Author: Adam Sharp

Adam Sharp the founder of EarlyInvesting.com, a new e-letter focused on equity crowdfunding. He is an active investor in more than 50 startups. A former financial advisor, he also has extensive experience with internet marketing and financial writing. He has built 3 profitable web businesses.

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When Is a High Valuation Worth It?

By Adam Sharp on May 11, 2021

In recent months, I’ve talked a lot about how expensive some startup rounds are becoming.  That doesn’t mean you should avoid every round that looks expensive at first glance. Sometimes startup investments seem expensive when they are…
This week I came across a statistic that shocked me. It turns out that 34% of all US income currently comes from the government. Here’s a chart from an article on ZeroHedge showing the rise of government “transfer payments…
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Focus on Traction When Investing in Startups

By Adam Sharp on May 4, 2021

Traction is by far the most important signal for startup investors. That may seem obvious. But when I started out, I was more excited about investing in breakthrough technology. I often overlooked a company’s traction when I made my investment decision. But really, there’s nothing more…
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Understanding When to Take Profits

By Adam Sharp on April 30, 2021

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as an investor is this: when you have a great asset, don’t sell just because it goes up a lot. Don’t sell early if you think it starts to get expensive either, because it…

Four Assets to Hedge Against Inflation

By Adam Sharp on April 30, 2021

In April 2019, Bloomberg Businessweek magazine’s cover story asked “Is Inflation Dead?” The subtitle accompanying it was “Did Capitalism Kill Inflation?”  I recall thinking at the time that this story was probably a contrarian indicator. It reminded me that nearly everyone in the financial world was…
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Use Your Personal Network for Deal Flow

By Adam Sharp on April 27, 2021

Lately I’ve been spending more time looking for offline angel investments. I want to make sure that I’m not missing out on prime opportunities by focusing exclusively on online deal flow. So I’ve been reaching out to colleagues, friends and companies I’m familiar with to let them know…
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Crypto Correction is Healthy

By Adam Sharp on April 23, 2021

Bitcoin and the broader crypto markets are pulling back. Bitcoin slipped below $50,000 today and is currently trading around $49,700.  This is nothing to be concerned about. We’ve come an incredibly long way over the last 14 months. And pullbacks are healthy and to be expected.
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Later-Stage Valuations Are Getting Out of Control

By Adam Sharp on April 20, 2021

I’ve been invited to a few deals lately with mind-blowing valuations. I was being asked to invest in SaaS (software as a service) businesses with $1 million of revenue. They were showing about 150% growth rates. Yet they were being valued at nearly $250 million.  This…
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Government Interference With Bitcoin Is Growing

By Adam Sharp on April 16, 2021

In Washington’s latest round of sanctions against Russia, the U.S. government targeted specific bitcoin addresses. Here’s an excerpt from Bitcoin Magazine’s reporting.  “…the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), recently…

Bitcoin is Finally Going Mainstream

By Adam Sharp on April 16, 2021

This week’s Coinbase initial public offering (IPO) is a major moment for crypto. That amazing $85 billion valuation is turning heads all over Wall Street. I imagine that for some old-school investors, this crypto thing suddenly looks more legit.  We were already in the midst of…
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Don’t Write Off Weird Startups

By Adam Sharp on April 13, 2021

Some of the best startup investments I’ve made — and some of the best that I’ve missed — have been “crazy” or “weird” ideas. Take Density, one of the first startups I invested in back in 2014. Density’s mission is to…
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Bitcoin Is Primed for Continued Growth

By Adam Sharp on April 9, 2021

The crypto bull market is showing remarkable strength. After months of incredible growth, bitcoin is trading in a remarkably tight range — anywhere from $56,000 to $58,000.  It looks to me like big players are building positions. If these new institutional investors hold for the long…
Mainstream media coverage of inflation — and the forces that drive it — tend to be superficial and limited. That’s why I want to highlight three recent stories. They all revolve around inflation in some way. And together they emphasize the need for every investor to have some…
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Market Rallies on PayPal Crypto News

By Adam Sharp on April 2, 2021

Towards the end of last week bitcoin was trading around $54,000. And I honestly wasn’t sure which way we were going to break, up or down. I really would have been fine either way. As I said last week, the market needs a…
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Three AngelList Syndicates Worth A Look

By Adam Sharp on March 30, 2021

I’m an AngelList superfan. It’s a beautiful marketplace for early-stage investors. The site has grown incredibly since I started investing in 2014, and today there are more than 100 syndicates to choose from. Here are some of my favorites. Jenny Rooke – Biotech …