May 2024 Online Investing Insights: Key Trends and Opportunities

CHART OF THE WEEK 📈

By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau | Read

Today’s Chart of the Week provides a detailed snapshot of online investing activities for May 2024. Investors committed $16.3 million less to debt and equity crowdfunding deals than the previous month, likely because many deals concluded last month. However, there is an uptick in new fundraising efforts, presenting promising opportunities for investors. One standout is EnergyX, which has already raised $33.9 million online ($5.7 million in May) despite a valuation skyrocketing at $475 million.

Together with Finlete

Now Everyone Can Invest in Sports: Learn How with Finlete’s Rob Connolly

Join us this Thursday, June 5th at 1:00 PM ET for an exclusive KingsCrowd webinar featuring Rob Connolly, Co-founder & CEO of Finlete. Connolly, a seasoned entrepreneur with a history of founding and scaling startups to successful exits, will discuss how Finlete is revolutionizing sports investments. Finlete signs brand contracts with promising athletes in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings and then sells shares to sports fans, allowing anyone to own a piece of the athlete’s potential success. This model gives fans both an emotional and financial stake in an athlete’s journey through exclusive experiences and public offerings on the platform.

Curious how to own a piece of the potential upside of real athletes? Don't miss this chance to hear Rob Connolly and Chris Lustrino discuss the future of fan engagement and sports investments!

PITCH REVIEW 💸

By Teddy Lyons \ Deal Report

Brief: Koios Medical integrates artificial intelligence (AI) with medical imaging to improve cancer diagnosis, especially for breast and thyroid health. The company has created SmartUltrasound, an AI-driven software that enhances radiology by making cancer diagnosis more scalable, accurate, simple, and quick. This technology aims to improve survival rates through better clinical decision support and precision in ultrasound-based cancer diagnosis. It’s raising $1.2M with a Pre-Money Valuation of $60M and a minimum investment of $1,000.

Key People: CEO Chad McClennan, with nearly seven years in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern, has achieved significant milestones for the company. CFO Graham Anderson, a managing director at Kalon Partners, brings extensive consulting experience and holds degrees from Yale. Product Manager Jonathan Robinson, with almost 20 years in medical systems and background at Intelerad Medical Systems, strengthens the team with his expertise.

Summary

Here's what we like: The company's development and subsequent FDA and CE mark clearances of its AI-powered SmartUltrasound technology represent significant milestones in integrating artificial intelligence with medical imaging. This breakthrough offers a scalable, accurate, simple, and fast approach to diagnosing critical illnesses such as thyroid and breast cancer. It has the added benefit of being reimbursement-eligible, which is critical for widespread adoption in healthcare systems.

The firm's ability to secure partnerships and users for its technology speaks volumes about its market acceptance and potential for growth. With a market set to expand rapidly, Koios Medical is well-positioned to capitalize on the global shift towards more efficient and accurate diagnostic solutions in cancer care. The company's focus on thyroid and breast analysis, coupled with the auto-generation of reports, addresses a significant need within the sector for more efficient workflow solutions and supports the potential for market expansion and increased adoption rates.

Backed by strategic investors such as Mitsui & Co, Koios Medical has garnered financial support, business acumen, and strategic alliances for further development and market penetration. This level of support and the company's robust IP portfolio underscores its innovative capacity and potential for sustained growth.

Here's what we don't: Despite the promising technological advancements and FDA clearance, Koios Medical is grappling with significant hurdles impacting its immediate growth prospects.

One of the most glaring concerns is the company's financial health, as highlighted by a high monthly burn rate of $466,865. This figure, juxtaposed against its relatively modest cash of $771,195, suggests a precarious liquidity position that could hinder operations and stifle further development. Furthermore, with an annual revenue of only $335,214, the gap between current financial performance and the company's valuation of $60 million raises concerns regarding overvaluation.

Koios Medical's struggle to scale revenue significantly is another concern. The healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry, particularly the segment focused on cancer diagnostics, is intensely competitive and highly regulated. Achieving market penetration and adoption by healthcare providers requires technological innovation, effective marketing, robust sales strategies, and strong partnerships. The company's current revenue figures suggest potential challenges in these areas, which could impede growth.

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

Would you invest in Farm to Flame Energy?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 (93)

🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 👎 (89)

182 Votes

By Sam Fiske \ Listen

In this podcast episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino catches up with Jesse Randall, CEO of Sweater. Sweater is a platform that enables the launch of venture funds that are accessible to the general public without accreditation requirements. Jesse explains how the platform democratizes investment in private markets, traditionally reserved for the affluent, through professionally managed funds. The conversation goes into these funds' structure and regulatory landscape, providing insights into the future of accessible venture capital.

STAFF PICKS 🌶️

Get on Board

Get on Board is enhancing IT recruitment in the US and Latin America with its AI-driven platform, designed to humanize the hiring process. The platform focuses on creating growth opportunities for IT professionals and offers AI-powered data services to facilitate seamless interactions between companies and candidates. With 40,000 jobs posted, 2 million applications processed, and over 900,000 registered professionals, Get on Board demonstrates significant engagement and effectiveness in matching skilled IT professionals with job opportunities.

• Valuation Cap: $6 million

• Minimum Investment: $100

Epi One

Epi One is advancing early cancer detection with its DNA-based biomarker identification platform, aiming to enhance the speed and accuracy of diagnosing cancers such as prostate, lung, and pancreatic. Epi One focuses on making cancer detection both precise and affordable, promising significant impact on global cancer diagnosis and patient outcomes through early intervention.

• Pre-Money Valuation: $45 million

• Minimum Investment: $495

Richr

Richr offers a platform that streamlines the home-selling process, enabling sellers to sell their homes, close transactions, and invest their proceeds to build generational wealth. Operating with title and real estate brokerage services in five states, Richr has partnered with RealManage, the second-largest property manager in the US. In 2023, Richr achieved a 58% year-over-year revenue growth, with a 65% gross margin and $2.5 million in seller savings.

• Pre-Money Valuation: $20 million

• Minimum Investment: $499