Get a full night’s sleep. Our natural night circadian rhythm places our body into repair mode and needs 6–8 hours to finish its cycle. When we don’t sleep, we don’t fully repair, and our mental function declines. I also love drinking a glass of alkaline water when I first wake and right before bed, as it helps with this circadian cycle. On nights that I can’t sleep, I take a tart cherry supplement. It helps.   As a part of my series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Simpson. Nicole is an accomplished beauty veteran in the aesthetics industry. As the founder of Amethyst Beauty, she proves her innovation in the beauty space with a skincare line entirely dedicated to healing & protecting the skin from environmental toxins and skin stressors.   Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?   I have been obsessed with skin and hair care products since I was a little girl. I remember being very young, maybe 6, looking up ingredient lists on the back of the shampoo bottles in my mom’s bathroom, asking her “mom what does this do?” It drove her crazy, but she soon realized that I was really into ingredients and science, and my parents cultivated a STEM environment for me. I was always at the science fair, discovery museums, volunteering with physicians at the local children’s hospital, and even playing chemist in my own kitchen. I became infatuated with the biochemistry of skin and its ingredients and made my first “potion” when I was 16 to help heal my acne (It actually worked!)   I worked for a short while as a chemist after graduating from university, but I hated it. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be in the skincare industry, so I followed my absolute passion and became an aesthetician. The rest is history! I was recruited by a major skincare company to teach skincare from a scientific perspective to other aestheticians, physicians, and nurses. From there I went on to become the AVP of Global Education and Business Development for SkinCeuticals/L’Oreal. I traveled more than 32 countries, working with some of the most prominent physicians in the world to become successful with skincare in their practices.   It was during my travels that I started to see that in America, our reality is a bit different than the rest of the world. My time in China, India, and some European countries allowed me to see our future. The air is heavily polluted. The water is contaminated. There are places in China where food doesn’t grow because the soil is too acidic from acid rain. The University of California Irvine published a study a few years ago that showed that all of the smog that blows over from China adds 5–8 extra days of smog to Southern California each year. While we are not alone, the beauty industry is a major contributor to this. I made the decision several years ago that when I would create my own skincare line, I would do it as a platform to have an impact on this situation. While the industry is not perfect, there are things we can do today to reduce our global impact on pollution, and improve sustainability, which I am committed to being a part of.   Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?   When I was about 3 weeks on the job for the first major skincare company I worked for, my youngest brother passed away in a terrible accident. He was 20 years old; I was 28. It was devastating for our family. I remember having a very frank conversation with my boss at the time. She asked me if I wanted to continue. Every part of me was in pain from the loss. I could have gracefully resigned, but in my heart, I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. It was hard, but I picked myself up, and I continued. I learned all about resiliency and determination. I knew that if I really wanted something, it was absolutely within reach. I was at rock bottom at a young age, but I quickly rose to the top by believing in myself and my goals. I also learned a lot about what is truly important and keeping that in perspective. These lessons have served me well later in life. While our wounds are healed, there have been many times where I have found myself caught up in “life”, especially in the corporate world, and all that comes with it. Thinking about that time helped me remember that there was nothing that anyone could do or say that was worse than anything I had already gone through, and if it was, I absolutely had the strength to pull through. It gave me perspective to know that we are on a journey, and each lesson is important, but it was okay to disconnect from all of that and live a peaceful life.   Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?   The biggest mistake I made when I first started was allowing the opinions of other people to define who I was. I would let people’s opinions of my performance mold my opinion of myself. It took me a few years to realize just how dangerous and toxic that was. I believe that when we go through times like these, it is important not to lose the lesson. Being comfortable in my own skin was something I wasn’t good at then, but I am good at now. When I spend time mentoring young women in the space, this is usually the topic where we spend the most time. I feel that this is a critical rite of passage when developing strong leadership skills.   None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?   The importance of people is often underestimated. I have villages (and I mean villages!) of people who have helped! But if I had to choose one, it is a woman named Dr. Sheila Marie Love. She was a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who repaired my broken knee when I was 15. She was a total badass. She was a female in a mostly all-boys club, who actually founded the surgical practice that was just her and 4 other male physicians. She sparked a passion for medicine at the time and allowed me to shadow her in the operating room for all 4 years of high school. She was the first true example I had of a woman stepping into her strength and taking on a very powerful leadership role as a minority in the space. I still think of her today when things get tough. In my career, I have been lucky enough to have found success at an early age. That did not come without discrimination on not only my gender but also my age. Dr. Love was gracefully strong. It was learning these qualities from her that allowed me to rise above the discrimination and become who I was meant to be- the CEO of a conscious beauty company that will use our products as a platform to spark some major changes in the world.   Ok perfect. Now let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?   I have developed every single product in the Amethyst Skincare range to promote the ultimate in health and wellness. Being a self-proclaimed nerd, I like to read the scientific publications surrounding climate change, which is a topic that is very important to me. The 2050 climate report is scary. Even if we could implement the best-case scenario today, which would be no CO2 emissions, our air quality is still going to get much worse before it gets better. As the environment continues to change, the way that our skin ages will also change. There was a study recently published that proved a group of women living in a city had skin that was 10% more aged than their same-aged counterparts living outside of the same city. The toxins found in our air, water, and consequences of poor diet and stressful lifestyle have significant impact to our skin. The ingredients in Amethyst Skincare were meticulously selected to nourish and protect skin, and promote the self-repair necessary to maintain its youthful state for the long-term.   The Amethyst stone has been known throughout history as the gemstone of youth. It also helps reduce stress. We believe it helps create the space needed for the type of self-care that results in stress reduction, contributing not only to healthier skin, but also the overall health and wellness of our entire being.   While we are not perfect, we are doing what we can to reduce our impact on the environment. We use glass bottles and recyclable cardboard. We haven’t been able to completely reduce plastic, so to help offset that, we have two programs in place. More than 85% of beauty packaging is not recyclable by mainstream standards, and even with our good intentions of placing it in the recycling bin, it still goes to landfill, and can end up in the ocean. We encourage anyone who makes a purchase on our website to send us back their packaging when it’s empty. We will send it to Terracycle, who can recycle all our components and ensure that no plastic goes to landfill. Additionally, we support a company called 4Ocean, who works tirelessly to clean plastics out of the oceans around the world. We reserve 5% of all purchases to pay for their famous bracelets to help them continue with their mission.   Additionally, two of our SKUs are waterless — the face oil does not use any water in its production. The Anti-Pollution Mist uses aloe vera instead of water to try and reduce our water consumption overall.   Our goal is to be completely carbon neutral in our production within the next 5–7 years. Additionally, our 3-year plan is for our packaging to become 100% sustainable. In the meantime, we are doing our best to make the least amount of negative impact possible to our earth.   Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.  

