Tremendous

An angel investor's take on life and business

  • Request for Startups: Drones, Healthtech and Art, Oh My!

    Whenever I see a problem, the solution is a startup. Here are 3 problems I’m itching to solve…

    1. Simple Drones for World Domination. Chinese manufacturer DJI controls 80% of the consumer drone market. These drones can be modified for military use.

    In a conflict with China, they’d swarm us with millions of them. We have no ability to produce drones at that scale.

    What America needs is a simple drone that’s easy to make. I want to see as few parts as possible.

    If we can produce simple, effective drones at huge scale, we can defend our home.

    2. Knee Tech. Half the people I know have knee problems. The current treatments, like physical therapy or knee replacements, don’t work well for a lot of people.

    What if we could make your knees as good as they were when you were a kid?

    I’m not sure what that would look like. A gel to inject in the knee, a stem cell treatment, a material that mimics cartilage?

    But I’m confident a brilliant founder will show me.

    3. A Marketplace for Art. Last night, I was chatting with an artist who paints beautiful watercolors.

    “Galleries take 50% of every piece an artist sells,” she said.

    “That’s ridiculous!” I said. “Even Uber only gets around 30%.”

    What we need is an online marketplace to sell art.

    Etsy is popular but it’s geared toward crafts. There are a few fine art marketplaces out there, like Artsy or Artfinder. But they haven’t really caught on.

    If it’s easier to make a living creating art, we’ll get more of it!

    Wrap-Up

    I want to keep our country safe.

    I want my friends and family to be able to move easily, without pain. 

    And I want artists to earn a viable living so they can keep making beautiful things.

    So if you’re building a new kind of drone, a therapy for knee pain, or a marketplace for art, get in touch!

    More on tech:

    Your Deck Probably Sucks. Here’s How to Fix It.

    Meet My Latest Investment: Verustruct

    Using Grok Socratic Mode to Learn About Health



    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • The Gold Rally Is Pure Speculation

    Note: This is not investment advice.

    Gold is up 52% this year, even after a recent dip. This rally is based on speculation, not real concerns about US government finances.

    Investors Still Love Treasuries

    Some journalists claim that the US government’s finances have spooked investors. If that’s true, why aren’t investors demanding a higher return on our bonds?

    Ten year Treasury yields are down significantly in 2025.

    Dollar Holds Up Against Other Commodities

    The dollar is also on firm ground compared to many major commodities. 

    Gold and silver are up, but many other commodities priced in dollars are down. Oil, natural gas and wheat prices in dollars have all fallen this year.

    Bitcoin’s Muted 2025

    Another indicator of the dollar’s soundness is Bitcoin. 

    Bitcoin’s supply is largely fixed. If the dollar were collapsing, we’d expect Bitcoin to go through the roof. 

    But Bitcoin’s gains this year have been much lower than gold’s. 

    Are Central Banks the Culprit?

    What about Central Banks? Is their buying responsible for this year’s gold rally?

    Central bank gold purchases have actually fallen in recent years. They don’t appear to be driving this year’s run-up.

    Speculation: The Best Explanation

    Investors aren’t worried about US government bonds. The dollar is holding up well against other commodities and Bitcoin.

    So why is gold going through the roof?

    For the same reason as meme stocks: pure speculation. People see a price going up and they rush to buy, hoping it will go up more.

    Wrap-Up

    I’m not chasing gold, silver, or whatever today’s hot asset is. I’m sticking to what I’ve done for years: meeting great founders, making investments, and building for the long term.

    If I chase today’s hot thing, I might post gains for a while. But in the end, I’m going to get burned. 

    “In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.” – Benjamin Graham

    Note: This is not investment advice.

    More on markets:

    Using Grok 3 to Manage My Stock Portfolio

    Industrial Stocks: Free to a Good Home

    Hetty Green: The Witch of Wall Street

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • How to Use Your Existing Investors to Get More Investors

    Have you struck out with cold messages to VC’s? Here’s how to use your existing investors to get dozens of warm intros…

    Start With Your Existing Investors

    The easiest way to meet new investors is through your existing ones.

    They believe in you. They want to see you raise more money so you can get to a big exit. And they know other investors.

    Ask each of them:

    “Can you introduce me to three more investors that think like you do?”

    Phrasing the question this way flatters your investor a little. They see what others can’t. 

