I backed two separate rounds last week supporting the investing and diversification goals I preach:
- ClearingBid – enables IPO investing in the early stages. Retail investors have always been excluded in “go to market” deals and this solution changes that. It’s been around for several years and looks as legitimate as it gets.
- Arrived – enables you to invest in rental homes and vacation rentals – and earn dividends back. Jeff Bezos and Marc Benioff are some of the early platform investors… So it’s worth checking. There are some music royalty solutions I see rising lately, but I haven’t explored them yet. I’m supportive of investments in art and music as long as it makes sense.
I also added Fresenius to my investment portfolio. They are a German healthcare company founded in 1912, listed on the Frankfurt exchange – being a selection factor as a European investor avoiding double dividend capping. Annual dividend yield jumped from 2.6%in2021 to 3.5%in 2022 – which complements the REITs in my portfolio. European’s “dividend aristocrats” aren’t as many and as mature as US ones, but for tax reasons, I’m sticking to local choices. And some of the best picks are in tobacco or similar industries I don’t feel like supporting individually.
Next on the list – text is back on the rise!
I just discovered YouTube supports text posts – and today, TikTok introduced a new text format for their own network. While most text-only networks have been pivoting to video in the past 3-4 years, video-native networks realize the power of text-heavy networks (and Gen Zs ageing and spending less video time), leading to more text content out there. Will keep an eye on the future evolution of that reverse transition (which I’m excited about).
To cap the investing list for today, there are several acquisitions or deals I’m personally considering but not ready to pull the trigger on.
One cannot invest in everything – and in some cases, there’s a better buyer or a possible collaboration with a strategic partner we can join together on:
- ThriveMyWay – I know George (the founder) personally and love the business. I’ve acquired smaller media sites that got consolidated or run independently now. This one is trickier to scale, but I may be interested in joining as a minority investor if someone picks up.
- Niche Store in Gardening – the outdoor category in Amazon has been doing pretty well over the past few months, with the pandemic over and people spending more time outside with friends.
- Neural Newsletters – an AI generation tool for newsletters. Looks pretty cool, even though there are a couple of competitors in a condensed space. Still contemplating (and open to 50-50 with the right partner).
- Coffee Affiliate site – just because I love coffee and the price is right, and ads are straightforward.
- PromptVine – a collection of ChatGPT prompts. Not much I can sell there but just a great value prop.
- Meeting Investors – an investor community for matchmaking.
- Coldly AI – AI-driven cold email software. I tried to invest in Omni.us a while back but the round failed and I dropped the ball.
- Daily Leads – newsletter for freelancers
- Niche Ideas – for new micro brands
- An ongoing round for a Scandinavian energy drink penetrating the broader European market
If you find any deals or early investing rounds (especially in the WordPress and Shopify ecosystems), definitely let me know. And if you want to split efforts on any of the deals above, let’s chat.
Yours,
Mario
My Take
✍️ Helping E-Commerce Brands – Join me in exploring how Rush.app helps ecommerce shops increase customer loyalty and revenue by turning shipping notifications into upselling opportunities through tracking pages.
✍️ Lessons from my Entrepreneur Mentors – In previous editions and in many blog posts, I’ve stated that it is my belief entrepreneurs are nurtured into being successful, rather than having a natural predisposition. And every successful soon-to-be entrepreneur needs a trusted mentor. Check out what I and a group of other entrepreneurs have learned from our mentors.
✍️ July Business Tips – New Monthly Business Tips alert! This month featuring Post-Purchase Automation, assessing investment opportunities, constant content updates, and more! What were your highlights this month?
Business Strategy
📝 Larry is gone, long live X – Elon Musk rebranded Twitter by replacing its blue bird logo with the letter X, expressing his desire for the platform to become an all-in-one app. Analysts believe the rebranding signifies Musk’s potential to outshine other apps and become a significant competitor in the social media space, while others believe Musk might prove himself as the ultimate Twitter killer.
📝 Eurozone loan demand decline – Demand for loans among eurozone companies reached its lowest level since 2003, as European Central Bank’s interest rate hikes and decreased investment needs contributed to the decline. The bank lending survey also revealed reduced demand for housing loans, consumer credit, and a tightening of lending conditions by banks.
📝 ТikTok text-based content – TikTok has introduced text posts as a new format for creators to share written content, expanding options for self-expression. The feature allows creators to easily publish text, customize it with stickers, hashtags, and background colors, and add sound, offering a dynamic and interactive experience.
