Corporate America is in the midst of a feeding frenzy:
In the last few weeks, big corporations have doled out $4.3 billion to acquire early-stage start-ups.
But in a strange twist, all these start-ups are in the same sector—and it’s not even an exciting sector like medical devices or cyber security.
In fact, it’s one of the most “boring” sectors out there.
But if big returns are what you’re after, this sector could be your ticket.
Today I’ll tell you what’s prompting these acquisitions—then I’ll show you how to get in on the profits they’re creating for early investors.
The Most Profitable Investment—Ever
When Wayne and I write about promising early-stage investments, we often tell you about start-ups that are building fascinating technologies:
High-tech cures for cancer. Cyber security solutions. Virtual reality headsets.
But early-stage investing isn’t always about disruptive technologies.
For example, “consumer” companies like food and beverage start-ups can make excellent private investments too.
As we’ve written about before, Naked Juice was a tiny start-up putting all-natural juice into a bottle—then it got snatched up by Pepsi for an estimated $450 million.
A small company called Chobani started making Greek-style yogurt. Now the company is valued at several billion dollars.
And the most profitable early-stage investment of all time was Coca-Cola: its first investor made 10,868x times his money.
And speaking of all-time records from the world of investing, here’s a new one for you…
Jet!
Earlier this week, we witnessed the biggest acquisition of a private e-commerce company ever.
The company that was acquired is called Jet.com. It’s a website that sells basic consumer goods like diapers and paper towels.
Pretty boring, right?
You might change your mind after you hear what Walmart paid to buy it:
$3.3 billion.
You see, customers like us re-order “boring” basic items constantly…
And for the handful of websites we buy them from, our orders can add up to a big, stable source of recurring revenues.
Get a Shave
Here’s another “dull” item that many of us constantly need to replenish:
Razorblades.
Perhaps that helps explain why, two weeks ago, Unilever acquired a start-up called Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion.
Dollar Shave Club is a service for men that delivers razors by mail.
Basically, for a few bucks a month, it offers an alternative to pricey blades from brands like Gillette.
In the land of boring businesses, razors are right up there…
And yet, with this $1 billion acquisition, Dollar Shave Club’s early investors made an estimated 166x their money.
Invest in the “Next” Jet & Dollar Shave Club
If you’re looking to invest in promising start-ups, it might not be obvious to look at companies like Jet and Dollar Shave Club.
But there are many benefits to investing in these consumer-focused companies:
They’re easy to understand…
Sales of their basic products can lead to big, stable businesses...
And for their early investors, they can deliver huge profits.
Here's Where to Find These Start-Ups
The fact is, the Internet is re-shaping the face of commerce…
And as giants like Walmart and Unilever try to stay relevant, we believe they’ll keep paying top dollar to acquire the brands that have caught consumers’ attention.
This trend is great news for early-stage, private investors like you:
Consumer-facing companies are exactly the type of start-ups that are leveraging the JOBS Act to raise capital. (The JOBS Act is the new law that allows all investors to invest in private equity, regardless of their income or net worth.)
In fact, there’s a specific funding platform you can visit to find promising consumer product start-ups. The platform is called CircleUp »
All the start-ups on CircleUp are raising capital, and most of them are already generating consistent sales of $1 million or more.
So if you’re interested in exploring some “boring” start-up investments that could lead you to big gains, visit CircleUp today »
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with CircleUp, or with any of the platforms or companies we write about. Crowdability is an independent provider of education, information and research on start-ups and alternative investments.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