• Diet and exercise go without saying. Choose the healthy foods and exercises that you love the most because it will be easier to be consistent. Self-love through meditation.
• Get a full night’s sleep. Our natural night circadian rhythm places our body into repair mode and needs 6–8 hours to finish its cycle. When we don’t sleep, we don’t fully repair, and our mental function declines. I also love drinking a glass of alkaline water when I first wake and right before bed, as it helps with this circadian cycle. On nights that I can’t sleep, I take a tart cherry supplement. It helps.
• Do brain games. We are sharper at everything we do when we are good about improving our memory. It helps keep our minds healthy and well for the long term in a very stressful world.
• Sunshine, good food, laughter, and family are the best medicine. There are not many things in life that are worth stealing the joy away from any of these.
• Eat lunch out with someone new once a week. There is a lot of importance in surrounding yourself with the right people. Taking the time to slow down and enjoy facetime with people is the ultimate in promoting wellness. Some researchers have compared having a weak social circle as the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

  If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?   This movement would definitely be environmental wellness and creating awareness as actionable steps for as many people as possible.   While the beauty industry is not perfect, we are doing what we can to reduce our impact on the environment. We use glass bottles and recyclable cardboard. We haven’t been able to completely reduce plastic, so to help offset that, we have two programs in place. More than 85% of beauty packaging is not recyclable by mainstream standards, and even with our good intentions of placing it in the recycling bin, it still goes to landfill, and can end up in the ocean. We encourage anyone who makes Amethyst Skincare to send us back their packaging when it’s empty. We will send it to Terracycle, who can recycle all of our components and ensure that no plastic goes to landfill. Additionally, we support a company called 4Ocean, who works tirelessly to clean plastics out of the oceans around the world. We reserve 5% of all purchases made on our website to purchase their famous bracelets to help them continue with their mission.   Additionally, 2 of our products are waterless. The face oil does not use any water in its production. The Anti-Pollution Mist uses aloe vera instead of water to try and reduce our water consumption overall.   Our goal is to be completely carbon neutral in our production within the next 5–7 years. Additionally, our 3-year plan is to become 100% sustainable on our packaging. In the meantime, we are doing our best to make the least amount of negative impact possible.   We are looking forward to inviting all who would like to join our journey.   What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?  

• The world might hate you once you start your climb. Do it anyway. As I started becoming more visible, I was also exposed to more opinions. I wish I would have learned to tune out the noise much earlier.
• I came up in this very competitive industry assuming I couldn’t say no. I wish someone would have told me it is okay to stand my ground and say no. I said “yes” on far too many occasions that compromised my family time, quality of life, and even sometimes, my personal health.
• The work you do today in the beauty industry will absolutely impact the quality of life for the multitudes of women tomorrow. The beauty industry goes much deeper than what it seems on the surface. We create products that boost self-esteem, improve health, and quality of life.
• When women go together, they go further and stronger. I was not whole until I found my tribe of absolute superstar women that I could call at any time of day to speak to, learn from, bounce ideas, and have a compassionate voice of encouragement.
• Community over competition. Period. There is enough space here for everyone. We can create more impact on the things that matter when we go together. Strength in numbers.

  Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?   All are very important to me. I believe sustainability and environmental changes go hand-in-hand. I want my children to grow up in a world where they can play outside, and their kids can play outside, and they can grow a garden, and drink clean water. I want them to be able to go on a safari and actual see a live animal. We all have a responsibility to act now and fast. We aren’t moving fast enough.

Since its founding in 2016, StartEngine has raised over $125 million for over 325 companies. CEO Howard Marks co-founded what is now Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), but most people couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. Look for him on Wikipedia and you’ll find a different Howard Marks, a billionaire whose Oaktree Capital Management specializes in distressed securities.   To gain star power, StartEngine recruited “Mr. Wonderful,” investor and Shark Tank talent Kevin O’Leary, as a strategic advisor and investor. StartEngine calls itself the largest equity crowdfunding program.   But don’t let that stop you from taking this incubator and crowdfunding enterprise seriously.  

