Startup Investing

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (November 2014)

What We’re Investing In: Current Investment Opportunities on OurCrowd (November 2014)

Nov 6, 2014 | ,

Welcome to the latest installment of OurCrowd’s “What We’re Investing In” series. This month we’re featuring three of our existing portfolio companies raising follow-on rounds – but that’s not all. We have a number of new, exciting companies in the pipeline about to launch on the platform, so stay tuned and visit mktg.ocdvlp.com for more information. VocalZoom – Accurate voice recognition in any environment Walk down the street today and you’ll see people talking to their phones. The multi-billion dollar voice recognition market went mainstream big time with Apple’s Siri and Google’s Voice Search. However, one fundamental problem with all of these technologies is that they have a hard time deciphering speech out of the cacophony of everyday life. VocalZoom has created a proprietary patented` software to address this major pain point in the voice recognition market. Using acoustic and optical sensors, VocalZoom’s technology is able to monitor vibrations from the throat and face of the speaker, filtering out any external signals usually picked up by traditional microphones. VocalZoom’s product can be used in cellphones, personal headsets and automotive...

Read More
Take these 8 steps to become an all-star startup investor

Take these 8 steps to become an all-star startup investor

Oct 28, 2014 | , ,

Show of hands: Who here doesn’t want to invest in the next Facebook or Google? Didn’t think so. The people who invest in startups have supplanted hedge fund managers as the investment rock stars of our age. What makes startup investing so thrilling is that unlike the passive investing common in the stock market (see our Ultimate Stock Market Investor’s Guide to Investing in Startups), angel investors have the opportunity to provide ongoing value with their experience… and Rolodexes. Whether you’re just kicking off your career as a venture capitalist or starting out in angel investing after making your money in other businesses, investing in startups can be a very lucrative activity. In fact, the data show that well-positioned angel portfolios can return 2.5X over a 4-year period. Returns like these easily trounce stock market returns (and historical returns of most other asset classes). However, investing in startups can be tricky. For example, it’s very likely that some of the startups you invest in will end up folding (less than 50% of startups never reach their 5th birthday). What are...

Read More
Angel Investing: How Big and Disruptive? [Podcast]

Angel Investing: How Big and Disruptive? [Podcast]

Oct 28, 2014 | ,

On October 24, 2014, Lou Kerner’s The Disruptive Technologies Speaker Series hosted three thought leaders on the current state and future direction of Angel Investing: Gil Penchina Largest Syndicate on AngelList Jon Medved Founder & CEO, OurCrowd Brian Cohen Chairman, New York Angels Like every other industry, venture capital is ripe for massive disruption. An Angel has been described as “an investor who provides financial backing for small startups or entrepreneurs, usually found among an entrepreneur’s family and friends”. That definition is now outdated, driven by the rise of platforms like AngelList, OurCrowd, and SeedInvest; and the increasing scale of groups like the New York Angels and Tech Coast Angels. And Angel Investing is no longer just for seed rounds. Life360, a mobile app for staying connected with family members, is raising $500k of a $50M Series C on AngleList, where the leading syndicators (like Gil Penchina) are “backed” by over 500 investors that can combine for over $4M in any one deal. The OurCrowd platform has raised over $65M for 50 companies the past two years, including $3.3M for ReWalk. The last...

Read More
Experience Sukkot in the Startup Nation with OurCrowd

Experience Sukkot in the Startup Nation with OurCrowd

Oct 7, 2014 | ,

Join the OurCrowd team and fellow investors for two events next week at our private Sukka at the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem and overlooking the beach in Tel Aviv. There will good food, great drinks, wonderful company and stellar presentations, including four of our latest startup investments. We hope to see you at one (or both!) of our events and wish you a Shana Tova and Chag Sameach! Scotch & Wine at the Waldorf Astoria- Jerusalem Join Jonathan Medved (OurCrowd CEO), the CEOs of our latest portfolio companies and the OurCrowd team for drinks in Jerusalem’s first indoor sukkah at the Waldorf Astoria. When Sunday, October 12th 5:30- 7:30PM Where Waldorf Astoria Agron St. 26, Jerusalem For more information and to RSVP, please click here. Wine & Dessert overlooking the beach- Tel Aviv Join Jonathan Medved (OurCrowd CEO), the CEOs of our latest portfolio companies and the OurCrowd team for wine and dessert in the sukkah overlooking the Mediterranean and Tel Aviv. When Tuesday, October 14th 5:30- 7:30PM Where Aish TLV Sukka Hayarkon 165, Tel Aviv For more information and to...

Read More
This Week In Crowdfunding: How individual investors can invest in top real estate deals

This Week In Crowdfunding: How individual investors can invest in top real estate deals

Oct 5, 2014 | , ,

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!  ——————————————— One of the most exciting manifestations of crowdfunding can be found right now in the real estate sector. Investment properties, which were once owned wholly by large real estate firms, are now finding crowdfunding investor interest. And vice versa — individuals, who once struggled to get access to ‘insider’ deals — can now invest in real estate via platforms like Realty Mogul. On this week’s TWiC, hosts Zack Miller and David Stark hosted Realty Mogul’s CEO and founder, Jilliene Helman, to talk about how her firm got off the ground and is now working with both top-flight real estate development projects and attracting investor interest. Watson on Crowdfunding tackles the complicated — but really important — issue of accreditation...

Read More