Startup Investing

5 Mistakes Rookie Angel Investors Make

5 Mistakes Rookie Angel Investors Make

Aug 28, 2014 | , , ,

Startups are exciting again. Reeling from the 2007-2008 financial crisis, investors seemed to sour on illiquid investments. Too many financially-engineered investments in derivatives and wacky mortgage products made investors feel that the game was fixed. But that’s all changed as America’s economic engine — small technology-driven companies — is revving up. Companies with big visions and ambitious growth goals are getting snapped up, merged and acquired, and IPO’d, making their early investors celebrities… and extremely wealthy. Events like Facebook’s multi-billion dollar IPO in 2012 and its subsequent purchase of Whatsapp for $12 billion in 2014 have attracted new investors seeking their fortunes in angel investing. New investors, new mistakes Many of the same rules of the game apply to angel investing, as they do to investing in the stock market. But given the fact that most startups are private, small, and closely-held companies, investors new to the asset class are finding that there is a learning curve to scale before they’re able to reap the historical returns which average close to 30% per year, according to a Kauffman study. While we have...

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What we’re investing in: Current investment opportunities on OurCrowd (August 2014)

What we’re investing in: Current investment opportunities on OurCrowd (August 2014)

Aug 28, 2014 | , , ,

Welcome to another edition of “What We’re Investing In.” Each month, we bring you a short summary of all of our currently funding companies to give you a glimpse into all of the activity and excitement happening on OurCrowd’s platform. While most of the world was busy with summer vacation, OurCrowd — together with our network of over  5,000 investors — continues to invest in some of the top startup companies in the world today. Stay up to date and access all of the latest investment opportunities on OurCrowd’s platform by registering here to become a member of the OurCrowd community. Milla Milla is a software platform that connects Internet enabled smart systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a current technological revolution, aiming to connect systems and devices to the Internet, increasing functionality and automation. According to a recent study at IDC, there are already over 10 billion systems that have already been connected to the Internet and that number is set to skyrocket in years to come. Milla’s platform allows users to build what they refer to...

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Full Steam Ahead: Mid-2014 Israeli Mergers, Acquisitions and IPOs [Infographic]

Full Steam Ahead: Mid-2014 Israeli Mergers, Acquisitions and IPOs [Infographic]

Jul 31, 2014 | , ,

The Israeli startup ecosystem is chugging along full steam ahead, on pace to make 2014 a record breaking year. So far, 37 Israeli companies have either floated on public exchanges worldwide or have been acquired by large multinational corporations. In addition to the successful exits, 335 Israeli high-tech companies attracted $1.6 billion in venture capital funding, an 81% increase from 2013. Here is another OurCrowd infographic breaking down the first half of 2014 in numbers....

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Flipping the script: Investors take the stage to pitch to startups

Flipping the script: Investors take the stage to pitch to startups

Jul 23, 2014 | ,

Pitching to investors isn’t an easy task, to say the least. The entire ordeal can be a daunting and at times, tough on an entrepreneur’s confidence level. Well, entrepreneurs fed up of pitching to countless investors now have chance to turn the tables. Capital On Stage is the unconventional global funding conference that puts top-tier investors on stage to pitch to the finest tech startup founders, instead of the reverse. At Capital On Stage conferences, investors take the stage to deliver an unraveling five-minute presentation without slides to briefly explain who they are, their investment strategy, the markets they invest in, and what they bring to the table to support startups besides cash. The idea is to give startup founders better insights in what kind of investors (or funds) are out there. Earlier this year, Capital On Stage held its first international conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. The innovative international investment event held at the premises of law firm Herzog Fox & Neeman drew in hundreds of highly regarded investors and promising entrepreneurs form all over the globe. Turning the tables: Investors pitching startups at COS Tel Aviv Among the world renowned...

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This Week In Crowdfunding: A Podcast series covering the latest news in Crowdfunding

This Week In Crowdfunding: A Podcast series covering the latest news in Crowdfunding

Jul 17, 2014 | , ,

What gets you excited about crowdfunding? Is it the passion, perks, participation, pride or profit? Crowdfunding is expected to top $10 billion this year. The industry is quickly growing and it’s getting harder to stay on top of current events, leading platforms, and tools and techniques for both entrepreneurs and backers/investors. This Week in Crowdfunding is a newly launched podcast series hosted by OurCrowd’s Zack Miller and David Stark, where they cover the best in Crowdfunding with a frank — and educational — discussion about the issues surrounding Crowdfunding. Every week, they interview successful entrepreneurs, deconstruct campaigns, and hear from the smartest people around on this transformative, massive financing trend. Sign up to listen to the podcast on iTunes * Sticher * SoundCloud! Educating investors on the crowdfunding opportunity On this week’s TWiC podcast, David and Zack interview the guys behind Crowdability — a great resource for investors thinking about getting a bit more serious about equity crowdfunding. Matt and Wayne are 2 extraordinary entrepreneurs in their own right and have a bold vision of providing an educational and decision-layer to help investors make better decisions when investing in startups online via equity...

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