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Despite startups being a high-risk, high-reward investment, not even the recent financial crisis could stop the explosive growth of startup crowdfunders. Back in 2018, two years after it became legal for everyday citizens to invest in startups through Regulation Crowdfunding, only $74 million had been invested this way. In 2024, that number has jumped to $343.6 million, thanks to the rise of online platforms specializing in startup crowdfunding. Today, one of the most dominant players in the space has decided to order from its own menu by launching a funding round. StartEngine now accepts investments from both accredited and non-accredited investors, and you can own a piece of it with as little as $500 right as its new smash-hit product gains momentum.
Founded By A Visionary With A Billion-Dollar Track Record
StartEngine co-founder and CEO Howard Marks knows what it takes to build billion-dollar companies. In the 1990s, Howard helped revive video game maker Activision, which later became Activision Blizzard and was bought by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) in 2023 for $68.7 billion. Before StartEngine, he also founded Acclaim Games, which was later acquired by Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS). Howard launched StartEngine in partnership with Ron Miller, combining his extensive business experience with a passion for democratizing startup investing.Since its inception, StartEngine has raised over 1,000 rounds for startups worth more than $1.3 billion.¹ Backed by a community of 1.8 million investors, StartEngine’s growth has accelerated thanks to new offerings.² In the first half of 2024, the company doubled its revenue,³ largely due to StartEngine Private, a game-changing portal that gives accredited investors access to late-stage, venture-backed startups like Discord, Cerebras, and Epic Games.⁴ StartEngine’s acquisition of rival platform SeedInvest has further solidified its leadership position.
Startup Investing Safer Than IPOs?
General investing wisdom suggests that initial public offerings are safer than startup investing due to the strict vetting process companies undergo to go public. However, data shows that late-stage startups have delivered superior returns over the last decade.
Before 2008, startups raced to the IPO mark as quickly as possible. Today, however, they stay private longer, often waiting until they've reached major milestones before going public. According to a study by Manhattan Venture Partners, data collected between 2010 and 2021 shows that investing in late-stage startups outperformed IPO investments. Why? Because these companies typically have proven revenue streams, established operations, and lower failure rates, offering investors a better balance of risk and reward.
StartEngine Private offers exactly this: access to mature startups with millions in venture capital backing. Unsurprisingly, the product is experiencing quarter-over-quarter growth, going from $2.7 million in Q4 of 2023, to $6.8 million in Q2 of 2024.³
Backed By A Superstar Investor
StartEngine’s growth and innovation haven’t gone unnoticed by leading angel investors, including Kevin O’Leary. The "Shark Tank" star and strategic advisor summed it up best:
“I’m a big believer in StartEngine. Why? Because they have raised over half a billion dollars for startups,” O’Leary said in 2023. That number has since ballooned to $1.3 billion.¹Investing in StartEngine means aligning with a platform that’s reshaping how startups raise capital and how investors engage with the private equity market. With as little as $500, you can claim your stake in this leader of the startup investing revolution.
Like all funding rounds, there is a time limit and a cap on the amount of capital that can be raised. If you want to invest in StartEngine and claim bonus shares, you might want to do that as soon as possible.
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Disclaimer: Accretive Capital LLC d/b/a Benzinga (“Benzinga”) is compensated by StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. (“the Issuer”) for publicizing the offering of the Issuer’s securities. Payment is made in cash and is billed monthly.
1. Total invested when combined with our recent asset acquisition of competitor platform SeedInvest in May 2023. StartEngine acquired assets of SeedInvest, including email lists for SeedInvest’s users, investors, and founders. Click here for more details.
2. Count determined as number of unique email addresses in StartEngine’s database as of 08-27-2024. One individual may have more than one email address.
3. This revenue growth has been driven by StartEngine Private, a new product line that offers funds in late stage companies. This product line has driven over $11.5M of the $21.6M of the revenue in the first 6 months of 2024. To understand the impact on margins, see financials.
4. The underlying companies held by StartEngine Private Funds LLC, and StartEngine Private LLC (together, “StartEngine Private”) are not participating or involved in the offering. The availability of company information does not indicate that the company has endorsed, supports or otherwise participates with StartEngine Private or any of its affiliates. StartEngine Crowdfunding LLC purchases shares from current and former employees, early investors, and advisors of the companies and sells the shares to StartEngine Private for each offering. When you make an investment in a company on StartEngine Private, you are purchasing an interest in a series of StartEngine Private Funds LLC or StartEngine Private LLC, each a Delaware limited liability company (together the “Series LLCs”), which were created to hold shares of privately held companies. An investor will not directly own or hold shares of the private company but instead will own member interests in a series of the Series LLCs, which either directly or indirectly, will hold shares in the company. There may not be a one-to-one economic parity on the value of the Series LLCs interests and the underlying shares.