Equity Crowdfunding

Who’s afraid of the big bad bear? An internal memo on startup investing during a down market

Who’s afraid of the big bad bear? An internal memo on startup investing during a down market

Feb 17, 2016 | ,

Last month, I traveled to the VC and financial capitals of the world – Silicon Valley and New York City – for meetings with VCs and potential investment opportunities, plus a few days of meetings at CES, the largest consumer technology conference in the world. Being another tough week for the financial markets, it was an interesting time to take such a trip. Here are some of my thoughts that I wrote up initially as an internal memo after returning, and decided to share with our broader community. While we generally spend our time focusing on the micro side of investing – companies, their teams, the competition, the technological and business advantages — it is important that we remember that investment opportunities do not exist in a vacuum. We need to raise our eyes to view the broader picture. Below, I discuss: The overall global investing environment What it means that valuations are coming down Takeaways: Private market investing during a public market downturn But… good companies will continue to be built, raise capital and create wealth OurCrowd in the...

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The road already traveled: Why invest in startup follow-on rounds?

The road already traveled: Why invest in startup follow-on rounds?

Feb 10, 2016 | , ,

Today, access to quality investment opportunities are no longer a luxury reserved for the well-connected. Everything from startups to real estate development projects are now available to the masses for investment. This access has garnered lots of attention from prominent investment thought leaders. One of the biggest issues they’re grappling with is how to educate the public to make sure they are investing responsibly in these new, often risky asset classes. In this post, we’re going to talk about what Brad Feld refers to as a new, official trend in the world of venture capital. The Opportunity What’s this new trend we speak of? In January 2011, Union Square Ventures launched their first “Opportunity Fund.” The fund was formed to invest exclusively in USV portfolio companies raising follow-on rounds of investment. This investment strategy was born out of the realization that a majority of returns in a fund are generated by a small number of the portfolio companies. Fred Wilson, USV’s founder and managing partner described the rationale behind launching the fund in 4 basic points: “This fund is meant to...

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OurCrowd’s Jon Medved featured on CNN: “Tech Investments in 2016”

OurCrowd’s Jon Medved featured on CNN: “Tech Investments in 2016”

Feb 9, 2016 | , ,

OurCrowd CEO Jonathan Medved was featured on CNN’s “Quest Means Business,” where he discussed the future of tech investments with the show’s host, Richard Quest. In the interview, Jon discussed the power of the ‘crowd’ and how equity crowdfunding is a game changer, the Startup Nation’s booming tech sector, and OurCrowd’s 2016 Global Investor Summit — where 3,000 investors, entrepreneurs, and industry tech leaders gathered for the biggest investor event Jerusalem has ever seen. View the video below or play it on...

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Introducing OurCrowd Continuity Fund (OC²): A new investment offering

Introducing OurCrowd Continuity Fund (OC²): A new investment offering

Feb 3, 2016 | ,

OurCrowd is proud to announce the launch of its OurCrowd Continuity Fund (OC2), a special opportunities fund devised to take advantage of preemptive rights in select follow-on rounds for portfolio companies. OC2 has an automated investing process, only investing in follow-on, up-rounds led by top venture capital and strategic investors. The dynamics of startup growth and venture investing is such that preemptive rights are a critically valuable asset for being able to invest in breakout stars, and OC2 is structured to give its investors first access to unexercised preemptive rights. Four reasons why we’re excited about launching OC2 Access to otherwise limited opportunities: As an investor, one of your most valuable assets is gaining a seat at the table to invest in the follow-on rounds of your companies that emerge to be the biggest winners. Pro rata rights are not about downside protection, they are about guaranteeing you the right not to be crowded out of highly competitive future financing rounds for your companies. OC2 is opportunistically leveraging OurCrowd’s pro rata rights across its 90+ portfolio companies to gain access to...

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Risk and Reward: The truth about diversification

Risk and Reward: The truth about diversification

Feb 2, 2016 | , ,

It is a common misconception that investing in startups is for the uber-wealthy, venture capital and angel investing insiders; being exclusive and risky — an alternative asset class where losing is part of the strategy. Venture capitalists leaders highlight how often you lose before you win. Thought leader Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures says, “Investing in startups is risky. If you make just one investment, you are likely going to lose everything. If you make two, you are still likely to lose money. If you make five, you might get all your money back across all five investments. If you make ten, you might start making money on the aggregate set of investments.” How Much to Invest That being said, no one will advise you to put a large percentage of your savings into early stage companies. However, if you allocate 5% of your overall portfolio into startup investments you can increase returns and reduce risk. According to a SharesPost whitepaper, if you allocate 5% of your investments to private growth companies, you can increase the returns of a traditional portfolio by...

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