Few things are certain in this world; few things are actually guaranteed.

Ben Franklin famously put death and taxes on his list. But on a sunny summer day in August, I’m not so interested in addressing those dreary topics.

Guaranteed money, on the other hand — now there’s something that…

“Jumptap just sold for $200 million!”

The breaking news about Jumptap, a mobile advertising company, came to me by email.  It made me smile. It’s not every day that an early-stage company sells for 9 figures.

And with a $200 million sale, the investors must have made a fortune!

I…

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Tags: 500 startups Accelerators Angel Crowdfunding Demo days Early stage Ideas Investing Qwiki Techcrunch disrupt Techstars Ycombinator

The cylinder of the .38 mm handgun spins around and around. It makes the familiar “whirrrrrrr” sound – but this time the sound isn’t coming from a movie or TV show.

The hammer of the revolver clicks into place. I involuntarily shudder. It’s my turn.

Hands shaking, I slowly lift…

Remember a game called “Follow the Leader” from when you were a kid?

One kid, the leader, would stand up at the head of a line. He’d touch his nose, zig and zag, click his heels. Everyone else would have to copy what he did.  

If…

The champagne was flowing.

Music filled the air.

Beautiful people were dancing, lounging, and having the time of their lives…

That’s the image I had in my head when I wrote a check for what turned out to be the worst investment of my life.

Dim Lights, Big City

I…

Those are my feet you're looking at...

They haven’t moved much this weekend:

In and out of the pool. A stroll through town to the classy restaurant in the converted farmhouse. A little tapping when I went to hear some live music.

And yet, over the course of two days,…

When life gets bumpy, some people ask, “Why me?”  To avoid a bumpy ride when investing in early-stage companies, it’s best to ask, “Why now?”

The above passage is from the “7th Commandment” section of our whitepaper, The 10 Commandments of Crowdfund Investing, which can be found…

This is Part 3 of a 3-Part Adventure. To read Parts 1 and 2, start with our post below from July 17.

You know how male peacocks flash their bright colors to attract the ladies?

A short, tanned guy was walking towards me on Fifth Ave. Stuffed into the chest…

The paperback book came flying at me like a drunk bird.  It hit my chest and dropped to my lap.

“Read it,” said the short-tempered money manager (and book-thrower) who’d been interviewing me for a job on Wall Street.  “Then we’ll talk.”

So I read the book.  And a few…