Archive: startup
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Rolling Funds Transforming AngelList
By Adam Sharp on December 15, 2020
Rolling funds on AngelList are continuing to pick up steam. And I’ve been thinking about what the long-term impact of these funds could be for a while now. I believe that — like I said back in September — a lot of founders will switch over to the rolling fund model and largely abandon AngelList’s traditional syndicate model. And as a result, many lead investors will no longer…
New Pick: The Startup That’s Revolutionizing Visual Marketing
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…
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…
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…
Look Beyond the Lockdowns for the Best Deals
By Adam Sharp on December 8, 2020
At the beginning of the pandemic, I thought startup investing volumes would drop dramatically throughout its duration. I was wrong. Venture capitalists and angel investors seem to be funding more companies than ever. And much of that funding is going to startups that are benefiting from…
New Pick: Invest in Food Robotics That Works
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…
The Biggest Change to Venture Capital Since Crowdfunding
By Adam Sharp on December 4, 2020
Note: In May, I wrote an article titled “The New Work From Home Economy.” Then in August, I wrote a piece called “Tech Companies Flee California (Finally).” I recommend reading those first if you haven’t.
The Truth About Investment Sizes
By Adam Sharp on December 1, 2020
I’ve made well over 100 startup investments since 2014. Looking back, there are some mistakes I made early on that I wish I had avoided. One big one is I would get way too excited about some of the startups. I invested too much in my first 10…
Startup Insider: Post-Pandemic Trends
By Early Investing on November 30, 2020
We finally have some good news on the COVID-19 front! It looks like the FDA will approve two vaccines shortly. And that by May or June of next year, we will start getting back to “normal.” So what does normal mean for startup investors? Which consumer…
Startup Insider: An Update from Winc’s Founders
By Early Investing on November 23, 2020
Winc is one of our favorite startups in the First Stage Investor portfolio. Winc is combining big data and a really smart supply chain to disrupt the way wine is made and sold. And since we recommended them right…
2021 Forecast: How Biden Will Affect Startups
By Andy Gordon on November 19, 2020
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting ready for 2020 to be over. Between the prospect of a vaccine and the new $5 million crowdfunding limit, I think next year has a lot going for it. Of course, next year will see the Biden presidency begin too.
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…
The Trick to Evaluating Market Size
By Adam Sharp on November 17, 2020
One of the most important (and trickiest) factors to evaluate in startup investing is the size of the opportunity. How big can a startup become? How big is the market it sells into — and how fast is it growing? Before investing in any startup, you…
Can Robots Invest Better Than Us?
By Andy Gordon on November 16, 2020
Can robots invest better than you or I can? That’s the fundamental question asked — and only partly answered — by six researchers who built an investment algorithm. The researchers compared the algorithm’s performance with the returns of 255 angel investors. The algorithm used the same…
New Pick: Invest in the Future of Soda
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…
Big Changes for Non-Accredited Investors
By Adam Sharp on November 10, 2020
Last week the SEC announced that it was increasing the limit on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) deals from $1.07 million to $5 million. In case you weren’t aware, anyone can invest in Reg CF deals. You don’t have to be an accredited investor like you do…