    To quote one of my favorite movies, Reversal of Fortune:

    “Does that work?”
    “Flattery? Absolutely.”

    Four Investors for the Price of One

    When a new investor commits, use the same tactic. Ask for three intros.

    A single new investor can bring in many more. 

    Freshpaint, a YC startup, got a $5k check from an angel during their seed raise. That angel introduced them to other investors who put in a total of $700k!

    Make Intros Easy

    Make it easy for your investors to make the intro. Give them a forwardable blurb and include a PDF of your deck.

    The blurb should be brief. Aim for 75 words or less. 

    Give us the Big 3: Vision, Team and Traction. Here’s an example:

    “I’m Travis and I’m building UberCab. UberCab lets you order a black car with your smartphone.

    We have 5 cars on the road and have done over 500 rides.

    We plan to expand beyond black cars to take on the entire taxi market. 

    I sold my last startup, Red Swoosh, for $19 million. I’m raising a seed round for UberCab and would love to tell you about it.”

    Wrap-Up

    You’re far more likely to get a check if you have a warm intro. If you use your existing investors, you can get dozens of them. 

    You don’t need to rely on cold messages alone. Your investors are there, waiting to help you.

    But you have to ask!

    More on tech: 

    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    The Big 3: Vision, Team and Traction

    Why You Should Send an Investor Update

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Why You Should Send an Investor Update

    “Ugh, I still have to send that investor update.” Ever had this thought after a 90 hour week? Here’s why updating your investors helps you win…

    How to Write an Update

    First, you need to know how to write a good update. 

    Don’t write a novel. Just cover these points:

    1. Asks for investors
    2. Revenue
    3. Burn
    4. Cash in Bank
    5. Runway
    6. Highlights
    7. Lowlights
    8. Next month’s plan

    Writing this update should take you 30-60 minutes. One hour, once a month.

    Monthly Updates = Timely Help 

    You should send updates monthly. That gets you help in a timely fashion.

    Say you need a new engineer. Put the “Asks” at the top and ask investors for intros.

    If one of your investors introduces you to a strong prospect, your job just got a lot easier!

    If you only update investors every quarter or two, you don’t get help when you need it. You need that engineer today, not 3-6 months from now!

    Making Fundraising Easier

    Let’s say you go silent for a year. Now, the company is struggling and you need those investors to write another check.

    Good luck getting it! Many have already written you off. 

    Had you updated them every month, they might have enough confidence to re-invest.

    Getting an Overview of Your Business

    You’re immersed in details every day. You’re fixing a bug, answering an urgent question from a customer, and flying to a conference.

    It’s easy to lose the big picture. How is your business doing overall?

    Investor updates give you an overview. Even if you have no investors, write an update for yourself! 

    What Companies Get an Exception?

    I have a couple startups that I rarely hear from. And that’s okay.

    These companies have scaled to tens of millions in revenue. I have a ton of confidence in these founders. I’d rather they spend time growing the business than write a monthly update.

    But it’s still nice to hear from them once in a while! And I get an update at least once a year, even without asking for it. 

    But if you’re early stage, stick to monthly updates.

    Wrap-Up

    Sending monthly updates gets you the intros and advice you need, when you need them. It also helps you raise money in the future.

    But there’s another reason to send investor updates.

    People trusted you with their money. You owe it to them to keep them updated.

    Now, sit down and write that update!

    More on tech: 

    How to Write Investor Updates

    How to Tell If Investors Are Really Interested

    How to Build a Relationship with Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Using Grok Socratic Mode to Learn About Health

    Note: This is not medical advice. I have zero qualifications in medicine. I’m just learning and sharing with you what I found.

    Half the people I know have knee pain. Can startups help? This morning, I used Grok Socratic Mode to find out.

    Grok Socratic Mode is based on the Socratic Method. It asks questions to help you learn. 

    You can enable it on Grok.com by going to Settings > Customize > Socratic Mode. I set Grok to Expert, which uses the latest model. 

    Let’s get started!

    What’s the State of the Art?

    First, I asked Grok what the latest treatments are for knee pain. I also asked which startups are developing the best new therapies.

    Grok told me about a lot of exciting approaches, from low dose radiation to stem cells. But it went overboard on the Socratic Method. Grok asked me question after question, far more than I can respond to at once. 