StartEngine Review: What’s Under the Hood

  StartEngine is a full-featured crowdfunding enterprise that takes advantage of every opportunity.   Launched to do equity crowdfunding under the JOBS Act, StartEngine was approved as a broker-dealer in 2019 and accepts bitcoin as well as dollars from investors.   StartEngine crowdfunds itself. It closed its first Reg A+ round for $8.6 million, at $7.50 per share, then began a second round of $41 million at a price of $11.25, and it has filed for a regular CF offering at truCrowd, listing its valuation at $190 million.   Marks says he got interested in initial coin offerings in 2017 and launched its first ICO, for tZero, founded by Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK) founder Patrick Byrne, in 2018.   StartEngine launched its first investor meeting, called the StartEngine Founders Summit, in 2018. The most recent one was virtual, a March webinar.  

The O’Leary Connection

  Marks said several of his companies had already been on Shark Tank before he approached O’Leary. In addition to acting as a strategic advisor and face of the franchise — with advice for entrepreneurs and StartEngine publicized through his fame — O’Leary is also a shareholder.   It’s Marks who runs the show. His aim is to provide a new base for companies, helping them sell equity from startup through public offering. He has an interest in every type of crowdfunding vehicle and wants crowdfunding to be as legitimate as Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).  

Some StartEngine Successes

  StartEngine calls its crowdfunding efforts online public offerings.   One of past successes is BioClonetics, working on a cure for HIV using monoclonal antibodies. It raised $256,000 on a valuation of $15 million.   Farm.One uses vertical farming, hydroponics and LED lighting to grow rare produce in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. It raised $446,000 on a valuation of $7 million.   A third funding winner, Mycroft AI, offers a voice interface that isn’t controlled by a large platform such as Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). It raised $1.07 million at a valuation of $19.9 million.  

Current Offerings

  Here are some of the 76 current offerings:   TerraCycle says it can recycle the “unrecyclable,” turning things like toothbrushes and laundry bottles into plastic feedstock. The company made $1.1 million on revenue of $20 million in 2018 and pays a dividend.   IX Water converts industrial containment water, the kind you find around oil wells, into usable water. Drillers produced 150 billion barrels of this water last year, which IX calls a $75 billion opportunity. So far, it has raised $133,000 at a valuation of $13.1 million.   Knightscope offers crime-fighting robots in the form of machine-as-a-service tech. They range from stationary and indoor models to one that can roll across a variety of outdoor terrains. So far, it has raised $7.1 million at StartEngine, out of a total investment of $40 million.  

The Bottom Line on StartEngine

  While most StartEngine offerings are for equity, the company does host other types of offers, including those for a revenue share, convertible stock and debt. Investor money is held in escrow until closing, then disbursed to the offering company. The equity is in the form of a subscription agreement.   StartEngine is, like the companies whose offerings it sponsors, a startup seeking both a leadership position within its niche and legitimacy for that niche. It has already taken large strides toward that aim.   Dana Blankenhorn has been a financial and technology journalist since 1978. His latest book is Technology’s Big Bang: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with Moore’s Law, essays on technology available at the Amazon Kindle store. Follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned shares in AMZN.

For every shipment of ACURE waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be donated to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.

ACURE, a skin and hair wellness brand, has partnered with TerraCycle to make the packaging for their line of skin care and personal care products nationally recyclable in the United States.   As an added incentive, for every shipment of ACURE waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be donated to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   Through the ACURE Recycling Program, consumers can send in ACURE skin care and personal care packaging to be recycled for free. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   "ACURE is giving their customers the unique opportunity to divert waste from landfills by offering them a way to responsibly dispose of their skincare packaging," said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. "In turn, by participating in the ACURE Recycling Program, consumers can demonstrate their respect for the environment not only through the products that they choose to include in their beauty regimen, but also by how the packaging is disposed of."   The ACURE Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization.