📝 ChatGPT for Android – OpenAI is set to release an Android app for its ChatGPT tool, following the launch of the iOS app a few months ago. The Android app will be available for pre-order on the Google Play Store and is expected to roll out this week.
📝 Indian ban on rice exports – India has prohibited exports of non-basmati white rice in an effort to lower domestic prices and ensure local availability, leading to concerns about potential global food inflation. This decision, along with the recent surge in prices of grains due to Russia targeting grain shipments, could raise the cost of food staples worldwide, especially impacting countries in Africa.
📝 Most dynamic economy in the world – Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the US has seen a significant surge in new businesses, with about 450,000 starting up every month, a 50% increase compared to the 300,000 monthly new businesses in 2019. The sectors seeing the most growth include retail trade, professional services, and construction, with online shopping making up 70% of all retail applications in 2020, reflecting an enhanced level of entrepreneurship and innovation in the already competitive US economy during the pandemic.
Global News
📈 Interesting week, as Dow Jones takes a +1,000 hike, unlike NASDAQ and S&P 500, which remain mostly untouched.
- DOW: 35,438 (+0.07%)
- NASDAQ: 14,144 (+0.60%)
- S&P: 4,567 (+0.28%)
📈 Alphabet(GOOG: +0.75%) reported their Q2 earnings on Tuesday, beating estimations and their stock rising as much as 6%:
- Projected revenue: $72.75 Billion
- Reported revenue: $74.6 Billion
- Projected earnings per share: $1.32
- Reported earnings per share: $1.44
- Projected ad revenue: 57.5 Billion
- Reported ad revenue: $58.14 Billion
📈 Let’s take a look at some more stock changes, related to the stories this week:
- TSLA: $265.28 (-1.40%)
- MSFT: $350.98 (+1.70%)
- GOOGL: 122.21 (+0.56%)
📰 Political movements dominate the news this week, as Biden is dealt a major blow to his administration, UPS workers bargain a deal before strikes, and Trump’s historic trial is given a date:
- Federal judge blocks Biden’s asylum policy
- UPS workers reach a tentative contract deal with management days before the strike deadline
- Former President Trump’s trial date is set for May 20, 2024
Investing Updates
Let’s see what’s happening in SeedBlink this week:
- AlkatrazAI – A company I myself have invested in. They are raising a Series A round extension, in order to improve security and biometric authentication.
- Bunnyshell– raising up to €4M to grow its sales to Fortune 100 firms and beyond. Round opens to the public today.
- AMANO– Raising €600,000 to empower European Independent brands for customers.
Note: Got a round going that you want to feature – your own business or a portfolio company? Get in touch.
You don’t need to start from ground zero when starting a Shopify store. Have a look at these offers from Flippa:
- Crabby Gear – A 10-year-old Shopify store that sells in the sports & outdoor industry. Boasting a large fanbase and email list that comes with it.
- WePlusLove– Interesting find here! Even though the site age is only 5 months, this size fashion brand has generated $70,000 in revenue with 12% margins across 3 Shopify stores.
- ShopFountain– A bit of a cheaper option here, but I wanted to note the site age being more than 2 years, which is very good for SEO if you don’t want to register a completely new domain.
Need My Help?
I’m involved with a number of initiatives – here’s what I can do to help you:
🌐 Scalable and secure WordPress? DevriX provides WordPress retainers to SMEs, publishers, eCommerce, SaaS, and more. Our plans start from $1,200/mo to $40K/mo for anything from support through engineering, CRO, performance, security, to fractional CXO services and managing the data stacks of large corps.
🛒 Running on Shopify? Set up Rush now and increase your revenue with post-purchase orders automatically!
🚀 Want to scale and optimize your business? Growth Shuttle offers personalized advisory plans starting at $350/hr. Tap into my personal pool of business know-how and my data warehouse of industry data.
👥 Want access to my blueprints/books and a weekly Slack planning session? Join my Community and grab my Entrepreneurship book.
💼 Looking for investment opportunities? Check out SeedBlink.
💡 Eager to incorporate my recommended solutions? Track my angel investments. Sharing, applying for open roles, or writing reviews helps a ton. And anything else I try to publish on my blog and my courses here!
🔥 Need support turning strategy into measurable value and outcomes? Visit Value Creation Partner for tailored growth and value creation services.
