Monday, April 12, 2021

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On Vision This Week

 While out & about in our World This week, our team pulled together some #RandomThoughte courtesy the Progressive Grocer and StartEngine:

 

Big Grocery Meets Big Tech

 
 
 
Albertsons, Google form historic partnership to enhance omnichannel experience with cutting-edge technology
 
 

Hello!

It's always fun to read about tech investors who come from different industries. One classic example is this week's piece from Cory about homebuilder Lennar, which has become one of the most influential backers of startups trying to modernize homebuying.

Lennar has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into about 20 tech startups over the past few years, through its LenX investment arm. It's a rare look at a company whose name doesn't often come up in the tech world. Enjoy!

Martin Peers



Largest Homebuilder Emerges as Unlikely Startup Kingmaker

Back in 2016, executives at homebuilding giant Lennar Corp. sat down with the founders of Doma, which uses technology to speed the underwriting of title insurance. Worried that the startup didn’t have sufficient experience in either real estate or insurance, Lennar decided to pass on investing in the firm. “They said it was a disaster of an idea,” said Max Simkoff, CEO of Doma.

READ STORY

 

Kevin O'Leary, renowned investor and StartEngine's Strategic Advisor, has more than 30 companies in his portfolio. On StartEngine, you can build a portfolio of startup investments too. What are Kevin's tips for finding startup investments?

  1. The Pitch - "The most successful campaigns are ones that can articulate their pitch in less than 90 seconds," Kevin says. If the entrepreneur can succinctly articulate the idea, that means their customer can understand the idea. And so will investors.
  2. The Founder - "I like to invest in founders that can prove they can execute the business model." From pivoting the business model to knowing when to be aggressive or conservative, Kevin looks for founders that have tenacity. The road to startup success isn't an easy one.
  3. Build a Portfolio - Startup investments are high-risk, and to mitigate some of that risk, Kevin diversifies his portfolio. "Diversify your startup portfolio across sectors, products, and business models."

On StartEngine, you get to choose which companies to invest in and do your own due diligence by reviewing campaign pages and offering documents to learn more about each investment opportunity. If you have questions those documents don't address, you can ask the founders directly in the comments too. Are you ready to put Kevin's tips into practice and start analyzing investment opportunities?

Invest Like a Shark