    So, I told Grok to back up. Let’s find out why knee pain happens. Also, I was intrigued by the Nexsphere-F that Grok mentioned, so I asked for more detail.

    Why Knee Pain Happens

    Grok explained that cartilage breakdown and bone spurs are major causes of knee pain. Repetitive stress and age can cause cartilage and bone problems.

    The Nexsphere-F blocks blood vessels that cause pain and inflammation. That could help a patient be more mobile.

    But I want to fix the root cause — the breakdown of cartilage. Is there any way to regrow it?

    Let’s ask Grok…

    Can We Regrow Cartilage? 

    Stem cell injections may work. The stem cells could grow into new cartilage, helping the knee function better. Stem cell therapies are in trials now. 

    Grok also mentioned a scaffolding that can be implanted in the knee. Cartilage could grow on the scaffolding.

    I hope that some day soon, people can regrow their cartilage and move like they did decades ago. 

    Wrap-Up

    Grok Socratic Mode gave me some great information. But it asks more questions that I can respond to at once, which makes the output less useful.

    Socratic Mode should just ask one question at the end of each response. Then, it could be a great way to learn.

    Overall, I’m giving Socratic Mode a B. If you want to learn with AI, you’re better off using the regular Grok Expert.

    Have a great weekend, everybody! 

    Note: This is not medical advice. I have zero qualifications in medicine. I’m just learning and sharing with you what I found.

    More on tech:

    Using Grok as My Personal Trainer

    GPT-5 Fails Again

    Brittanica Chatbot: A More Reliable AI?

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Watching Eight Sleep’s YC Demo Day Pitch

    $1.4 million in revenue at YC Demo Day. Even in 2015, Eight Sleep was a winner. This morning, I watched their original pitch.

    What Matteo Gets Right

    Founder Matteo Franceschetti gives a brief, focused pitch. He clearly explains what the company does and shows us strong traction. 

    Luna, as Eight Sleep was then called, makes mattress covers. The cover warms you or cools you, depending on your needs. 

    Getting to the ideal temperature helps you sleep better.

    Matteo shows us he’s solving a huge problem. One third of Americans struggle with sleep.

    Matteo’s deck is brief, with just 14 slides. Each slide contains a single thought. Matteo sticks with a brief phrase and big text, making it easy to read and absorb quickly. 

    The Trump Card: Gobs of Revenue

    Best of all, Matteo has tons of revenue — $1.4 million by Demo Day.

    This came from 6,000 pre-orders. 6,000 people paid thousands of dollars each before the product is even out! 

    Nothing is more convincing than cash in the bank.

    What You Can Learn from Matteo

    The most important thing Matteo gets right is selling 6,000 mattress covers.

    Focus on getting some sales before you try to raise a round. If you have a few customers, raising capital is much easier.

    When you’re ready to raise, make your deck brief and focused like Matteo’s. One thought per slide, no walls of text.

    Finally, demonstrate your product. 

    Matteo showed investors a bed with a Luna cover. That’s a bit harder with a SaaS app, but you can still demonstrate how your product helps customers. 

    Wrap-Up

    Investors don’t love consumer products. But Matteo shows us a high value product, a big market, and tons of sales. 

    VC’s ate up Matteo’s pitch, investing $6 million in the seed round in early 2016. That was a huge seed at the time.

    Today, Eight Sleep is one of the most successful consumer products of the last decade. They recently raised $100 million at a $1 billion valuation.

    Follow Matteo’s lead. Ring the register. Make a short and focused pitch.

    Do that, and you could raise millions just like Matteo.

    More on tech: 

    How I’m Surviving AI Mania

    Meet My Latest Investment: Memelord

    The Best Way to Share Your Deck with Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • How I’m Surviving AI Mania

    Today’s market is sleazy. Sharp elbows are out. Grifting is in. Everyone sees a huge prize, and they’ll do anything to get it.

    Inside Today’s Overheated Market

    Late 2025 feels a lot like 2021. 

    It’s not just the high prices. It’s people trying to screw each other. It’s bending and breaking the truth. 

    When the mania peaks, it feels like money is falling from the sky. All most people care about is grabbing some.

    Working together is out. Selfishness and short-termism are in.

    So Much For Working Together

    During the down market, we worked together.

