As recently as a few years ago, I relied on just two tools to build my wealth:
My E*TRADE account to trade stocks, bonds, and ETFs…
And my personal network to find high-potential start-ups to invest in.
But recently, I’ve added a third tool to my arsenal.
Today I’ll show you what this tool is…
And then I’ll show you how to profit from it.
A Crowdfunding Pioneer Gets Its Wings
Long-time Crowdability readers are already familiar with the “funding platforms.”
These websites connect investors like you to private start-up deals. In the U.S. alone, there are 29 of these platforms, and there are hundreds more across the globe.
One of the first to get started is called StartEngine.
StartEngine was founded in 2014 by two entrepreneurs:
Ron Miller, an “Inc 500” award recipient who’s built and sold five start-ups…
And Howard Marks, who’s the former founder of Acclaim Games (acquired by Disney), and the former Chairman of video game leader Activision.
Ron and Howard have done a great job with StartEngine so far.
Let’s take a look….
$35 Million in Funds Already Raised
To date, StartEngine has helped start-ups raise over $35 million from ordinary investors like you.
For example, it raised $19 million for automotive start-ups like Elio Motors (where many of Crowdability’s subscribers quickly made more than 3x their money)…
More than $1 million for aviation start-ups…
And about $1.2 million for robotics start-ups.
But this success might just be the beginning…
Here Comes The Financial Platform of the Future
StartEngine has been in business for several years now, and its momentum is really starting to build.
As just one example, it launched three times as many funding campaigns for start-ups in July 2017 as it did in January 2017.
But now, to fuel even more growth, it’s decided to add two major new features:
The first is a “Secondary Market” for private start-up shares.
Secondary markets are often considered the “Holy Grail” of start-up investing.
You see, secondary markets allow investors to buy or sell private shares in a start-up before it “exits.” That means, instead of having to wait for a start-up to go public or be acquired, you could turn your private shares into cash when you want to.
A funding platform in the UK called Seedrs recently launched a similar secondary market, and the results have been impressive.
To show you just a few examples:
- An investor in a software start-up sold his shares on Seedrs’ secondary market and quickly banked about 860% on his money.
- An earlier investor in the same start-up made even more: he made 1,500%.
- And an investor in an e-commerce start-up made almost 2,000%.
(Can you imagine making a quick 2,000% profit? That’s like turning a small $500 investment into nearly $10,000. Or $5,000 into nearly $100,000.)
Secondly, StartEngine is launching a new service in the cryptocurrency market:
It’s planning to help businesses raise capital through what’s called Initial Coin Offerings, or “ICOs.”
Crowdability readers already know that Wayne and I are investing personally in the “crypto” market — including currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as ICOs.
Well, last month, StartEngine announced that it will become the first U.S. platform to offer SEC-registered ICOs to ordinary investors like you.
5,000 Companies in Five Years
StartEngine is setting big goals for itself:
In the next five years, it’s aiming to fund 5,000 companies.
And as you know now, it’s also setting up a secondary market, as well as a service to fund ICOs.
Crowdfunding platform… private secondary market… ICO platform…
For investors like us, this could be the financial platform of the future — an important tool to help us build our wealth.
To learn more about StartEngine (including how to invest in its upcoming funding round for its own business), click here »
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with StartEngine, or with any of the companies or platforms we write about. Crowdability is an independent provider of education, information and research on start-ups and alternative investments.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
