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When Chris Lustrino couldn't find reliable data to guide his startup investments in 2018, he didn't just complain—he built a solution. Today, KingsCrowd has evolved into the definitive data platform for private equity markets, tracking over 9,000 companies across more than 120 investment platforms.
Having generated $3 million in lifetime revenue and achieved 24% year-over-year growth, KingsCrowd is now opening its doors to retail investors—offering investors the chance to invest at $0.18 per share, with the opportunity closing April 30th.
The timing is important. As more Americans seek alternatives to traditional stocks and bonds, the private investment landscape has expanded dramatically. Yet navigating it could be challenging without institutional-grade research tools.
The Hidden Data Engine Powering Private Market Investments
When Lustrino founded KingsCrowd, he identified a fundamental gap in the market. Despite the explosion of equity crowdfunding platforms, individual investors had no reliable way to analyze or compare the thousands of available deals.
KingsCrowd was created to level the playing field, giving everyday investors the same data-driven tools that institutions rely on for evaluating private market opportunities.
Fast forward to today, and KingsCrowd has established itself as the definitive data hub for private market investing, tracking over 9,000 companies across more than 120 investment platforms. Their database has become so authoritative that it's been utilized in SEC-funded studies and by researchers at prestigious institutions including Notre Dame, Indiana University, and USC.
From Data to Dollars: The Growth Story Investors Need to See
What started as a mission to democratize private equity research has evolved into a robust business with impressive metrics:
- $3 million+ in lifetime revenue
- $4 billion in tracked investments providing unparalleled market insights
- 50% of revenue now coming from institutional clients, signaling strong B2B adoption
- $2 million in actively managed assets through their KingsCrowd Capital fund
Perhaps most telling is how the company has expanded beyond consumer tools into institutional services. The pivot created multiple revenue streams while cementing KingsCrowd's position as the authority in private market data.
The company's growing institutional client base demonstrates how valuable standardized data across thousands of private companies has become for due diligence and portfolio construction, particularly as traditional financial institutions increasingly look to add alternative investments to their offerings.
How Much Would You Have Made If You'd Invested in the Platform Instead of Through It?
Here's an intriguing scenario: many early KingsCrowd users have discovered they could have generated stronger returns by investing in the platform itself rather than solely using it to select investments.
Since its inception, KingsCrowd has raised over $5.7 million through multiple successful crowdfunding rounds. With those investments the company has actively grown its market position, product offerings, and revenue.
The company's Merlin algorithm, launched in 2020, has analyzed thousands of transactions representing billions of dollars in deals, with data suggesting the potential for risk mitigation and potential long-term outperformance. Investors using the insights have the potential to build more resilient portfolios in a notoriously high-risk asset class.
The $13 Trillion Opportunity Most Investors Are Missing
Alternative assets represent a massive $13+ trillion market that's increasingly opening to retail investors. As regulatory changes continue to expand access, the need for professional-grade research tools will only grow.
KingsCrowd sits at the intersection of several trends:
- The democratization of private equity through Regulation Crowdfunding and Regulation A+
- Increased investor appetite for alternative assets beyond traditional stocks and bonds
- The application of AI and data science to investment research
- A shift toward transparency in previously opaque private markets
By building the definitive database for this emerging asset class, KingsCrowd has positioned itself as the essential infrastructure for the future of private market investing.
How to Invest in KingsCrowd Before April 30th
For a limited time, KingsCrowd is offering investors the opportunity to become shareholders through their offering on StartEngine. The details:
- Offering: 2,500,000 shares at $0.18 per share
- Minimum investment: $499.86 (approximately 2,777 shares)
- Pre-money valuation: $13.93 million
- Closing date: April 30, 2025
The proceeds will fund research and development, expand the team, boost marketing efforts, and provide working capital to accelerate KingsCrowd's next phase of growth.
Early investors also receive exclusive perks based on investment amount, including bonus shares, free subscriptions to KingsCrowd's premium Edge service, and discounts on the KingsCrowd Capital fund minimum.
As private markets continue to open to retail investors, the tools to navigate them intelligently will become increasingly valuable. KingsCrowd has established itself as the leader in this space, building a comprehensive data platform that serves both individual and institutional investors.
The window to invest closes on April 30th. To learn more about this investment opportunity and secure your stake in the future of private equity data, visit KingsCrowd's offering page today.
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