Republic is among the top online equity crowdfunding platforms that help investors discover new investment opportunities. They also innovative and strengthen business plans for startups that have already gained traction. This traction can either be in sales or in launching their products. This is all for potentially high returns given their increased risks.
There are numerous investment criteria to help you find the best startups to invest in. From different sectors to highlights — such as being profitable or venture-backed — the choices can be either too wide or too narrow. In this article, I chose to focus on startups whose equity crowdfunding rounds will be closing soon.
What are some of the best startups to invest in Republic today? Here are seven of them to consider now. Remember that due diligence is always recommended, as is fully understanding the risks of each company.
These are my picks for the 7 best startups. And you better hurry; their campaigns are closing soon:
- Mighty Monkey
- Curastory
- Power Trucks USA
- Upright
- Nanno
- PalX
- Vene Rides
Best Startups: Mighty Monkey
Ask 10 people whether they like cookies, and chances are almost all of them will reply “yes.” But not all cookies are tasty, high-quality, and made of healthy ingredients rather than a lot of sugar. Having a healthy lifestyle should include healthy food and snacks, too. There is a solution to eating delicious cookies that are also gluten-free: Mighty Monkey’s cookies.
By making taste a top priority and placing customer satisfaction on the same level as their health, Mighty Monkey creates delicious and allergy-free cookies. The difference is in the high-quality ingredients used, starting from its proprietary gluten-free flour to address food allergies. There are also seven flavors to cover various flavor preferences.
The main target market is the U.S. gluten-free market, which was valued at $11.37 billion in 2021. Additionally, the global cookie market was valued at $32.12 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach a value of $47.87 billion by 2028.
In just under three years, Mighty Monkey grew from a local brand to a national brand and has generated revenue of more than $135,000. It has an ambitious goal of reaching $10 million in revenue by 2023 and being available at more than 3,000 stores by 2024. The key to success for Mighty Monkey lies in three core principles: quality, taste, and brand, especially for customers with dietary restrictions.
You can invest in Mighty Monkey on Republic with a minimum amount of $100.
Curastory
Curastory is an all-in-one platform for creators to make, share, edit and monetize their videos. Videos can be very profitable for creators on the Curastory platform, as there are tools to help them create videos. These include free video editing and music tools and rental kits. By using ad segments in their videos, creators can accept ad bids and track their earnings. Brands can submit their desired script, make bids on videos to place ad spots, and filter videos by the demographic audience, region, category, and budget.
Curastory has gained traction, reporting more than 1,000 user sign-ups with a high user retention rate of 82%. It also made a gross revenue of $85,000 over 3 months. The run rate of $1.02 million is high, too. It could even improve more as important partnerships with sports, such as the NBA and NCAA, will significantly raise the number of creators to more than 150,000.
Curastory targets the sports and fitness industry. The business model generates revenue with a fee of 30% for each video. Addionally, video equipment rental subscriptions are available, ranging from $35 – $50 per month.
The video platform does not define itself as an influencer marketplace, but rather wants to power every video for audiences everywhere.
You can invest in Curastory on Republic with a minimum investment of $250.
Best Startups: Power Trucks USA
The aftermarket for truck parts in the U.S. is not very developed despite jeeps and trucks being quite popular vehicles.
Power Trucks USA solves the problem of providing high-quality accessories to owners of jeeps and trucks in the U.S. market, helping owners to fully customize medium and light-duty trucks.
The accessories provided by Power Trucks USA include almost everything to turn a light truck or jeep into a customized vehicle with a unique design. Starting from tires, wheels, and stereos, the accessories can make each vehicle stand out, improving both appearance and performance. The company has plans to create a franchised brand for truck and jeep owners across the U.S. market.
The business model has generated more than $1 million in revenue in the past 12 months and has not one, but two business models. The first business model is Power Trucks Warrenton, which acts as the flagship firm. It generated $2.06 million in revenue in 2020. The second business model is Power Trucks USA. It will be asset-light and will hold all future franchises as subsidiaries.
There are both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) sales targeting consumers and local auto dealerships. Within 10 years, the company plans to have achieved the milestone of developing its franchising model in every part of the U.S.
You can invest in Power Trucks USA on Republic with a minimum investment of $100.
Upright
Can oat milk be as nutritious as dairy only by adding water? Upright proves this is achievable by solving the problem of a tradeoff between health, taste, and sustainability. Upright Instant Oatmilk is a high-protein, allergen-free drink that is just as nutritious as dairy, but without the need of dairy at all.