Imagine walking in a Cupertino neighborhood in 1976 and finding two geeky kids holed up in a garage. “We’re building the world’s next great computer,” the lanky one says. You ask how much it would cost to go from garage band to full-fledged business, and they offer you shares in the startup. You’d walk away having invested in the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, and Steve Jobs gets to drive away with his Volkswagen bus.   Only this is 2020, where fledgling entrepreneurs can turn to crowdfunding to build the next great thing — be it the “Amazon of Pharmacy” or a fully autonomous robotic lawnmower. Anything is possible, if not incredibly risky.   In fact, there can only be risk when investing in startups. Many are pre-revenue, untested and banking on ideas that could be ahead of their time, just right on time or completely off the reservation. You could just as easily invest in the next Theranos before the next Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).   That’s where we come in. InvestorPlace’s foray into private investing features many of our top writers and analysts. Each of whom have taken deep dives into equity crowdfunding offerings. Reading their insights can give you a leg up when investing in startups.   Here you’ll find snippets taken directly from the articles of our writers on various equity crowdfunding investments. Read through, breathe it in and step confidently into shoes that just 10 years were filled by accredited investors:     Equity Crowdfunding Site: SeedInvest Days Left to Invest: 17 days   Let me start this piece by saying three very important things:   First, I’d like to introduce you to NowRx, an on-demand e-pharmacy which — much like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) leveraged technology and same-day shipping to disrupt the multi-trillion dollar retail market — is leveraging technology and a same-day prescription delivery service to disrupt the several hundred billion dollar U.S. legacy pharmacy industry.   In this sense, I like to think of NowRx as the “Amazon of Pharmacy.”   Second, NowRx is not a public company. You can’t buy and sell shares of NowRx like you can buy and sell shares of Amazon. Bummer.   Third, thanks to some major advancements in crowdfunding technology and legislation, you can now invest in next-generation startups like NowRx for the long haul.   Simply go to SeedInvest.com. Create an account (it only takes a few minutes). Search for NowRx, and click the button that says “Invest in NowRx.”   It’s that simple.         Equity Crowdfunding Site: StartEngine Amount Raised: $3.19mm of its $12.75mm funding goal Hunting for the next Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) doesn’t necessarily mean you’re searching for the next big consumer tech explosion. “The next Amazon” largely means finding the next high-growth stock of the future. And the earlier you invest in these companies, the bigger the gains. Few options can beat privately traded firms in this regard, but private investing has historically held a high barrier to entry.   Does your net worth exceed $1 million (not including your primary residence)? Do you make more than $200,000 per year ($300,000 if you file taxes jointly with your spouse)? If you do, congratulations! You’re an accredited investor and can invest in private businesses.   If not, don’t fret. You can still invest in privately traded companies through equity crowdfunding … but, boy, if there were ever an area of the market that felt as if it were pioneered by the likes of Saul Goodman, it’s regulation crowdfunding.   That’s because regulation crowdfunding stipulates that firms raise no more than $1.07 million … per year. This severely hampers the quality of offerings, as few startups worth investing in need such small amounts of cash. Regulation A+ offerings, though, can raise substantially more. So when looking through offerings, I stuck to swiping through companies in the latter category … and I stumbled on an anomaly in TerraCycle.   Now I’m sure many of you have heard of this company in passing before, but what caught my eye was the amount it’s raised ($12 million) and the revenue it already brings in ($20 million in 2018).   By the end of its funding round, TerraCycle hopes to raise $25 million. Just what is this company that I’ve never heard of and how is it that it’s already profitable. And why does it continue to attract so much cash from everyday people?     Read more here.       Equity Crowdfunding Site: SeedInvest Amount Raised: $1.09mm raised   As readers of mine know, I’m hugely bullish on the equity crowdfunding space, seeing it as an enormous opportunity for retail investors to diversify their portfolio with potentially explosive early-stage investments in tomorrow’s most important companies.   With that in mind, one of the more interesting private investments that I’ve come across on crowdfunding platform SeedInvest is robotic commercial lawnmower maker, Graze.   In short, Graze is a pre-revenue company that has developed a fully-autonomous, robotic commercial lawnmower. Management believes this breakthrough technology has the power to disrupt the $54 billion U.S. commercial landscaping market, by addressing and eliminating the market’s biggest pain-points: labor costs, fuel costs, safety-related workers compensation and pollution.   Those pain-points are painful enough — and the benefits of Graze’s solutions clear enough — that I do believe this company has a good opportunity to become a meaningfully large player in the U.S. commercial landscaping market.   If so, an investment in Graze today could yield huge returns.   Graze’s current financing round on SeedInvest values the company at $23 million (pre-money). My modeling suggests that a $1 billion valuation is possible within the next decade. That represents several thousand percent return.   Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 59 days   Technology has certainly helped to deal with the terrible impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, as seen with Slack Technologies (NYSE:WORK) and Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM). But there are a variety of early-stage startups that are looking to provide solutions as well. Just look at Hearo.Live. The company’s mobile app allows you to chat while doing such things as watching movies, games, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) streams or shows. What’s more, through the crowdfunding site Republic, you can invest in Hearo.Live.   The founders include CEO Edward Lerner and Dwight Kwok, the company’s vice president of business development. Lerner is the person who wrote Electronic Arts’ (NASDAQ:EA) first 3D game. He has also created companies likes Looking Glass and Multitidue. As for Kwok, he was the general manager in Greater China for Xsolla, where he was responsible for monetizing media and entertainment properties. So far, the company has raised $196,536 from 629 investors and the valuation is $12.5 million.   Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 75 days   Fleeting, which operates a platform to better manage trucking fleets, is using the crowdfunding site Republic to raise capital. So far, the company has received commitments for $219,559 from more than 1,000 investors. And the valuation is $10 million if you want to invest in Fleeting.   The company got its start back in April 2018. There are also three founders, which include:  

• CEO Pierre Laguerre: He has 11 years experience as a CDL Class A Truck driver and owned his own operation, which generated $1 million in revenues during the first year. Laguerre has started several other businesses, with the aggregate revenues of $4 million.
• CTO Anil Jagarlamudi: He has over two decades experience in the software industry and has held executive-level positions at companies like Luma and AirWatch, which was acquired by VMware (NYSE:VMW).
• COO Paul Munguia: His background is in the fintech industry. He also co-founded Upright, which helps to build startups.

  Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 60 days   Genobank.io, a startup that is developing a secure DNA kit, is currently raising a round of capital though the Republic crowdfunding platform. So far more than $325,000 has been raised from more than 1,000 investors. The valuation is set at $10 million.   The founders include Daniel Uribe, who is the CEO, and Everardo Barojas. Uribe is a serial entrepreneur and has worked at companies like Sun Microsystems. Some of his areas of expertise include cybersecurity, blockchain, and cloud computing. He also has a degree in electrical engineering and an executive MBA from Stanford GSB.   As for Barojas, he is a PhD candidate and has a computer science degree. His main focus at Genobank is on the technology side, such as with the development of the RexChain fork for encrypted data.   Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 121 days   The past decade has seen much transformation of transportation, as seen with breakout companies like Uber (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT). But for the founders of startup Upshift – Ezra Goldman, who started a dockless bikeshare service in 1999 and Ayako Hiwasa, a social entrepreneur – believe that there is still much room for interesting ideas in the space.   Now Upshift is essentially reimagining the traditional car purchase model.   To prove this out, Upshift is raising capital on the crowdsourcing platform, Republic. The valuation of the round is at $8 million.   Then how does Upshift work? Let’s take a look at the workflow. If you need a car, you text Upshift for where you want the vehicle delivered and at what time. The company will then drive it to you, all gassed up and clean.   You can then take it anywhere you want. Keep in mind that there are no mileage restrictions. And when you are finished, Upshift will pick up the vehicle.   OK, why do this instead of getting a ride from Uber or Lyft?   Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 10 days   Teooh, which is a developer of a mobile app for virtual events, is attempting to raise a round of capital. The approach is to use a crowdfunding platform called Republic. For Teooh’s funding, the valuation cap is $10 million.   OK then, let’s get some background on the company: When Don Stein graduated from college, he moved from Detroit to San Francisco, with the goal of becoming a venture capitalist. But this proved extremely difficult as he had few contacts in the industry. He kept networking and met a prominent angel investor, who liked Stein’s approach. With the investor’s help, he seeded a small venture fund called Candela Partners.   A key part of the strategy was actually to host events with the portfolio companies. Yet there was a nagging issue: Only those around the Bay area could attend.   Stein wondered if he could use cutting-edge technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to create virtual events. In other words, would it be possible to replicate the face-to-face experience?   Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: StartEngine Days Left to Invest: 29 days   I recently wrote about three equity crowdfunding investments raising funds on StartEngine, which the 2020 Inc. 5000 calls the 10th fastest-growing private company in the state of California. The star of the article was BrewDog USA, the American subsidiary of the U.K. craft brewer, that’s used its Equity for Punks platform since 2010 to raise millions of dollars of capital to fund its growth. In both crowdfunding and craft beer circles, BrewDog’s reputation is legendary. In addition to Brew Dog, I recommended investors check out two other StartEngine equity crowdfunding investments worthy of consideration. One of them was ModVans, a California-based manufacturer of CV1 modular van conversions.   “Why do I like it?” I stated April 19. “Millennials will love the company’s CV1 campervan. Plus, it already has $3.7 million in sales.” How popular are campervans with millennials? Thor Industries (NYSE:THO), the largest manufacturer of motorhomes and trailers in the U.S., has big plans for this segment of the RV market.   “We see growing potential for [the camper van] product category in North America,” Thor Industries CEO Bob Martin said in April. “Last year, the camper community there grew by 1.4 million households — 56 percent of which are millennials. These new participants are often returning to the roots of campervanning and prefer a lifestyle that involves less effort while offering more adventure and experiential quality.”   Read more here.     Equity Crowdfunding Site: StartEngine Amount Raised: $7.12mm of $11.75mm goal   Founded in 2013, Knightscope is the developer of fully autonomous security robots or bots. The company’s mission is “to make the United States of America the safest country in the world.” But is Knightscope a business you can invest in?   The company is actually raising capital through an online crowdfunding platform, called StartEngine. The goal is to raise $50 million.   Note that Knightscope has already raised $46.6 million from prior rounds of financing, such as from family offices and retail investors. So let’s get a backgrounder on the company and its prospects.

ACURE®, a leader in skin and hair wellness, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle® to make the packaging for their line of skin care and personal care products nationally recyclable in the United States. As an added incentive, for every shipment of ACURE® waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be donated to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   Through the ACURE® Recycling Program, consumers can now send in ACURE® skin care and personal care packaging to be recycled for free. Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page  https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/acure and mail in the packaging waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “ACURE is giving their customers the unique opportunity to divert waste from landfills by offering them a way to responsibly dispose of their skincare packaging,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. “In turn, by participating in the ACURE® Recycling Program, consumers can demonstrate their respect for the environment not only through the products that they choose to include in their beauty regimen, but also by how the packaging is disposed of.”   The ACURE® Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.   About ACURE® ACURE® is a family owned and operated company founded on sustainable principles and accessible price points to steer people away from toxic chemicals, proving that you don't have to sacrifice your health for beautiful skin and hair. Each of our products is gluten free and free from animal testing, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, harmful preservatives and artificial colors. Our plant + food based formulas are clinically driven to provide optimal performance at a cellular level. Because it's not enough to be natural, it also has to work. Available at retailers nationwide and at acure.com.   About TerraCycle TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine’s list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.com.  

In this month’s edition of Business Report, we return to highlight the sometimes unexpected twists and turns resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, this time focusing on recycling and sustainability impacts. TerraCycle’s Szaky noted that though refillable container use at grocery stores has certainly suffered as a result of the pandemic, its Loop initiative, whereby consumers ship back reusable containers to consumer product companies and retailers through the LOOP system, has continued to gain traction, with 15 major retailers, 400 brands and 100,000 consumers participating, though it needs more scale to become  profitable, which it anticipates will take two to three years. And, packaging firm Ball Corp. continues to work on its aluminum drinking cup efforts, touting aluminum cups as infinitely recyclable.

