Investing in startups can generate a 1,000x return in a fraction of the time it takes to generate an equivalent return from stock investments. For example, Airbnb is one of the most successful startups of the last decade, debuting in 2020 as the largest initial public offering (IPO) in the US. This vacation rental company — which struggled to raise $150,000 in 2008 — has a $68.1 billion market capitalization.

As lucrative as it sounds, startups come with high risks, and even brilliant startups fail. Aside from examining a startup’s intrinsic finances and growth practices, examining market interest is crucial.

Let’s look at startups that have raised over $1 million from individual investors through crowdfunding.

Start the engine

Start the engine is the largest crowdfunding platform in the US, with a valuation of $1.32 billion. The start-up has continuously transformed the private equity industry, allowing small investors to invest in promising early stage companies before they go public.

They have further pushed the industry by creating a startup stock market to trade and enable pre-IPO companies new users get $100 worth of their companyjust to sign up.

StartEngine facilitates international investments through the platform as the company plans to become a pioneer in the global crowdfunding space. The startup acquired equity crowdfunding platform SeedInvest from Circle Inc, parent company of stablecoin USDC, to expand its operations and market share.

RAD AI

RAD AI has already raised over $3.1 million from ordinary investors to build the first AI marketing platform built to understand emotions. This shouldn’t come as a surprise either, as the company is backed by Fidelity Investments and Expert Dojo. With $20 million in research developing the platform, AI trends, and more, it’s no surprise the company has seen so much momentum.

RAD AI has already added some of the largest companies in the world to its client list. Accenture, Dignity…