Author: Andy Gordon

I made my chops as an entrepreneur and investor with over 30 years of experience at building wealth for myself and others. I graduated from the London School of Economics a year after the bicentennial. By the way, this is the same school that produced 34 heads of state including John F. Kennedy… and another 18 Nobel Laureates…

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New Pick: For This Startup, “Giving Back” Is a Seamless Marketing Strategy

A few months ago, a founder pitched me on an interesting idea. It involved drinking and a form of bribery, so naturally I was interested. Her company increased attendance to a business event by sending a bottle of wine to invited participants. She claimed that attendance shot up 20% to 50% with her offerings in play.  I liked the idea… but only when applied to paid events. While effective, her idea isn’t exactly cheap. It works…

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New Pick: A Potential Unicorn That’s Making Surgery Safer

By Andy Gordon on June 16, 2022

My first and last surgery was a couple of years ago. I’m glad I didn’t know then what I know now. My surgeon told me the risks were low and a favorable outcome was high. He didn’t mention that he’d be using instruments that would burn or at…

While VCs Struggle, Crowdfunders Are Coming Out on Top

By Andy Gordon on June 8, 2022

2022 has not been kind to SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. He’s calling it a “technology winter.” And the numbers are certainly chilling for Son. SoftBank’s Vision Fund lost 2.64 trillion yen ($20.5 billion) for the year ending March 31.  The previous year, it had made a…
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New Pick: An Affordable Super Material With Hundreds of Potential Uses

By Andy Gordon on June 2, 2022

There will never be a “next” Facebook or Google or Airbnb. Companies are a product of a specific time, place, technology know-how and need. It’s as if the universe wills them into existence.  Of course, founders play an important role. But there are a lot of…

It’s Easier Than Ever to Invest in Works of Art

By Andy Gordon on May 25, 2022

I was in the fifth grade when Andy Warhol held his first solo painting exhibit in 1962. He was showing his set of 32 Campbell’s soup cans. The exhibit bombed. Pop art was just getting started in the early ‘60s. Art critics didn’t get him or his art. …
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New Pick: Invest in the Brilliant Minds Behind Billions of Dollars in Pharma Sales

By Andy Gordon on May 19, 2022

In a slightly less broken world, Enosi Life Sciences would not exist as is. Enosi is a tiny drug research and development company. And that is the only ordinary-sounding thing about it. Its technology is not ordinary. Its rockstar founders are far from ordinary. And its…
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The Third Time Is Not the Charm for This Startup

By Andy Gordon on May 12, 2022

NowRx will complete its third crowdfunding raise on SeedInvest later this month. We’ve recommended it twice. And it has worked out incredibly well for our members who invested.  But the third time is not…

Five Bold Predictions for the Future of Crowdfunding

By Andy Gordon on May 11, 2022

May 16 marks the sixth anniversary of crowdfunding under Regulation Crowdfunding. But it was the JOBS Act of April 2012 that made it possible. Whether you go by 10 years ago or six years ago, crowdfunding has come a long way. …
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New Pick: A Cheap Robotics Play Boosting the Boba Tea Trend to New Heights

By Andy Gordon on May 5, 2022

Seattle in the early 1990s was booming. And no sector was growing faster than aerospace. But Seattle was also midwifing the birth of a new kind of coffeehouse. Starbucks reimagined the experience of a damn good cup of coffee. It struck a deep and broad chord. Starbucks stores…
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New Pick: A Startup That’s Literally Reinventing the Wheel

By Andy Gordon on April 21, 2022

Startup disruptions are like earthquakes. The bigger the earthquake, the more widespread its impact. Likewise, major disruptions can upend entire industries. Major earthquakes can topple buildings. And big disruptions can expose the vulnerabilities of powerful legacy companies, diminishing their ability to compete.  Airbnb disrupted the global…
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Bloomstack Pivots, Seems on Track to Survive and Thrive

By Andy Gordon on April 14, 2022

We recommended Bloomstack last June. We liked founder and CEO Eric Delisle’s idea of combining all the systems and platforms cannabis operators use into a single platform. Not only was it a great idea, but it also seemed to be working. Bloomstack was…
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New Pick: A Moonshot That’s Charging Into the Autonomous Driving Era

By Andy Gordon on April 7, 2022

Autonomous driving hasn’t quite arrived yet. But it has spawned several startups that are playing a critical role in advancing autonomous driving technology and adoption.  The startup Argo builds cloud infrastructure — including maps, software and hardware…
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VirZOOM Fights to Find Sustainable Growth

By Andy Gordon on March 31, 2022

It must be possible to feel very good and very bad about a company at the same time. Because that’s how I feel about VirZOOM. To refresh your memory, VirZOOM offers an app that can be used with just the Oculus Quest headset or in conjunction…

Startup Price Inflation Signals Danger for Investors

By Andy Gordon on March 30, 2022

Price inflation in the startup world is running rampant.  This isn’t new. But I do wonder when it’s going to peak. We’re not there yet. If anything, it’s getting worse. I’ll give you a recent example. I was talking to a founder yesterday who…
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New Pick: A Functional Beverage That’s Delicious and 100 Times Healthier Than Coffee

By Andy Gordon on March 24, 2022

I never thought this day would come. I’m recommending a company that is replacing coffee with a hot beverage that is damn nearly as rich and roasty but a hundred times more healthy.  Listen, I love my coffee. I drink three to…

Why Regulation Plays Are Often the Best Investment Opportunities

By Andy Gordon on March 16, 2022

I once ran a business in Asia. And the only reason I made a bit of money was because I was more lucky than business savvy.  But when I went to Thailand, I was prepared. I had a great plan. Thailand had just approved some new…