StartEngine Review [2023]: Feel Like a Shark Tank Investor (2024)

If you’ve ever watched Shark Tank and thought you’d like to be one of the sharks, you might just get your chance to do that. Several companies exist that allow their users to invest in startups. One you may want to check out is StartEngine. Here’s what you need to know about the startup investing platform to see whether it’s a good fit for you.

In this StartEngine Review

  • What is StartEngine?
  • How does StartEngine work?
  • Who can invest with StartEngine?
  • How much can you earn with StartEngine?
  • Maximizing your earnings with StartEngine
  • Common questions about StartEngine
  • How to sign up for StartEngine
  • Alternatives to StartEngine

What is StartEngine?

StartEngine is an equity crowdfunding platform that allows investors to invest in new startup companies. The company launched its first campaign in 2015 and is led by CEO Howard Marks. Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank fame is also a strategic advisor to the company.

To date, StartEngine has raised more than $500 million in funds for over 500 company offerings on the platform. The platform boasts a community of over 600,000 prospective investors, too.

How does StartEngine work?

Unlike startup investment platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo that give you rewards for donations to campaigns, StartEngine lets you buy actual equity and invest in the companies you support.

The company lists all of the startup companies looking to raise capital on its website. Simply browse through these investment opportunities to find the ones you’re interested in. A quick snapshot will show you the amount the company has raised so far, the number of investors, and the minimum investment amount required.

Once you find a company you may be interested in, it’s time to do a deep dive. Each company has an investor snapshot campaign video, financial documents, key reasons to invest, and what the company does. Research this information carefully to determine whether you think it will be a good investment.

When you’re ready to start investing, create an account. Then, click “Invest Now” on any campaign page to begin investing in a startup. You fill out some information about yourself and submit a payment method.

In some cases, a company may not meet its funding goal. If it doesn’t, your money will get returned to you within 10 business days after the offering closes unsuccessfully.

Investment options on StartEngine fall into two categories: Regulation Crowdfunding, also referred to as Regulation CF (Reg CF), and Regulation A+ (Reg A+). These regulations regulate how startups can raise money from investors and were introduced by the JOBS Act. These investments have different rules for startups raising money. They also limit how much you can invest.

  • Reg A+: This allows non-accredited investors to invest up to 10% of their annual income or 10% of their net worth each year in Reg A+ companies, whichever is greater. Companies will be listed on StartEngine as Regulation A+ companies so you can keep track of these requirements.
  • Reg CF: This limits non-accredited investors with annual income or net worth of less than $107,000 to investing a maximum of 5% the greater of the two numbers. If your annual income and net worth exceed $107,000, you can invest up to 10% of the greater of the two amounts.

StartEngine offers a wide variety of startups in more than 40 different industries, including advertising and marketing, biotechnology, consumer products, manufacturing, and technology.

Owner’s Bonus

Owner’s Bonus is a subscription program you can purchase at StartEngine. It costs $275 per year and is auto-renewed. When you have the Owner’s Bonus, you receive 10% bonus shares on investments you purchase, but only those that participate in the program. Not all investments have to participate.

The program gives you first access for the first seven days for new StartEngine Collectibles launches and priority waitlist positions when you want to invest in oversubscribed companies. Oversubscribed companies are companies that have met their funding goals. You can join a waitlist without Owner’s Bonus, but you get priority as an Owner’s Bonus subscriber.

You also get to hear about new bonus-eligible opportunities through email notifications before others on the platform.

StartEngine Secondary

StartEngine is a secondary market where non-accredited investors can trade their startup investments in Regulation Crowdfunding and Regulation A+ companies. Initially, only one company will be traded, but plans include adding more in the future.

This platform aims to allow investors to trade their shares in the startups they invest in based on the rules of the investments. As long as you’re able to trade your investments, you have the option to sell shares of companies you no longer want or cash out of those that were successful. Once StartEngine Secondary launches and is operational, you’ll get a 20% discount on the seller’s fee if you are an Owner’s Bonus subscriber.

What are StartEngine’s fees?

StartEngine charges fees for companies that are fundraising on the platform. If they choose, these companies may pass part of this fee along to investors. You’ll see a fee line item for 3.5% of your investment amount when you submit a transaction to invest in one of these companies.

Who can invest with StartEngine?

