One of the main reasons to invest in startups is to serve a social purpose. It is an opportunity to be part of a brand new community and become an ambassador of a startup and its values, vision and goals. If you are a business owner then your friends, family, and anyone in your professional and social networks can invest as little as a few hundred dollars directly into your startup.
The idea that you can be a very early investor in a startup and influence others to invest in it — assuming there is a great business plan and idea — is important for most investors. Becoming an influencer adds social status, importance, satisfaction and happiness. Imagine being one of the very first investors in Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and watching it become the first U.S. company to hit a $1 trillion market cap. How would that feel? I would imagine it feels amazing.
StartEngine is a platform that allows investors to invest in up-and-coming startups. I have chosen my top 7 picks that you can purchase directly on StartEngine now. These startups are companies that have recently started their equity crowdfunding campaigns. Before investing in startups, one must fully comprehend the risks of investing in startups. This means being okay with performing further due diligence before investing.
Here are my top 7 startups to invest in on StartEngine now:
- 3i Tech
- BakedCravings
- Return Home, Inc.
- Voosh Technologies Inc
- Tamarack Aerospace Group
- Intellivision
- Kapalya
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Best Startups: 3i Tech
Source: AIexVector / Shutterstock
What are some top problems businesses need to solve in order to thrive? Connecting with their customers both on local and national levels. 3i Tech proposes a solution to this by providing text message marketing to business owners.
Businesses of any type needs customers who are loyal, satisfied, and thus repeat customers. 3i Tech makes marketing simpler for businesses by answering three core questions: who are their customers, what are their needs, and when do they buy. The all-in-one service includes text message marketing, loyalty programs, plus online and voice ordering for restaurants.
The all-in-one marketing platform is easy to use and allows businesses to send targeted messages, such as promotions and offers in a timely manner. This leads to the desired outcome of increasing store visits and therefore, generating more revenue. The platform is suitable for both small and large shops. Online shopping is booming, but traditional shopping as we know it is still very active in the era of the digital economy.
There is a lot of traction already as the platform serves more than 100 businesses with a reach of more than 780,000 customers, while adding an average of 1,200 customers a day.
3i Tech has witnessed year-over-year revenue growth of 100% since 2018 and is cash-flow positive. The business model is both scalable and flexible to support local businesses in other industries, like cruise lines and personal care.
You can invest in 3i Tech on StartEngine with a minimum amount of $350
BakedCravings
Source: Patrick Civello / Shutterstock
Who doesn’t love fresh-baked cupcakes? Even when you are on a diet, it can be tempting to try a few of them.
On the other hand, people who suffer from food allergies may be reluctant to eat delicious cupcakes. BakedCravings solves that problem by baking nut-free and peanut-free cupcakes. They can be purchased either by visiting physical stores or by ordering them and having them delivered nationally.
An interesting statistic is that “32 million Americans have food allergies.” 6.1 million Americans are allergic to peanuts and 3.9 million are allergic to tree nuts.
BakedCravings makes cupcakes that are suitable for vegans and people suffering from food allergies. And it gets even better: these are award-winning baked treats. The firm will receive the 2022 Best of Manhattan Award in the Bakery category. This award is tied to the Manhattan Award Program, which focuses on quality, not just quantity.
There are more treats than just cupcakes to choose from like cookies, cakes, and gourmet popcorn. What makes BakedCravings special is that it is a minority-owned business, is allergy-friendly, and is community-oriented. It has already secured a partnership with Bright Horizon to deliver its products to more than 5,000 locations.
The global bakery product market size is huge, estimated at $203.8 billion in 2018 and is growing. This market is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% between 2019 and 2025.
You can invest in BakedCravings on StartEngine with a minimum investment of $247.
Best Startups: Return Home, Inc.
Source: Krisana Antharith / Shutterstock
One thing none of us as humans can escape is death. But is there life after death? This is not a philosophical question, but rather what Return Home is trying to accomplish.
Return Home is an end-of-life service that transforms the human body into soil after death with its first large-scale Terramation™ facility in the world. Why may people choose a Terramation™ over the other two choices after death: conventional burial and cremation?
There is a great interest from Americans in green funeral options. And the benefits of the Terramation™ are plenty. It is an environmentally healthy process that restores and preserves land, conserves energy, retains carbon in the soil, is a gentle and non-invasive process and reduces carbon emissions. Additionally, it creates nourishing soil to build healthy ecosystems. Both cremation and traditional burial are environmentally unsustainable.
The company estimates that there is a $1 billion opportunity market to explore, as more states are expected to ratify natural organic reduction. The Terramation™ facility is in Washington state and is fully operational. There are plans for expansion as Return Home wants to run 20 Terramation™ facilities across the U.S. by 2026, leading the movement for green burials.
You can invest in Return Home on StartEngine with a minimum investment of $247.95.