    It was hard to get a company funded. Investors cooperated to make it happen. Founders were grateful for investors that were still writing checks, so they worked with us.  

    Now, companies get funded in a day. Founders have no reason to treat an investor like a partner. 

    What for? There are 20 others waiting to take his place.

    Finding the Diamonds in the Rough

    During AI mania, I’m looking at other corners of startupland, trying to find something unloved.

    This summer, I invested in a social media startup. Remember social media? I also put a small check into a company that 3D prints houses out of concrete. 

    Instead of ripping a check into a $100 million seed round in a B2B agent startup, I’m meeting a medical tourism marketplace raising at a fraction of that.

    Time to Pull Back? 

    Here’s another thing you can do in a hot market: nothing.

    Look at the pricey investments done in 2021. Clubhouse, BeReal, Hopin, all struggling or gone.

    Harry Stebbings of 20VC said he wishes he hadn’t done a single deal in 2021. We have that freedom. 

    If this mania continues, I may make fewer investments next year. 

    Wrap-Up

    When I first invested in a Generative AI startup in June of 2022, no one gave a crap about AI. 

    ChatGPT hadn’t come out yet. NFT’s were the hot play. 

    The next big thing won’t be what everyone is rushing toward today.

    I’m still going to invest in some great AI startups. But I’m also going to scour every neglected corner of this market. 

    In those corners, I will find something great.

    More on tech: 

    Meet My Latest Investment: Verustruct

    Meet My Latest Investment: Mozi

    Yes, You Can Angel Invest $5k Direct

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Brittanica Chatbot: A More Reliable AI?

    Ever ask AI a question and get an answer from a random Reddit thread? Sick of bad answers, I tested the Encyclopedia Brittanica Chatbot.

    Brittanica Chatbot uses articles from the Encyclopedia Brittanica to answer your question. These articles are written by experts in their fields. 

    This morning, I ran it through 3 tests…

    Round #1: Teach Me About the Navy

    Later today, I’m meeting with a startup that produces parts for naval ships. So I wondered, how does the navy handle repairs at sea? 

    Brittanica explained that sailors do many repairs themselves. A repair ship can come and do more complex maintenance.

    The answer was helpful, but Brittanica didn’t cite any encyclopedia articles. I have no way of verifying Brittanica’s answer.

    I’m giving this round a C.

    Round #2: Learning About Knee Injuries

    Half the people I know have knee problems. What’s the state of the art in fixing a bad knee? 

    Brittanica gave a thorough answer, digging into technologies from stem cells to gene therapy. 

    But again, Brittanica didn’t cite its own wonderful articles! Instead, it kicked the query to ChatGPT. I can’t verify if the response is accurate.

    I’ll give this round a B.

    Round #3: AI with a Green Thumb

    For our last test, let’s do something fun! 

    My friend is turning his lawn into a carpet of wildflowers and other plants. Which plants work best?

    This time, it cited several great Brittanica articles with specific recommendations. I love the periwinkle!

    Brittanica’s answer was helpful. But I’d like to see specific plant recommendations right in the response, instead of making me click through.

    I’ll give this answer a B+.

    Wrap-Up

    Overall, I’m giving Brittanica Chatbot a B-.

    The concept is awesome. I‘d love to use a chatbot trained on articles written by experts.

    But Brittanica Chatbot doesn’t deliver consistently. It often fails to cite Brittanica articles or any reliable source.

    I’m excited to see how Brittanica Chatbot develops. With more expert-written articles and better indexing, it could become a real ChatGPT competitor.

    Give Brittanica Chatbot a try and let me know what you think!

    More on tech: 

    Meet My Latest Investment: Memelord

    Stopping Mass Shootings with Technology

    GPT-5 Fails Again

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • How to Calculate Your IRR

    Are my angel investments beating the market? Today, I crunched the numbers to find out. TL;DR: I’m at a 25% IRR.

    This beats stocks by a large margin. 

    Let’s back up a little. What does this number mean, and how did I calculate it? 

    What Is IRR? 

    To know if I’m beating stocks, I have to calculate my Internal Rate of Return, or IRR. This number shows my annual percentage gain.

    Let’s take a simple example…

    You invested $10,000 on January 1st, 2024. On January 1st, 2025, the company was acquired and you got back $20,000. 

    Your IRR is 100%. In other words, you doubled your money in a year. 

