Early Investing Podcast

Dreams.Build is a crowdfunding platform with a mission to help entrepreneurs see their dreams come true. They are starting out with rewards-based projects with plans to quickly evolve more into equity crowdfunding. The difference, we hear, is in the community that they are creating among founders and funders alike.

TEDCO is one of the most successful examples of how governments can participate in the business of startup companies. In this episode we talk about what TEDCO is, what they do, and the plans for the future of startups in Maryland.

You have certainly heard of Indiegogo and perhaps you are one of the 9 million backers that have helped fund the 700,000 projects that have been on the platform so far. Now you can go beyond rewards and into equity investing via Indiegogo. This is a big deal and you will want to know more!

It would be hard to find someone with more experience in crowdfunding than Dr. Richard Swart. He has been in the realm for 20 years and agrees that we are STILL just getting started. We discuss the state of the early stage investing world six months after the implementation of Title III. The future is bright -- bring shades.

Red Crow is an equity crowdfunding platform that is focusing on "quality over quantity" in the words of its founders Brian Smith and Jerry Harrison. Wait, Jerry Harrison? The guy from Talking Heads? Yes, that's the one. You always knew they were a smart band, but did you know Jerry is a Harvard graduate? Did you know he was a founder of GarageBand.com? Did you know that he has been to the best restaurants in York, Pennsylvania many times? Are you wondering what is going on with this new venture? Then listen to this episode.

There is no doubt that legal cannabis is going to be a big business, but how can early investors get into it without getting burned? On this episode, we learn a lot about the business from one of the very first research analysts to specialize in this fast-growing field: Vin Maru from investinmj.com. Here we learn that we no longer look south to Mexico, but north to Canada to find the leadership in this industry.

This episode features Kendrick (Ken) Nguyen, a founder of Republic.co and a former legal expert at AngelList. Republic is new to the equity crowdfunding arena, but it has a very established pedigree. This venture is part of the AngelList family and has tremendous potential to popularize equity crowdfunding. Don't miss this one!

This episode features updates from two guests who have appeared on the podcast previously. First, Steven Dresner from DealFlow tells us about the Crowdfunding Conference the company is producing in New York October 6-7, 2016. Then we check in with Ron Miller of StartEngine to see how the early stages of crowdfunding for non-accredited investors are going thus far.

Already four states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, and there are over 20 states with medical cannabis. This is a huge trend and a big opportunity, but how do you take advantage? In this episode, we speak with the founder of the leading trade publication for "cannabusiness" and take a look at the business opportunities that are emerging in this rapidly growing industry.

As one of the more active angel investors you will ever meet, Joanne Wilson – aka "The Gotham Gal" – has invested in more than 90 early-stage companies – and you can see what most of them are right on her website. We discuss her investing thesis, current and future trends (including cannabis as an investing opportunity), and the future of agriculture. And we were just getting started. Enjoy!