Author: Dani Forman

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (March 2015)

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (March 2015)

Mar 8, 2015 | ,

March is a busy month at OurCrowd: In addition to the new, exciting investment opportunities on the platform, our team has been traveling the world hosting events for the global OurCrowd community. Check out our blog to see the full events calendar and join us on the road in a city near you. With that, here is a summary of all the currently funding companies on OurCrowd: XpresSpa – The leading airport spa chain The frequent-flyers out there should recognize this brand. XpresSpa is the leading airport spa chain, with over 40 locations worldwide. The XpresSpa kiosks are visited by over 1 million passengers every year, who enjoy a wide range of spa services such as massages, manicures, skin treatments and haircuts. Airport concessions in general are an $8B market that is growing at a rapid pace of 5% annually. XpresSpa plans on capitalizing in this market from two separate revenue streams, consisting of spa treatments and the sales of retail products. We are investing in XpresSpa alongside veteran retail investor and CEO of Mistral Equity Partners Andy Heyer....

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What We’re Investing In: Current investment opportunities on OurCrowd (January 2015)

What We’re Investing In: Current investment opportunities on OurCrowd (January 2015)

Jan 22, 2015 | , , ,

OurCrowd’s portfolio growth is expanding: this month, featured opportunities include innovative companies in the medical technology and cyber security spaces. Stay tuned – there are more deals to be announced before the end of the month; bookmark this post to view the next deals. TheraCoat: Hydrogel-based drug delivery A major pain point for pharmacologists when developing drugs is finding a substance that can efficiently deliver the needed medication before the body’s natural fluids wash it away. TheraCoat’s Intracavity Drug Retention System (ICDR) was created to solve that very problem. Their patent-protected substance liquefies when in cool temperatures and hardens in hot temperatures. The ICDR is mixed with the necessary drug and taken in liquid form. When the liquid reaches the cavity, body heat causes the substance to harden and stick to the walls of the cavity. This enables the drug to be emitted at a slow, consistent rate, without being washed away by the body’s fluid. So far, TheraCoat has experienced significant early traction, conducting a number of successful test trials and securing regulatory clearance in a number of...

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3 Warren Buffett-inspired tips for investing in promising startups

3 Warren Buffett-inspired tips for investing in promising startups

Jan 4, 2015 |

Widely considered one of the most successful investors of all time, Warren Buffett attributes much of his success to his disciplined adherence to an investment formula. Primarily a value investor, Buffett sticks to a rigid set of parameters when evaluating investment opportunities. Given his success, it’s not surprising that over the years, so many have tried to emulate his investing style when making decisions about their portfolios. Difficult as this may be when assessing stocks, trying to apply his philosophies when evaluating startup investments is even more challenging. Startup ventures typically have little or no income, making many of Buffett’s models for evaluating the intrinsic value of a company extremely hard to calculate. Furthermore, startups don’t have track records that can be studied to understand their stability. The result is that startup investors that seek to invest using Buffett’s principles, a.k.a Buffettologists, must rely on some of Buffett’s more qualitative parameters when assessing an early-stage company. Outlined below are three Warren Buffett-inspired investment tips to help you identify promising startup investment opportunities. 1) Invest in a great team One...

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What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (December 2014)

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (December 2014)

Dec 25, 2014 | , , ,

Happy holidays and welcome to OurCrowd’s ‘What We’re Investing In’ series. To date, OurCrowd and our network of angel investors have invested over $80M in 56 startup companies. Aside from these exciting investment opportunities, we are also launching a series of educational webinars with leading tech industry experts to further dissect the sectors that we are investing in. Stay tuned and visit www.ourcrowd.com for more information. Borro – Secure asset backed loans The 2008 financial crisis brought to light the desperate need for reform in the traditional yet antiquated banking and lending systems. In just six short years, companies like Lending Club and Prosper managed to capitalize on the opportunity and broker over $5B in unsecured, peer-to-peer loans. Borro, a UK-based lending platform takes a novel, more secure approach to online lending. Taking a loan from Borro requires pledging a physical asset, which is appraised and held in a warehouse for the term of the loan. Asset backed lending mitigates risk for the lender and allows asset rich individuals to borrow money without actually selling any of their assets....

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What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (November 2014)

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (November 2014)

Nov 6, 2014 | ,

Welcome to the latest installment of OurCrowd’s “What We’re Investing In” series. This month we’re featuring three of our existing portfolio companies raising follow-on rounds – but that’s not all. We have a number of new, exciting companies in the pipeline about to launch on the platform, so stay tuned and visit www.ourcrowd.com for more information. VocalZoom – Accurate voice recognition in any environment Walk down the street today and you’ll see people talking to their phones. The multi-billion dollar voice recognition market went mainstream big time with Apple’s Siri and Google’s Voice Search. However, one fundamental problem with all of these technologies is that they have a hard time deciphering speech out of the cacophony of everyday life. VocalZoom has created a proprietary patented` software to address this major pain point in the voice recognition market. Using acoustic and optical sensors, VocalZoom’s technology is able to monitor vibrations from the throat and face of the speaker, filtering out any external signals usually picked up by traditional microphones. VocalZoom’s product can be used in cellphones, personal headsets and automotive...

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