The world’s first plastic-free coronavirus visor that can be composted in your yard is sold at 50p per mask

• Kit is made from responsible paper and cellulose from wood pulp
• It will be priced at 50p per item if it goes on sale this week
• A Plastic Planet, Reelbrands and Transcend Packaging have developed the PPE
• Here’s how you can help people affected by Covid-19

  By Luke Andrews for Mailonline Published: 22:01 BST, June 2, 2020 | Updated: 22:01 BST, June 2, 2020   The ‘first’ plastic-free coronavirus visor in the world that can be composted in your backyard is on sale for 50p per mask.   The Plastic free PPE REELshield, sold in boxes of 150 for £ 75, consists of an adjustable responsible paper headband and a transparent cellulose visor extracted from wood pulp.   Once used, the designer says it can be disposed of with organic waste.   The US Composting Council adds that there is “no risk” of compost spreading coronavirus because it will decay in heat and humidity within three days.   International campaign group A Plastic Planet and packaging experts Reelbrands and Transcend Packaging have developed the PPE to reduce plastic pollution. The mask is made of responsible paper for the headband and cellulose extracted from wood pulp for the transparent visor   “No one wants to compromise the safety of workers and the public, but the plastic PPE visors are used once and then exist for centuries,” said campaign group co-founder Sian Sutherland.   “We wanted to set a good example and show that we can protect ourselves and our planet.   ‘We can no longer sacrifice nature without consequences. The public supports a green recovery from the pandemic because we simply cannot isolate or vaccinate against the climate crisis.’   The personal protective equipment is CE certified by the European Economic Area, which means that it has been extensively tested to ensure that it meets the same standards as the plastic alternative.   It has also received a Plastic Free Trust Mark from one of its designers, A Plastic Planet. The mask is a response to millions of plastic items that are feared to pollute the ocean. PPE masks have been washed off above on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, May 27   The PPE will be made available to companies this week. Some have already been picked up by delivery company Yodel and fish product company Three Oceans.   It can be bought by individuals or by companies looking to place larger orders, a spokesperson said.   For those concerned about composting, there will be a special service where used PPE can be disposed of in a specialized bin.   The stock is collected by Terracycle and taken to a location where it is recycled or composted.   Factories are poised to produce over a million plastic free PPE kits every week, with plans to start producing more in the US and distribute them in East and South Africa. “The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule covered with a protective layer of lipid (fat),” they said.   “Because the virus is not a living organism, it is not killed, but perishes. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and the type of material where it lies: between three hours (drops in the air) to 24 hours (porous surfaces such as fabrics or cardboard) to 72 hours (hard, smooth surfaces such as plastic).   “At least it won’t survive the weeks or months in your compost pile, not even a not very active one.”   As of February 2020, an estimated 761 million pieces of PPE are distributed across the UK.

Medical cannabis patients have a new option to buy bulk and reduce the amount of packaging their medicine comes in.   On Wednesday, Hexo Corp. (TSX and NYSE: HEXO) launched a 30-gram bulk product of the company’s Tsunami dried flower strain. Because all products need to meet Health Canada’s packaging regulations, buying more weed in a single bag produces less packaging waste than buying several smaller packages for the same overall amount of cannabis.   Offering bulk to medical patients is an “important step on Hexo’s sustainability journey,” the company said in a press release.   Sustainability has been a stumbling block for the regulated market.   Under the Cannabis Act, packaging needs to be opaque, child-resistant and water proof. This has lead many companies to use plastic packaging instead of biodegradable materials. Some recycling programs exist for cannabis packaging, like TerraCycle which recycles any licensed producer’s packaging, as well as vape products made by Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED).   Other packaging can be recycled in Ontario’s curb-side pickup, according to the Ontario Cannabis Store. But buying bulk remains the leading way to reduce packaging.   “We know our medical clients have been waiting for this opportunity to purchase a higher volume of cannabis without excess packaging,” Hexo CEO and co-founder Sebastien St-Louis said in the release.   The company offers medical patients free shipping and absorbs the cost of the excise tax on all orders, St-Louis added.   So far, the 30-gram bag is only available for medical users but not for regular adult users.   The fruity indica-dominant strain is a Northern Lights variant with a 20–26 per cent THC kick and less than 1 per cent CBD potency, according to BC Cannabis. But more strains will be added to the 30-gram format soon, St-Louis said.   In October 2019, Hexo launched a bulk 28-gram format for recreational users. The bigger bag of weed continues to go for $140 for 28 grams, or $5 per gram, which was around $0.60 cheaper than the price-per-gram of the unregulated market, according to self-submitted data collected by Statistics Canada.   The “quality weed at legit prices,” was designed to disrupt the unregulated market, St-Louis said in an October statement. “Consistent, reliable and controlled products like this can play a major role in achieving the goals we set out nationally by legalizing cannabis just over a year ago: eliminating the illicit market and protecting public health and safety.”

