Just in case you’re new to all this, (“this” meaning dropping angel investments like a boss) we thought we’d give a few tips on what to look for when reviewing a campaign page. You may have watched a video at the top of the page and, in your excitement, jumped down to read all about...
Growing up, I always enjoyed reading Calvin and Hobbes, a comic series by Bill Watterson. There were comic strips where Calvin would ask his dad questions like how ATMs work or what causes wind. In typical “Dad” fashion, Calvin’s father responded with explanations like there’s a little guy inside the ATM who hands out the...
Asking someone for money is rarely fun and almost never easy. But if you’re trying to grow your business then you’ll almost always reach a point where you need to bring in capital from outside investors. Turns out, going and getting money from strangers isn’t so different from asking your parents for cash. So here...
Investing can be complex. Building a smart investment strategy and risk management discipline takes work. But an investor is only deemed an expert based on one thing: track record; when someone can turn around and say, “Hey, look! It worked!” This is the funny thing about tying “expertise” to the practice of risking capital into...
Around here, we often say Vicinity is where financial capital meets social capital. Well, if you say something often enough, you should probably stop and make sure people know what you mean. What is social capital anyway? Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone has pointed out that the term was actually “independently invented” at least...
Welcome to an adrenaline junkie’s guide to analyzing risk. I wouldn’t blame you if you closed your laptop immediately and walked away. But thanks to years of poor, risk-ignoring, endorphin-driven choices, I’ve learned valuable decision-making skills around separating thrill-seeking motivations from money-seeking endeavors. Thrill-seeking desires are great for a few afternoons of cliff diving. Not...
Angel investor. Probably the coolest title in the investing world. This moniker belongs to high net worth individuals who financially back a business, usually in return for equity in the company. With the cool name comes a pretty high level of risk. That’s why there have been laws allowing only individuals with large disposable income...
It’s no secret. Whether we’re talking attention spans or investing strategies, we live in an age of short-sightedne… oh look! Bitcoin! Everybody wants to make a quick buck. Over the years, priority in the markets has shifted from forward-looking innovation and production to short-term earnings and a ”we’ll get to you later” approach to research...
The investment crowdfunding industry is not losing any steam even during…well, you know… the feverish elephant in the room with a dry cough. Though you never know what will happen when the world unexpectedly halts for a few months, there is some rationale to why this little brother of crowdfunding might be showing some extra...
Did you know that drinking from the horn of a unicorn might protect you from stomach trouble, epilepsy, or poison? This mythological horned horse/goat would fetch you quite the hefty price on the market. Equally rare, a unicorn company is hunted by many investors to take them to a magical land of riches and royalty...