Welcome to In Small, Out Big - the plain English guide to startup investing for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected.
From here you have 3 choices:
(1) Read my bio and decide if I’m worth listening to in the first place.
(2) Go to Post 1.1 (it’s free) to read why I think everyone should invest in startups. Or pick another topic on the Content Guide below. (You get one of those for free, too.)
(3) Suck it up and just get a paid subscription. You’ll learn a few things and you might even enjoy reading words again.
CHAPTER 1: WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN & WHERE
1.1 Meet Harry. Harry Said Diversify. Harry Was Only Half Right
1.2 Angel Investing Isn’t For Everyone (It’s For Anyone)
1.3 Perks, Crowds and Syndicates That Aren’t Sicilian
CHAPTER 2: PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS
2.1 Not All Problems Need Solving
2.2 Startup Ideas Are Like Buttholes
2.3 Your Landlord Is Not Your Friend
CHAPTER 3: SCREENING FOUNDERS
3.1 Great Founders Are Like Serial Killers
3.2 Bring Me Your Losers, Your Extroverts, Your Geeks Yearning To Be Free
3.3 We’re Angel Investors, Not Paparazzi
3.4 Better To Be Good At Raising Money Than Managing A Business
CHAPTER 4: VALIDATING
4.1 Stop Stalling, Start Selling
4.2 Bo-o-rrring: Intellectual Property and Other Insomnia Cures
4.3 They Can Call It Fred, It Doesn’t Matter
4.4 Learn The 3R’s
4.5 Success Is All Math – But It’s Basic Math
4.6 How To Survive A Bad Business Model for 10 Years, Starring Netflix
CHAPTER 5: INVESTING
5.1 Your Money vs. Their Money
5.2 There’s Just One Reason For a New Company To Raise Money
5.3 “SAFE” Deals Are Anything But
5.4 Valuation Is A Pretty Little Lie
5.5 Half A Watermelon Is Worth More Than All Of A Grape
CHAPTER 6: TRACKING
6.1 There Are Very Few New Ideas, There’s Just Good Execution and Bad Execution
6.2 When the Barbarians Attack, Will the Moat Be Wide Enough?
6.3 Pivoting When You Can (Not When You Have To)
CHAPTER 7: EXITING
7.3 The Problem With Waterfalls
7.4 Every Startup Needs A Miracle
Want to Go Further? Join the 99% Angels Waitlist
APPENDIX: PITCHDECK RED FLAGS (COMING SOON)
POST SCRIPTS (COMING SOON)
PS.1 The Suckiness of Venture Capital
PS.2 The Porn of Investment Banking
PS.3 The Myth of Objectivity in Financial Media