Some startup investing companies only allow accredited investors to invest. These are people with a net worth of at least $1 million, excluding their primary home or those with $200,000 per year in income as a single person or $300,000 per year in income when combined with a spouse. Accredited investors can invest as much as they’d like on StartEngine.

Fortunately, StartEngine also allows non-accredited investors to invest. There are limitations on the amount you can invest based on which regulation the startup is using to raise capital, though. Startups using Regulation A+ limit non-accredited investors to investing only 10% of their annual income or 10% of their net worth, whichever is greater, each year.

Regulation Crowdfunding limits people with an annual income or net worth of less than $107,000 to investing a maximum of 5% of the larger of the two numbers. If your annual income and net worth exceed $107,000, you’re limited to investing 10% of the higher of the two numbers.

Some companies on StartEngine may also require a minimum investment, which is listed on each startup’s page. As of February 2022, the minimum investment appeared to be about $100 based on the campaigns shown on StartEngine.com.

How much can you earn with StartEngine?

The amount you may or may not earn with StartEngine depends on the particular companies you invest in. StartEngine states it has “no control or insight into your investment after the close of the live offering,” and is “not permitted to provide financial advice.” It recommends you talk to a financial professional to discuss potential investment outcomes.

In theory, you can earn money in a few ways. If a company you own shares in decides to pay a dividend to shareholders, you could earn income from dividend payments. This is a rare occurrence in early stage companies because they’re focused on growth rather than paying out shareholders.

Another potential way to earn money with the companies you invest in through StartEngine is by selling your shares. However, the company whose shares you want to sell may not be publicly traded, which could severely limit where and whom you can sell them to.

If you’re able to sell shares, you would have to sell them at a higher price than you bought them for to make money. This would require the company to continue growing successfully, which may not always happen with startups.

If the startup is extremely successful, it may go through an initial public offering (IPO). At this point, shares would be traded publicly and you could sell them at the current market price.

Maximizing your earnings with StartEngine

Learning how to make money investing requires a lot of research. For example, maximizing earnings with StartEngine requires you to analyze startups with good investment potential.

These companies are not publicly traded and are often long-term investments. They’re also high-risk, with their performance varying based on whether they can survive and thrive after receiving a capital investment. For these reasons, there are no set strategies to maximize your earnings on the platform.

Common questions about StartEngine

Is StartEngine legit?

StartEngine is a legitimate startup crowdfunding platform. As of February 2022, the company had 600,000 prospective investors, had raised more than $500 million for startups, and had funded over 500 offerings.

You’ll need to do your due diligence on the companies you invest in within the platform to determine whether your investments will succeed. Remember, startups are risky companies to invest in and may fail. This could result in your investment becoming worthless.

Has anyone made money from StartEngine?

A few companies that have raised money on StartEngine have become available to trade on over-the-counter (OTC) markets. These aren’t traditional stock markets but are instead are organized networks of dealers that don’t follow the same rules as a traditional stock exchange.

Another company that raised money on StartEngine has issued a dividend payment. Unfortunately, because companies raising money on StartEngine aren’t publicly traded, information about company performance is difficult to find, including potential returns.

How much does StartEngine cost?

StartEngine makes money from the companies looking to raise money on the platform. That said, the companies can help offset this fee by having StartEngine charge investors a 3.5% fee of their investment.

How to sign up for StartEngine

The first phase of signing for a StartEngine account is simple. All you have to do is provide a username, your name as it shows up on your identification card, and create a password. To continue and open a StartEngine investment account, you must provide the following details:

  • Address
  • Cell phone number
  • Employment status
  • Marital status
  • Number of dependents
  • Date of birth
  • Country of citizenship
  • Social Security number (SSN) or taxpayer identification number (ITIN)
  • Your investment objective
  • Investment experience
  • Annual income
  • Liquid net worth
  • Total net worth
  • Answers about how you would and plan to invest

Alternatives to StartEngine

StartEngine isn’t the only startup investing platform. You may want to consider these other alternatives while learning how to invest in startups.

SeedInvest

SeedInvest is a community of over 620,000 investors considering investing in startups. The platform has raised more than $410 million for startups through the site.

You don’t have to be an accredited investor to invest through SeedInvest, though some investments are limited to accredited investors only. You can look at the details startups have provided to help you decide if there are any companies you’re interested in before you sign up. This information is only public for startups that allow non-accredited investors to invest.