    How IRR Works In My “Fund”

    When you add more investments, things get more complicated. But it’s the same idea: figure out when I invested, when I exited, and derive a rate of return. 

    Most of my investments have not exited yet. For those, we use their current valuation and a date of today.

    I am very conservative about valuations. I only mark up a company when they raise a new priced round, not when they raise a SAFE at a higher price. This is how the top VC firms operate. 

    I also accounted for the likely fees in my syndicate investments and for any dilution thus far. 

    What Data Do We Need? 

    I keep a spreadsheet of all my investments. This is the info I need for the IRR calculation:

    • Date investment made
    • Amount
    • Exit value of investment (if exited)
    • Date of exit
    • Current value of investment (if not exited)

    For this calculation, we’ll look at my “Fund 1” of 35 companies. This is a typical number of companies for a venture fund. “Fund 1” includes investments made from June 2021 to August 2025.

    Crunching The Numbers

    I used Grok 4 Expert to crunch the numbers for me. 

    You can also use the XIRR function in most spreadsheet programs. But I like the step-by-step, carefully explained work that Grok does, so I went with that. 

    I fed Grok a spreadsheet with the data I mentioned above. Now, the moment of truth…

    Grok found a 24.7% IRR!

    Beating the Market

    A 25% IRR beats the market handily. And it better — investing in startups is risky and illiquid!

    The S&P 500 has averaged a 10% annual return in data going back to 1957. The NASDAQ Composite has hit an 11% return over the last 20 years. 

    The difference between a 25% IRR and 10% has a huge impact over time. 

    If you invest $1,000 at a 10% growth rate, you have $2,594 dollars in 10 years. Invest that same $1,000 at a 25% growth rate, and you have $9,313, or 3.6 times as much.

    Wrap-Up

    I was really surprised my results were this good! 

    There’s a huge caveat here: this IRR is based on paper gains. Converting paper gains to actual cash isn’t easy.

    But for a portfolio that’s only a little over 4 years old, this is great progress.

    Now, time to meet more founders and find that next great investment…

    More on tech: 

    How My “Fund” Is Beating Over 90% of VC’s

    Yes, You Can Angel Invest $5k Direct 

    Meet My Latest Investment: Memelord

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Yes, You Can Angel Invest $5k Direct 

    You don’t need to write a $50k or $100k check to invest directly in a startup. I’ve written tons of $5k and $10k checks. Here’s how it works…

    Starting out, I did all syndicate investments, paying 20% carry each time. Now, most of my investments are direct.

    When I made my first direct investment, I was intimidated. It sounded mysterious and difficult. 

    But it’s not.

    It all starts with finding the right startup and getting a spot in the round. 

    How I Get a Spot, Even as a Little Guy

    I’m upfront with founders about check size. If they only want huge checks, I’m not the investor for them.

    When I meet a startup I love, I help them as much as I can. I make a bunch of intros to VC’s, helping them line up meetings.

    I also tell the founder exactly why I love their company.

    Take Nick at Verustruct. His 3D printing robot will build the homes to solve the housing crisis. That’s incredibly exciting!

    The founder sees I can help him. He also sees that I care about the mission. 

    Helpful investors who care about the mission — that’s what founders want. So although my checks aren’t huge, I rarely miss a deal.

    How The Investment Works

    On the settlement date, the founder sends me the paperwork and wiring information. I e-sign the paperwork and wire the money.

    It’s very simple and takes maybe half an hour. I confirm they got the money, in case the bank messes up.

    But What About Legal Fees?

    Early on, I heard you couldn’t invest less than $50k directly because of legal fees. This isn’t true.

    At pre-seed and seed, everyone raises on SAFEs. All documents are standard. 

    I run the docs through an LLM to be sure I’m signing a standard SAFE. 

    I haven’t incurred any legal costs doing deals. Neither have other angels I know. 

    Wrap-Up

    Small investors absolutely can invest directly. 

    It’s not difficult. Many great founders will be happy to have you. 

    I still invest through syndicates too, paying 20% carry for the privilege. I want the best deal, wherever it comes from.

    But I’m no longer afraid to go direct. And if I save that 20%, even better!

    More on tech: 

    Meet My Latest Investment: Verustruct

    Investors: Get Your Wires In ASAP!

    The Best Way to Share Your Deck with Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.