Imagine walking in a Cupertino neighborhood in 1976 and finding two geeky kids holed up in a garage. “We’re building the world’s next great computer,” the lanky one says. You ask how much it would cost to go from garage band to full-fledged business, and they offer you shares in the startup. You’d walk away having invested in the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, and Steve Jobs gets to drive away with his Volkswagen bus.   Only this is 2020, where fledgling entrepreneurs can turn to crowdfunding to build the next great thing — be it the “Amazon of Pharmacy” or a fully autonomous robotic lawnmower. Anything is possible, if not incredibly risky.   In fact, there can only be risk when investing in startups. Many are pre-revenue, untested and banking on ideas that could be ahead of their time, just right on time or completely off the reservation. You could just as easily invest in the next Theranos before the next Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).   That’s where we come in. InvestorPlace’s foray into private investing features many of our top writers and analysts. Each of whom have taken deep dives into equity crowdfunding offerings. Reading their insights can give you a leg up when investing in startups.   Here you’ll find snippets taken directly from the articles of our writers on various equity crowdfunding investments. Read through, breathe it in and step confidently into shoes that just 10 years were filled by accredited investors: Equity Crowdfunding Site: SeedInvest Days Left to Invest: 17 days   Let me start this piece by saying three very important things:   First, I’d like to introduce you to NowRx, an on-demand e-pharmacy which — much like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) leveraged technology and same-day shipping to disrupt the multi-trillion dollar retail market — is leveraging technology and a same-day prescription delivery service to disrupt the several hundred billion dollar U.S. legacy pharmacy industry.   In this sense, I like to think of NowRx as the “Amazon of Pharmacy.”   Second, NowRx is not a public company. You can’t buy and sell shares of NowRx like you can buy and sell shares of Amazon. Bummer.   Third, thanks to some major advancements in crowdfunding technology and legislation, you can now invest in next-generation startups like NowRx for the long haul.   Simply go to SeedInvest.com. Create an account (it only takes a few minutes). Search for NowRx, and click the button that says “Invest in NowRx.”   It’s that simple. Equity Crowdfunding Site: StartEngine Amount Raised: $3.19mm of its $12.75mm funding goal   Hunting for the next Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) doesn’t necessarily mean you’re searching for the next big consumer tech explosion. “The next Amazon” largely means finding the next high-growth stock of the future. And the earlier you invest in these companies, the bigger the gains. Few options can beat privately traded firms in this regard, but private investing has historically held a high barrier to entry.   Does your net worth exceed $1 million (not including your primary residence)? Do you make more than $200,000 per year ($300,000 if you file taxes jointly with your spouse)? If you do, congratulations! You’re an accredited investor and can invest in private businesses.   If not, don’t fret. You can still invest in privately traded companies through equity crowdfunding … but, boy, if there were ever an area of the market that felt as if it were pioneered by the likes of Saul Goodman, it’s regulation crowdfunding.   That’s because regulation crowdfunding stipulates that firms raise no more than $1.07 million … per year. This severely hampers the quality of offerings, as few startups worth investing in need such small amounts of cash. Regulation A+ offerings, though, can raise substantially more. So when looking through offerings, I stuck to swiping through companies in the latter category … and I stumbled on an anomaly in TerraCycle.   Now I’m sure many of you have heard of this company in passing before, but what caught my eye was the amount it’s raised ($12 million) and the revenue it already brings in ($20 million in 2018).   By the end of its funding round, TerraCycle hopes to raise $25 million. Just what is this company that I’ve never heard of and how is it that it’s already profitable. And why does it continue to attract so much cash from everyday people?     Read more here. Equity Crowdfunding Site: SeedInvest Amount Raised: $1.09mm raised   As readers of mine know, I’m hugely bullish on the equity crowdfunding space, seeing it as an enormous opportunity for retail investors to diversify their portfolio with potentially explosive early-stage investments in tomorrow’s most important companies.   With that in mind, one of the more interesting private investments that I’ve come across on crowdfunding platform SeedInvest is robotic commercial lawnmower maker, Graze.   In short, Graze is a pre-revenue company that has developed a fully-autonomous, robotic commercial lawnmower. Management believes this breakthrough technology has the power to disrupt the $54 billion U.S. commercial landscaping market, by addressing and eliminating the market’s biggest pain-points: labor costs, fuel costs, safety-related workers compensation and pollution.   Those pain-points are painful enough — and the benefits of Graze’s solutions clear enough — that I do believe this company has a good opportunity to become a meaningfully large player in the U.S. commercial landscaping market.   If so, an investment in Graze today could yield huge returns.   Graze’s current financing round on SeedInvest values the company at $23 million (pre-money). My modeling suggests that a $1 billion valuation is possible within the next decade. That represents several thousand percent return.   Read more here.   Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 59 days   Technology has certainly helped to deal with the terrible impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, as seen with Slack Technologies (NYSE:WORK) and Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM). But there are a variety of early-stage startups that are looking to provide solutions as well. Just look at Hearo.Live. The company’s mobile app allows you to chat while doing such things as watching movies, games, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) streams or shows. What’s more, through the crowdfunding site Republic, you can invest in Hearo.Live.   The founders include CEO Edward Lerner and Dwight Kwok, the company’s vice president of business development. Lerner is the person who wrote Electronic Arts’ (NASDAQ:EA) first 3D game. He has also created companies likes Looking Glass and Multitidue. As for Kwok, he was the general manager in Greater China for Xsolla, where he was responsible for monetizing media and entertainment properties. So far, the company has raised $196,536 from 629 investors and the valuation is $12.5 million.   Read more here. Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 75 days   Fleeting, which operates a platform to better manage trucking fleets, is using the crowdfunding site Republic to raise capital. So far, the company has received commitments for $219,559 from more than 1,000 investors. And the valuation is $10 million if you want to invest in Fleeting.   The company got its start back in April 2018. There are also three founders, which include:  

• CEO Pierre Laguerre: He has 11 years experience as a CDL Class A Truck driver and owned his own operation, which generated $1 million in revenues during the first year. Laguerre has started several other businesses, with the aggregate revenues of $4 million.
• CTO Anil Jagarlamudi: He has over two decades experience in the software industry and has held executive-level positions at companies like Luma and AirWatch, which was acquired by VMware (NYSE:VMW).
• COO Paul Munguia: His background is in the fintech industry. He also co-founded Upright, which helps to build startups.