AngelList

AngelList allows you to invest in startups differently but only works with accredited investors. Although it supports investing in individual startups through its Syndicates product, AngelList offers two other options.

The first is called RollingFunds, which allows you to invest quarterly through a venture capital fund. The second is Managed Funds, which allows you to invest in a group of startups every quarter. The minimum investments through AngelList are often very high, though. Expect to have to invest at least $10,000 per quarter.

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StartEngine Review [2023]: Feel Like a Shark Tank Investor (2024)

FAQs

Is StartEngine a legitimate company? ›

StartEngine is a legitimate startup crowdfunding platform. As of February 2022, the company had 600,000 prospective investors, had raised more than $500 million for startups, and had funded over 500 offerings.

Is it safe to invest in StartEngine? ›

IN MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS MUST RELY ON THEIR OWN EXAMINATION OF THE ISSUER AND THE TERMS OF THE OFFERING, INCLUDING THE MERITS AND RISKS INVOLVED. INVESTMENTS ON STARTENGINE ARE SPECULATIVE, ILLIQUID, AND INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF YOUR ENTIRE INVESTMENT.

What is the success rate of StartEngine? ›

1) 90.8% – our funding round success rate in 2022.

That means 9 out of 10 companies who raise on StartEngine exceed their minimum funding goal.

How do investors make money on StartEngine? ›

Many offerings on StartEngine are completely free for investors, as StartEngine makes its money by charging fees to the company raising money. That being said, companies can opt to offset those costs by having investors pay a percentage in the form of a processing fee.

Is investing in StartEngine a good investment? ›

In short, don't invest money with StartEngine you can't afford to lose. And always do your own due diligence and research since StartEngine isn't responsible for deeply vetting companies that list.

Can you sell your shares on StartEngine? ›

Trading on

Not only can you raise capital on StartEngine's platform, but you can also let your shareholders sell or purchase shares on StartEngine Secondary.

Does Dave Ramsey recommend investing? ›

Ramsey does not recommend investing in bonds, CDs, real estate investment trusts, or cash. Even if you are about to retire, he recommends having your retirement funds invested in all equities. Investing involves a lot of risk. The closer you are to retirement, the less risk you want to take.

What should I not invest in? ›

13 Toxic Investments You Should Avoid
  • Subprime Mortgages. ...
  • Annuities. ...
  • Penny Stocks. ...
  • High-Yield Bonds. ...
  • Private Placements. ...
  • Traditional Savings Accounts at Major Banks. ...
  • The Investment Your Neighbor Just Doubled His Money On. ...
  • The Lottery.
May 18, 2023

Has any company from StartEngine gone public? ›

StartEngine is a privately held company and is not publicly traded on NYSE or NASDAQ in the U.S. To buy pre-IPO shares of a private company, you need to be an accredited investor.

How much should I invest in a StartEngine? ›

The vast majority of our offerings are completely free for an investor, as StartEngine makes its money by charging fees to issuers, the company selling shares. That being said, issuers can opt to offset the costs by having investors pay 3.5% fee.

How do you cash out on StartEngine? ›

Login to your company StartEngine Account. Click the name in the top right corner then select "Campaign Progress" to request a disbursem*nt. Select "Disbursem*nts" tab and if you have sufficient funds you will be able to click the "Disburse Funds" button.

Does StartEngine pay dividends? ›

If StartEngine Real Estate generates income and there are available funds, you will receive ongoing monthly dividends directly to your StartEngine account.

What is the forecast for StartEngine? ›

The STGC stock price can go up from 11.000 USD to 11.145 USD in one year.

How investors are getting paid? ›

Investors may earn income through dividend payments and/or through compound interest over a longer period of time. The increasing value of assets may also lead to earnings. Generating income from multiple sources is the best way to make financial gains.

Does StartEngine take equity? ›

Equity. We take a percentage of what companies raise on StartEngine in equity, at the same terms as the investors on our platform.

Is it smart to start investing now? ›

So, is now the right time to invest? For investors who aren't on the cusp of retirement, the answer may be yes. Every investor should consider their risk tolerance and time horizon before deciding when and where to invest. Starting slowly can ease new investors into the market without introducing excessive risk.

What is the average return on investment for a startup? ›

In the early stages of a startups life, investors expect to see a return of 3 to 5 times their initial investment within 5 to 7 years. However, this is only a rough guideline, and actual returns will vary depending on the company, the stage of the company, and the amount of risk the investor is willing to take.

