Welcome to KingsCrowd's New Pitch Reviews!

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Heyyyo friends and subscribers! It’s been a few months since I last reached out to all of you in the same place — apologies for that — it’s been a busy few months for me between Songfinch, two little girls home for the summer, and working with KingsCrowd to build the single best online alt investing community imaginable.

But I think we’re there 👌 Most of you have created KingsCrowd user accounts (for that, I am endlessly grateful!) and have been receiving weekly Monday Memo emails (in place of Pitch Reviews). For some of you, it’s been a hot minute since you’ve seen anything from us. But we’re back!

After working through many drafts and tests, we decided to do three things: a) we rebuilt Pitch Reviews and Monday Memo from the ground up and combined them into a single weekly email that I believe is worthy of your attention b) we’re migrating from Substack to Beehiiv (the hype is real, what an incredible platform!!) and c) we’re making this new offering available to EVERYONE!

Here’s what you can expect and how it works — each week, you will receive an email with a chart showcasing the investing activity occurring across online private markets (aptly named Chart of the Week). Then, you will find a Pitch Review on a company that we either rate very highly or plan on investing in via KingsCrowd Capital. Next, you’ll find three top deals we track for potential future investment. Lastly, you will find a link to some incredible podcast interviews with many of the top founders, investors, and media personalities shaping the future of tech.

As always, I appreciate all of the support over the years,

Scott

CHART OF THE WEEK 📈

• The month of June closed with $40,773,126 in committed capital across equity and debt deals, up slightly from $37 million in May.

• Wefunder dominated the Reg CF equity dollars invested for June of 2023 with $9,548,905.

• Financial & Insurance Products & Services was the most popular industry for the month, bringing in $5,537,452 from Reg CF equity offerings.

• 62 equity deals closed in June, 51 Regulation CF deals, and 11 Regulation A deals.

• There were 139 new deals that went live in June, 88 Reg CF equity deals, and 51 Reg CF debt deals. No new Reg A deals went live in June.

PITCH REVIEW 💸

Brief: AKUA is a meat-alternative company creating sustainable, nutrient-dense food from ocean-farmed kelp. With products like Kelp Jerky available in over 800 US stores, AKUA has made $1.45 million in lifetime sales. It’s currently raising $618,000 at a valuation of $16M with a minimum investment of $100.

Key People: Founder and CEO Courtney Boyd Meyers (an entrepreneur, environmentalist, and journalist who ventured into the kelp industry to make "Kelp the New Kale")

Not an Edge Member yet? Unlock the Ratings 🔓📈

Summary

Here's what we like: AKUA is a unique product in the American market. While selling could be difficult, AKUA found a good strategy by associating its brand with Nickelodeon’s Sponge Bob SquarePants brand.

AKUA’s product aligns with the current trends of vegan and healthy foods that are growing in the United States, especially among younger generations. The company’s founder and CEO, Courtney Boyd Meyers, is scrappy and understands the seaweed supply chain in Massachusetts. At a $16 million valuation cap, investors have a chance to get a return on their investment since acquisitions in the meat alternative space range from $8 million to $10 billion.

Here's what we don't: Investing in AKUA involves a few risks. The company’s revenue grew slowly last year. This brings an adoption risk in the American market. The company also wants to grow in Asia in the near future. This will involve additional spending and risks. Will AKUA succeed in launching an American product in countries where seaweed is already a common product? This will depend on the quality of the partnerships it could tie with local brands and distributors.

AKUA also has financial risk. The company burned around $2 million last year. Even though Courtney assured us that the company reduced its burn, AKUA still relies heavily on external funding.

ON THE POD 🎙️

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino interviews Collin Castellaw, Co-Founder of PlayersTV. They discuss the shift in athletes’ perspective on content creation, the rise of PlayersTV, the potential for athlete-driven content, and the future of the sports media landscape.

Listen to the full episode 👉 https://buff.ly/3D8ewP6

TOP DEALS 🌶️

AVACEN Medical

AVACEN Medical offers non-invasive devices for pain and stress relief. Their technology improves blood flow to reduce pain. Since starting in 2017, AVACEN has sold over 9,000 devices without side effects. Now, they aim to raise up to $1.24 million for research, marketing, and growth.

• Valuation: $16 million

• Minimum Investment: $500

Splash Wines

Splash Wines, a direct-to-consumer wine company, delivers high-quality wines straight to customers' doors. Clients can customize their own case or select a curated one for next-day delivery. With revenue soaring to $29.6 million in 2022, a 2.5x growth since 2019.

• Valuation: $29.9 million

• Minimum Investment: $499

SuperMush

SuperMush, a lifestyle brand, creates legal superfood mushroom supplements for mental health, energy, immunity, and creativity. Available as mouth sprays, SuperMush products have sold over 55,000 units, generating $1.5 million in revenue in just 14 months.

• Valuation: $11 million

• Minimum Investment: $100