  Read more here. Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 60 days   Genobank.io, a startup that is developing a secure DNA kit, is currently raising a round of capital though the Republic crowdfunding platform. So far more than $325,000 has been raised from more than 1,000 investors. The valuation is set at $10 million.   The founders include Daniel Uribe, who is the CEO, and Everardo Barojas. Uribe is a serial entrepreneur and has worked at companies like Sun Microsystems. Some of his areas of expertise include cybersecurity, blockchain, and cloud computing. He also has a degree in electrical engineering and an executive MBA from Stanford GSB.   As for Barojas, he is a PhD candidate and has a computer science degree. His main focus at Genobank is on the technology side, such as with the development of the RexChain fork for encrypted data.   Read more here. Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 121 days   The past decade has seen much transformation of transportation, as seen with breakout companies like Uber (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT). But for the founders of startup Upshift – Ezra Goldman, who started a dockless bikeshare service in 1999 and Ayako Hiwasa, a social entrepreneur – believe that there is still much room for interesting ideas in the space.   Now Upshift is essentially reimagining the traditional car purchase model.   To prove this out, Upshift is raising capital on the crowdsourcing platform, Republic. The valuation of the round is at $8 million.   Then how does Upshift work? Let’s take a look at the workflow. If you need a car, you text Upshift for where you want the vehicle delivered and at what time. The company will then drive it to you, all gassed up and clean.   You can then take it anywhere you want. Keep in mind that there are no mileage restrictions. And when you are finished, Upshift will pick up the vehicle.   OK, why do this instead of getting a ride from Uber or Lyft?   Read more here.   Equity Crowdfunding Site: Republic Days Left to Invest: 10 days   Teooh, which is a developer of a mobile app for virtual events, is attempting to raise a round of capital. The approach is to use a crowdfunding platform called Republic. For Teooh’s funding, the valuation cap is $10 million.   OK then, let’s get some background on the company: When Don Stein graduated from college, he moved from Detroit to San Francisco, with the goal of becoming a venture capitalist. But this proved extremely difficult as he had few contacts in the industry. He kept networking and met a prominent angel investor, who liked Stein’s approach. With the investor’s help, he seeded a small venture fund called Candela Partners.   A key part of the strategy was actually to host events with the portfolio companies. Yet there was a nagging issue: Only those around the Bay area could attend.   Stein wondered if he could use cutting-edge technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to create virtual events. In other words, would it be possible to replicate the face-to-face experience?   Read more here. Equity Crowdfunding Site: StartEngine Days Left to Invest: 29 days   I recently wrote about three equity crowdfunding investments raising funds on StartEngine, which the 2020 Inc. 5000 calls the 10th fastest-growing private company in the state of California. The star of the article was BrewDog USA, the American subsidiary of the U.K. craft brewer, that’s used its Equity for Punks platform since 2010 to raise millions of dollars of capital to fund its growth. In both crowdfunding and craft beer circles, BrewDog’s reputation is legendary. In addition to Brew Dog, I recommended investors check out two other StartEngine equity crowdfunding investments worthy of consideration. One of them was ModVans, a California-based manufacturer of CV1 modular van conversions.   “Why do I like it?” I stated April 19. “Millennials will love the company’s CV1 campervan. Plus, it already has $3.7 million in sales.” How popular are campervans with millennials? Thor Industries (NYSE:THO), the largest manufacturer of motorhomes and trailers in the U.S., has big plans for this segment of the RV market.   “We see growing potential for [the camper van] product category in North America,” Thor Industries CEO Bob Martin said in April. “Last year, the camper community there grew by 1.4 million households — 56 percent of which are millennials. These new participants are often returning to the roots of campervanning and prefer a lifestyle that involves less effort while offering more adventure and experiential quality.”   Read more here. Equity Crowdfunding Site: StartEngine Amount Raised: $7.12mm of $11.75mm goal   Founded in 2013, Knightscope is the developer of fully autonomous security robots or bots. The company’s mission is “to make the United States of America the safest country in the world.” But is Knightscope a business you can invest in?   The company is actually raising capital through an online crowdfunding platform, called StartEngine. The goal is to raise $50 million.   Note that Knightscope has already raised $46.6 million from prior rounds of financing, such as from family offices and retail investors. So let’s get a backgrounder on the company and its prospects.   Read more here.

ACURE®, a leader in skin and hair wellness, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle® to make the packaging for their line of skin care and personal care products nationally recyclable in the United States. As an added incentive, for every shipment of ACURE® waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be donated to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   Through the ACURE® Recycling Program, consumers can now send in ACURE® skin care and personal care packaging to be recycled for free. Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page  https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/acure and mail in the packaging waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “ACURE is giving their customers the unique opportunity to divert waste from landfills by offering them a way to responsibly dispose of their skincare packaging,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. “In turn, by participating in the ACURE® Recycling Program, consumers can demonstrate their respect for the environment not only through the products that they choose to include in their beauty regimen, but also by how the packaging is disposed of.” The ACURE® Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization.  

For more information, visit www.terracycle.com.