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  • Every startup I've invested in...and how much

Every startup I've invested in...and how much

see what's behind the CROWDSCALE curtain

Something’s off…

The font, the logo, it’s all the same….but just a little different.

I’ve decided to move my newsletter from Substack → Beehiiv.

The content will remain the same, but I sprung for the $50/month Beehiiv membership to help bring some extra powerful features to CROWDSCALE.

One thing that I will always keep in the newsletter is transparency.

Back when I had 130 subscribers, I pulled back the curtain on my startup portfolio and y’all seemed to really enjoy my openness.

We’re cruising past 2,200 subscribers now, and I figured I’d give another update on the portfolio.

All I ask is that you support or roast me in the comments of this article. Let me know which picks you love, and which ones are worse than lighting my money on fire!

And now, the 20 25 companies, the amount invested, and where they stand now.

  1. AtomBeam ($9,236) - currently 5.1x paper gains 🎉

  2. StartEngine ($7,751) - currently 1.7x paper gains 🎉

  3. Uncanny.gg ($3,000)

  4. Wefunder ($2,850) - currently 1.8x paper gains 🎉

  5. NxNW Brewing ($2,501) - now bankrupt ☹️

  6. NowRx ($1,600) - also bankrupt ☹️

  7. Quickloadz ($1,500)

  8. Avadain ($1,250)

  9. Virtuix ($1,200) - currently 2.6x paper gains 🎉

  10. Psyonic ($1,000)

  11. Boxabl ($1,000) - currently 1.1x paper gains 🎉

  12. SolarGaps ($1,000) currently 1.2x paper gains 🎉

  13. Hedge ($625)

  14. Azure Printed Homes ($600) currently 1.3x paper gains 🎉

  15. Whiteclouds ($550) - currently 1.2x paper gains 🎉

  16. Substack ($500)

  17. Ollo Footwear ($500)

  18. Armbrust American ($500)

  19. Praise Token ($500) - effectively bankrupt, but plodding along ☹️

  20. FuelGems ($400) - currently 1.3x paper gains 🎉

  21. Crafter ($350)

  22. Irrigreen ($250) - currently 1.4x paper gains 🎉

  23. Autocase ($250)

  24. Four Doors ($200)

  25. Republic Note ($150)

My investments look nice & organized in that list, but keeping track of them was getting a little crazy…

I was investing in startups on 5 different platforms, they were all over the place

Luckily, Kingscrowd’s portfolio tool helps you organize all your investments into one space, and automatically tracks any valuation increases for you

CROWDSCALE readers can get 30 days free of their Edge membership by using the link below! (sponsored)

Well that’s awkward…

Yep, I invested in Substack even though I’m abandoning the platform.

After investing in Substack, the Beehiiv team released product features at a pace I’ve never quite seen before. In just a few months, they rolled out…

An AI image generator. Boosts. Custom Landing Pages. Paywall Sections.

The list goes on.

In that same timeframe, Substack finally released a referral program option (something Beehiiv has had for a while now).

They also launched Notes, a Twitter-like feed that backfired in a major way.

Engagement on the Notes feed is super low, and it p*ssed off Twitter/X to the point that Substack embeds + preview links no longer work on their platform.

This made it increasingly difficult to grow, as most of my newsletter’s growth comes from my Twitter account.

It’s still super early in the game, but Beehiiv has certainly taken the lead in the past few months.

If you want to read my full explainer on why I personally switched to Beehiiv, you can see it here.

One winner to pay for them all

On paper, I’ve seen the most success with AtomBeam (5.1x valuation increase).

If their success continues and I am able to liquidate those gains, there’s a strong chance that it could cover the entire cost of my startup portfolio (and then some!).

One outsized winner driving the investment returns of the entire fund is a fairly common outcome in startup investing.

That’s why it is super important to take a diversified approach rather than betting everything on one or two startups.

I’m searching for more AtomBeams to be added to my portfolio, subscribe below and I’ll share the top deals I come across :)

Please note that CROWDSCALE is not recommending investment into any of the above startups. Investing in startups is risky and you should only invest that which you are able to lose.

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