Archive: startup

Premium
InnaMed is one of the rare startups that has earned a thumbs up from Andy Gordon twice. It’s current raise — which Andy believes is a very good investment opportunity — closes on May 28.  With just two weeks to go in the raise, InnaMed co-founder Anup Singh joined Andy and me on Startup Insider. He shares what InnaMed is working on, the progress it’s made so…

Buybacks Are Bad for Shareholders

By Andy Gordon on May 12, 2021

My old nemesis SoftBank was in the news today. Thanks to some big bets paying off in its $100 billion Vision Fund, it posted a record $46 billion profit for the last fiscal year. I’m not impressed. In fact, I’ve never been a big…
Premium

When Is a High Valuation Worth It?

By Adam Sharp on May 11, 2021

In recent months, I’ve talked a lot about how expensive some startup rounds are becoming.  That doesn’t mean you should avoid every round that looks expensive at first glance. Sometimes startup investments seem expensive when they are…
Premium

Important Correction: DBG IPO a Down Round

By Andy Gordon on May 10, 2021

We missed out on a big piece of information in last Thursday’s update on DBG (Digital Brands Group). And it led to some bad math. At First Stage Investor, we own our mistakes. And we made a big one.
Premium
Note: This article contains incorrect information. Please read this correction piece instead. First Stage Investor sincerely apologizes for this mistake. DBG (Digital Brands Group) holds a unique distinction in the First Stage Investor portfolio. It’s the only company we’ve recommended three…
I just returned to the office this week. It was a strange thing.  Before working at home during the past year, I spent most of my 40-year career in offices. And I’ve missed the water-cooler chats… the unstructured interaction with my fellow employees… going out to…
Premium

Focus on Traction When Investing in Startups

By Adam Sharp on May 4, 2021

Traction is by far the most important signal for startup investors. That may seem obvious. But when I started out, I was more excited about investing in breakthrough technology. I often overlooked a company’s traction when I made my investment decision. But really, there’s nothing more…
Premium
Verizon has reportedly sold Yahoo and AOL today for around $5 billion. But Verizon spent $9 billion total to acquire both companies! Today’s sale marks the end of Verizon’s attempts to break into digital advertising. In this week’s Startup Insider, Andy Gordon and Vin Narayanan take a look…

Four Assets to Hedge Against Inflation

By Adam Sharp on April 30, 2021

In April 2019, Bloomberg Businessweek magazine’s cover story asked “Is Inflation Dead?” The subtitle accompanying it was “Did Capitalism Kill Inflation?”  I recall thinking at the time that this story was probably a contrarian indicator. It reminded me that nearly everyone in the financial world was…
Premium

Startup Insider: How Startups Go Public

By Early Investing on April 29, 2021

For startup investors, a company going public is the holy grail. That’s when the relatively small amount of money they invested into a young company turns into (hopefully) big bucks. There are three paths startups can take to going public — initial public offerings (IPOs), direct…

Cultured Meat Startups Are the Trend to Watch

By Andy Gordon on April 28, 2021

Heads up, meat lovers. Biden’s climate plan isn’t the biggest threat to the beef and chicken products you love so much. Neither is plant-based “fake meat.” The biggest threat to traditional meat is the “meat” being developed by new technologies right now.  Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)…
Premium

Use Your Personal Network for Deal Flow

By Adam Sharp on April 27, 2021

Lately I’ve been spending more time looking for offline angel investments. I want to make sure that I’m not missing out on prime opportunities by focusing exclusively on online deal flow. So I’ve been reaching out to colleagues, friends and companies I’m familiar with to let them know…
Premium

Invest in the Next Super Material

By Andy Gordon on April 26, 2021

DEAL DETAILS Startup: BNNano Security type: Common stock Round size: Up to $1.07 million under Reg. CF  Share price: $1.70 Valuation: $20,211,463 Minimum investment: $100.30 Investment portal:…
Premium
Deal Details Startup: TapRm Security type: Crowd SAFE* Discount: 0% Valuation (cap): $22 million Minimum investment: $100.98 Where to invest: Republic Deadline: May 1, 2021 TapRm…
Premium

Don’t Write Off Weird Startups

By Adam Sharp on April 13, 2021

Some of the best startup investments I’ve made — and some of the best that I’ve missed — have been “crazy” or “weird” ideas. Take Density, one of the first startups I invested in back in 2014. Density’s mission is to…
Mainstream media coverage of inflation — and the forces that drive it — tend to be superficial and limited. That’s why I want to highlight three recent stories. They all revolve around inflation in some way. And together they emphasize the need for every investor to have some…