In the past, people had to go to many places to meet their needs. For example, to get food, people had to go to a restaurant or the market to get ingredients; to go to a function, they needed to get to the bus stop and get on a bus. These were all very time-consuming activities that had no guarantee of producing the desired result. Today, all that has changed. We now have apps like Uber and Instacart to help us get a ride or deliver groceries to our doorsteps.

In the same way, startup investing is making it easier for people to invest in these sorts of companies that make life easier. With startup investing, people can invest their money into young companies like the Ubers of this world that are likely to grow fast. 

First, what is a startup?

A startup is a newly established company that intends to grow rapidly. They are usually private companies less than 5-10 years old. Most startups have minimal operations as they develop their initial idea. Once they have a solid plan, they seek additional funding from venture capitalists or angel investors to expand their business.

What is startup investing?

Startup investing is how individuals and institutions invest in young companies. These investments are often made in exchange for equity ownership or a claim on some of the company's future profits. Startup investing has become especially popular over the past decade as technology companies have grown to become some of the most valuable businesses in the world. Many investors are attracted to startups because of their high risk-reward profile and ability to potentially see substantial returns on their investments quickly.

What makes startup investing so appealing?

One of the main reasons that startup investing has become so popular is that there is often a lot of potential for growth in these young companies. Many investors see startups as being particularly high-risk investments, but ones that have the potential to generate massive returns if the company does well and can attract even more funding.

There are typically two ways to participate in startup investing: through venture capital firms or as an individual angel investor. Venture capital firms pool funds from multiple investors to provide larger sums of money to startups, while angel investors typically invest their own personal funds in smaller amounts.

When investors put money into a startup, they're forming a partnership with that company. If the business does well and makes money, the investors get returns based on their ownership stake in the company. But if things go bad and the startup fails, those same investors lose their original investment.