Conversion Shares) at a…

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    Don’t Be Fooled by Crypto Hype

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    By: Adam Sharp on December 4, 2020

    Lately I’ve been extremely bullish on crypto. And for good reason. But I want to take a step back today.  I want to make sure we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves. It will take time for these big institutional firms to fully move into crypto. The major excitement really just started over the last month or so. I’m…

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    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…

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    New Pick: Invest in the Future of Soda

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    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: December 2, 2020 To know why I’m so excited about Smart Soda — which is bringing healthy (and tasty), vitamin-infused, flavored sparkling alkaline waters and sodas to the market — you need to peek inside…

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    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 what they previously could using “Regulation Crowdfunding” (aka Reg CF, equity crowdfunding, or just startup investing). This new limit…

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    What the New Reg CF Limit Means for Founders

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    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, I’m using today’s post to reach out to all the founders out…

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    New Pick: Invest in Modernizing an Industry

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    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: Netcapital Deadline: December 17, 2020 Sometimes, there are companies you fall in love with at first sight. Today’s recommendation — SampleServe — was not one of those companies. SampleServe isn’t going to save the world.…

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    SEC Limits on Startups Raising Money Will Be Eased in 2021

    By: Andy Gordon on October 28, 2020

    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 break for investors (like you and me) and founders alike. Founders will be able…

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    Bitcoin’s Growth is Just Beginning

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    By: Adam Sharp on October 23, 2020

    Well, that happened faster than expected. Last Friday I wrote a piece for Early Investing about how bitcoin was in a very sweet spot. I covered the bullish institutional case, along with other factors leading to a very positive environment. I believe the most important factor contributing to bitcoin’s surge is that publicly-traded GBTC — the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust —…

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    What Went Wrong With Quibi

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    By: Andy Gordon on October 22, 2020

    In calling it quits, Quibi proved the adage that nothing guarantees success except success itself.  The company seemed to have everything going for it. A massive pool of capital — $1.75 billion worth. An A+ roster of investors that included Alibaba, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and practically all the major studios — Sony Pictures, MGM Studios, Lionsgate, Walt Disney, NBCUniversal…