Voosh Technologies Inc
Source: ST.art / Shutterstock
PCs help us perform a lot of daily tasks, both for business and pleasure. Over time, their performance naturally slows down. However, thanks to Voosh Technologies, you can improve the performance of your PC smartly and effectively.
Voosh Performance provides a cloud-based app that monitors and evaluates PCs every few hours to deliver maximum performance. The process is very simple and it encompasses three steps. The first step is to scan your PC. It will then optimize the PC settings, allowing for active continuous optimization.
When you buy a new PC, the default configuration settings set by the manufacturer do not support their true potential. Most people lack the knowledge and experience to fine-tune the settings and get a better user experience. Voosh Performance makes this task an easy and effective one.
The advanced technology used is based on artificial intelligence- (AI) based algorithms that change the manufacturers’ settings to achieve a dramatic rise in PC performance quality.
The business model uses a direct-to-consumer (D2C) approach and channel partners with subscription-based revenue. The company estimates that in 2020, about 1.6 billion PCs were running Windows operating systems worldwide. Their users are prospective clients.
You can invest in Voosh Technologies on StartEngine with a minimum investment of $499.98.
Best Startups: Tamarack Aerospace Group
Source: Shutterstock
Tamarack Aerospace Group is a disruptor in the aviation industry. How is this achieved? SMARTWING™ technology delivers a solution to aircrafts that combines the merits of maximizing flights by reducing fuel consumption by up to 33%. Therefore, this boosts aircraft efficiency, while at the same time decreasing CO2 emissions. The aviation industry is responsible for between 2% and 3% of global emissions.
Some of the most notable setbacks in trying to decarbonize the aviation industry are a lack of scalability, a very high cost and lots of time needed.
The SMARTWING™ technology improves the aerodynamic efficiency of aircrafts. Additionally, it is estimated that it can lead to a 33% reduction of carbon emissions for commercial airplanes. This innovative technology system consists of a winglet, a wing extension, and the patented technology that works in a fully automated way, responding to airplanes’ movements and flight conditions. Aside from fuel efficiency, noise reduction and longer wing life are among the benefits of this technology.
The technology can be easily installed in aircrafts and is rigorously tested. Additionally, the technology is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. Tamarack SMARTWING™ technology is already installed on more than 150 private jets on a global basis.
You can invest in Tamarack Aerospace Group on StartEngine with a minimum amount of $487.30.
Intellivision
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Intellivision is developing the Amico console, a family-friendly video game entertainment platform that connects children, parents, and friends through playing games. Video games today are a multi-billion dollar industry.
Over time, gaming has evolved. Equipment, games, and controllers became expensive and turned games into a one-man show, replacing family play.
Amico is set to change all of this, bringing fun, excitement, and ease to family entertainment. As expected, Amico games do not contain violence or a foul language. The controllers are very easy to use. It is also an affordable gaming console that comes with six installed games and two wireless controllers. Users can download the free Amico app and use their smartphones as controllers, as well.
The library of games includes sports games, party games, action arcade games, children’s entertainment, and retro games. Some of the features include motion control and an integrated touchscreen. Additionally, some games can support up to eight players.
The global gaming market surged during the pandemic and the firm estimates its serviceable addressable market to be $56.1 billion.
There are more than 40 games in development to provide a rich and unique family play experience.
You can invest in Intellivision on StartEngine with a minimum investment of $499.68.
Best Startups: Kapalya
Source: Shutterstock
Enterprise data is prone to cyberattacks and ransomware risks. The widespread use of servers and databases has made ransomware a risk that can be very costly, stressful and a distraction from your daily business operations.
Kapalya uses encrypted technology that offers two main solutions. First of all, 100% of breached data can be recovered with 0% data leakage. Secondly, the use of AI and machine learning detects and prevents any ransomware attempts to breach your business data.
Cyberattacks have become a huge problem and they can always evolve. They have rising costs that may reach $10.5 trillion by 2025. These cybercrime costs are not just about stolen money, but include a loss of productivity, intellectual property theft, forensic investigation and reputational harm. The restoration and deletion of hacked data and systems may be a lengthy process for any type of business. In business, time is money.
Kapalya is offering a user-friendly desktop and mobile application that encrypts and shares data on several operating systems such as Windows, Android, iOS, and on servers and the public cloud. The global cybersecurity market addressed is expected to reach $199.98 billion by 2025.
You can invest in Kapalya on StartEngine with a minimum investment of $300.
On the date of publication, Stavros Georgiadis, CFA did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
Stavros Georgiadis is a CFA charter holder, an Equity Research Analyst, and an Economist. He focuses on U.S. stocks and has his own stock market blog at thestockmarketontheinternet.com/. He has written in the past various articles for other publications and can be reached on Twitter and on LinkedIn.