It is made of oats, a blend of vitamins and minerals, plus natural flavors, such as vanilla and chocolate. The ingredients used are clean and allergen-free without any lactose, nuts, soy, seeds, or any artificial flavors. You just empty the packet into a glass, add water, stir, and enjoy a healthy and nutritious drink.
It is an ideal snack for traveling, hiking, camping, or at home. You can add it to coffee, smoothies, or even to cooking and baking recipes.
The global dairy alternatives market was valued at $19.79 billion in 2020. It is expected to grow to $47.95 billion by 2028. Combining the dairy alternative and plant-based markets, this gives an addressable market of over $42 billion.
Notably, Upright’s Instant Oakmilk has been developed with leading scientists from top universities, such as Harvard and Yale, and it is backed by pediatricians.
The sales channels include direct-to-customer (D2C), B2B, and retail sales via distributors and retailers.
You can invest in Upright on Republic with a minimum investment of $100.
Best Startups: Nanno
Raising children can be tough and demanding. Finding a high-quality babysitter or a nanny on-demand may seem just as tough. Luckily, Nanno solved this problem by having a proprietary 5-step vetting process. This includes performing a background check and assessing skills with behavioral tests to provide parents the safest way to book a sitter when they need to.
Parents set the criteria and skills such as languages, activities, and educational background they want for sitters. When a sitter responds with matching availability, the booking is confirmed with an automatic payment.
The traction of Nanno is evident with its presence in every major U.S. metropolitan area. The platform has more than 35,000 trusted sitters nationwide and more than $1 million in babysitting transactions have been made.
Word of mouth is often the best marketing and advertising solution. This is no different for Nanno, stating that its business is growing via referrals and recommendations by other users.
Based on Republic’s pitch for Nanno, the “revenue model is twofold: Parents who book only occasionally pay only for the care they use—and we add a 20-30% commission to the hourly rate. Parents who book frequently can subscribe on a monthly basis for lower hourly rates.”
Putting safety above all, Nanno considers the informal childcare market in the U.S to be approximately $34 billion.
You can invest in Nanno on Republic with a minimum amount of $100.
PalX
PalX disrupts the supply chain with the development of smart pallets technology. Ordinary pallets, and especially those of poor-quality, cause problems such as inefficient supply chain operations and product damage while in transit.
PalX has developed smart pallets technology aimed at improving key features such as transparency, integrity, and visibility for all participants in the supply chain. How is this feasible?
It all starts with a control chip in each smart pallet that provides management inventory, condition monitoring, and security by tracking assets and goods while they are being transported. There is a 90-day cycle that covers everything from orders to service and repairs. Customers include both major national brands and smaller regional firms.
PalX is targeting an $11 billion market and is optimistic in its projections of potential growth in revenue of $386 million and reaching an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $172 million over five years. The pallet industry, according to PalX, has remained stagnant for many years. It believes now is the time to redefine the pallet with its innovative technology and transform the consumer goods industry.
You can invest in PalX on Republic with a minimum amount of $100.
Best Startups: Vene Rides
Vene Rides is a marketplace of light electric vehicles. It covers both sales and service with goals of cleaner cities and fighting climate change. The addressable market is the $43 billion electric bike and scooter market. It offers a complete suite of services starting with sales, offering subscriptions, and covering service for both electric bikes and scooters.
Micromobility is not just a trend, but seems like a movement. Vene Rides marketplace offers top brands products that are reliable, subject to serviceability, and high-quality.
Users can buy subscription plans to lower their expenses. The firm has two stores, one in Miami and one in Chicago. There is already a reported $50,000 in revenue per month and a projection of total revenue in 2021 to surpass $600,000.
The company stated it has robust margins of 35% – 45%, which can improve further based on increase e-commerce sales. Both the market of e-bikes and electric scooters are expected to grow rapidly, reaching $70 billion in 2027 and $5.2 billion by 2028, respectively.
The expansion plans consist of launching 5 Micro-EV stores in 2022 and 100 stores on a national level by 2024.
Disrupting the micro-mobility industry is focused on offering almost everything a customer needs, from test rides to convenient service. Vene Rides also offers a wide brand selection supported by an experienced team.
You can invest in Vene Rides on Republic with a minimum amount of $100.
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.