Investor Favorites of November: Top Crowdfunding Startups

CHART OF THE WEEK 📈

By Teddy Lyons | Read

In today’s Chart of the Week, we look back at November to highlight the top offerings in the crowdfunding landscape. First, we highlight the top-rated equity deals on the Kingscrowd platform. Additionally, we look at the companies that drew in the most capital investment from retail investors.

• Event booking startup Bizly led the way with a strong 4.96 rating.

• Bioconjugate startup CellMosaic rated a 4.89.

• Leading publisher Dance Media rated a 4.82.

• Finally, Simplify Genomics and Ghost Town Oats rated 4.73 and 4.64, respectively.

• In terms of dollars raised, genomic exploration startup Simplify Genomics led with $4.54M raised

• Mode Mobile raised $4.4M in November, bringing its total raised amount to $6.6M

• Supersonic flight provider Starfighters Space raised $4.37M

• Crowdfunding veteran AtomBeam raised $2.26M and credit card provider Coign raised $1.46M.

INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE

By Sam Fiske / Watch

In this Thanksgiving edition of the Investment Roundtable, Léa, Teddy, and Integrated Operations Manager Chris Martin explore the investment crowdfunding market for food startups. They analyze why plant-based foods, once hailed as the future, are losing investor interest, while sustainable meat and dairy companies are gaining traction. The conversation highlights top-performing food categories, key factors for evaluating consumer packaged goods (CPG) startups, and the evolving dynamics of the industry.

PITCH REVIEW 💸

By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau \ Deal Report

Brief: LemonRocks has created an AI-powered platform to track and analyze startups, helping venture capitalists and investors identify fast-growing companies and monitor market trends. The platform streamlines investment decision-making by processing vast datasets and delivering actionable insights through self-improving machine-learning algorithms. LemonRocks is a data-driven assistant that navigates the dynamic startup ecosystem by simplifying due diligence and optimizing portfolio strategies.

Key People: LemonRocks is led by founder and CEO Yusuf Berkan Altun, an entrepreneur with two successful exits and experience as an angel investor in over 30 companies, bringing thought leadership in venture capital analytics. CTO Tezcan Turasan, with a background in engineering and finance, ensures robust platform development, while Chief Software Architect Emir Ünlütürk, experienced in AI and large language models, drives innovation in analytics. The team’s expertise in technology and investment aligns with LemonRocks’ mission, though adding marketing and sales leadership could strengthen market expansion and customer acquisition efforts.

Summary

Here's what we like: LemonRocks offers a promising investment opportunity due to its innovative AI-driven platform, strong leadership, and early traction. The platform's self-improving machine learning algorithms provide adaptable analytics, addressing the growing demand for data-driven investment insights and giving LemonRocks a competitive edge.

Led by Yusuf Berkan Altun, the leadership team brings extensive expertise in technology and investment, with a proven track record of successful exits and industry connections. This strengthens the company’s ability to navigate the startup ecosystem and achieve its goals.

Market validation is evident, with over 12,000 early adopters and 42 venture capitalists expressing interest. The company has also secured $200k in Google Cloud grants, alongside $200k in self-funding and VC backing, demonstrating strong investor confidence and providing a solid financial base.

Key growth drivers include leveraging emerging AI trends to enhance the platform and expanding into new markets. Although pre-revenue, these early investments and grants support product development and operations, positioning LemonRocks for successful market entry and long-term growth.

Here's what we don't: LemonRocks faces several challenges contributing to a bearish outlook. The competitive landscape, dominated by established players like PitchBook and Crunchbase Insights, presents significant barriers. These competitors have vast resources, large databases, and entrenched customer bases, making it difficult for LemonRocks to gain market share. The company’s reliance on startup investment data from venture capital firms raises concerns about its ability to access essential information.

The leadership team's part-time commitment is another weakness, potentially impacting strategic focus and adaptability. The lack of dedicated marketing and sales expertise may also slow customer acquisition, hindering growth and market penetration.

Financially, LemonRocks has a limited runway, raising concerns about its ability to sustain operations without additional funding. This financial strain adds risk, particularly if the company struggles to attract new investment or generate revenue. Technological challenges also loom as the fast-evolving AI and analytics space demands constant innovation to remain competitive.

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

Would you invest in Hylio?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 (5)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 (3)

8 Votes

STAFF PICKS 🌶️

Deep End Fitness

Deep End Fitness offers elite aquatic training programs designed by former US Special Operations Marines, serving Olympians, NFL players, and UFC fighters. The company specializes in water events and team sports with over 10,000 athletes trained at 35 global locations and 200+ certified instructors.

• Pre-Money Valuation: $6.6 million

• Minimum Investment: $200

Meat N’ Bone

Meat N’ Bone is an omnichannel provider of premium proteins and gourmet products, delivering fresh offerings via local delivery, nationwide shipping, and boutique stores. Using a proprietary forecasting model, the company has earned $36 million in revenue and boasts strong customer loyalty with an NPS of 76.

• Pre-Money Valuation: $33 million

• Minimum Investment: $249

Simplify Genomics

Simplify Genomics operates in the healthcare sector with its Smart Genome platform, which automates genomic reporting to aid clinical decision-making. Designed for healthcare providers and clinicians, the platform transforms complex genomic data into actionable insights, streamlining patient diagnosis and treatment. With over 10,000 validated clinical reports, Simplify Genomics addresses the inefficiencies of traditional genomic analysis by offering rapid, automated solutions that enhance patient care and treatment outcomes.

• Valuation Cap: $18 million

• Minimum Investment: $100

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