What is the StartEngine owner's bonus? ›

The StartEngine Owner's Bonus allows investors to: Earn a 10% bonus in shares on their investment when investing in participating companies on StartEngine. Be the first to hear about new bonus-eligible launches via email notifications.

What happens when investors sell their shares? ›

When you buy a share of stock on the stock market, you are not buying it from the company, you are buying it from an existing shareholder. What happens when you sell a stock? You do not sell your shares back to the company, but instead, sell them to another investor on the exchange.

What happens if you sell a stock at a profit and buy it back? ›

It is always possible to sell a stock for profit purposes, as the Income Tax Department has you paying taxes on the profit you make. This is, as mentioned earlier, a capital gains tax. You can buy the same stock back at any time, and this has no bearing on the sale you have made for profit.

What happens if shareholders all start selling their shares? ›

When a shareholder sells all of his stock in public company, he leaves the company, but it is not likely to have a significant impact on the corporation unless the shareholder owns a large amount of stock.

What does Suze Orman recommend investing in? ›

Your investment portfolio should have a good mix of stocks and bonds and include low-cost index mutual funds or ETFs, Orman wrote in a blog post. Once you have the right mix, there's nothing you should do aside from contributing regularly and reviewing your portfolio annually.

What is the #1 rule of investing? ›

1 – Never lose money. Let's kick it off with some timeless advice from legendary investor Warren Buffett, who said “Rule No. 1 is never lose money.

What are the 4 funds Dave Ramsey invests in? ›

Dave divides his mutual fund investments equally between four types of funds: Growth and income, growth, aggressive growth, and international. This lowers your investment risk because now you're invested in hundreds of different companies all over the world in a whole bunch of different industries.

What is the #1 safest investment? ›

What are the safest types of investments? U.S. Treasury securities, money market mutual funds and high-yield savings accounts are considered by most experts to be the safest types of investments available.

What are 4 common investment mistakes? ›

  • Buying high and selling low. ...
  • Trading too much and too often. ...
  • Paying too much in fees and commissions. ...
  • Focusing too much on taxes. ...
  • Expecting too much or using someone else's expectations. ...
  • Not having clear investment goals. ...
  • Failing to diversify enough. ...
  • Focusing on the wrong kind of performance.

What is the safest stock investment? ›

Dividend stocks are considered safer than high-growth stocks, because they pay cash dividends, helping to limit their volatility but not eliminating it. So dividend stocks will fluctuate with the market but may not fall as far when the market is depressed.

How many users does StartEngine have? ›

There Are Now 1 Million Users On StartEngine – Here's How We Got There - StartEngine. shares. Terms & Conditions apply.

Who is behind StartEngine? ›

StartEngine Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board

Ron Miller is the Chairman of the Board of StartEngine. Ron facilitates financial ignition for innovative tech and media companies in order to help entrepreneurs achieve the American dream.

How many investors does StartEngine have? ›

56,725 people have made an investment on StartEngine. Those investors have made 100,389 total investments. The most common investment amount in companies on StartEngine is $500.

Is $200 enough to start investing? ›

Investing as little as $200 a month can, if you do it consistently and invest wisely, turn into more than $150,000 in as soon as 20 years. If you keep contributing the same amount for another 20 years while generating the same average annual return on your investments, you could have more than $1.2 million.

What is the ideal amount to invest? ›

Most financial planners advise saving 10% to 15% of annual income. A savings goal of $500 a month amounts to 12% of your income, which is considered an appropriate amount for that income level.

Is 500 enough to start investing? ›

Consider investing $500 in an individual retirement account (IRA), which gives you options, including stocks, bonds and mutual funds. If you don't have an IRA, $500 would easily get you started at many banks and credit unions.

What happens when you cash out an investment? ›

Once you cash out a stock that's dropped in price, you move from a paper loss to an actual loss. Cash doesn't grow in value; in fact, inflation erodes its purchasing power over time. Cashing out after the market tanks means that you bought high and are selling low—the world's worst investment strategy.

How do you turn cash into profit? ›

Here are a few ways to use those profits to your advantage.
  1. Invest in your business. A little extra money invested in the right places can make a big difference to your operations. ...
  2. Choose investments that suit your needs. ...
  3. Pay down your debt. ...
  4. Establish cash reserves. ...
  5. Maximize capital expenditures.
Oct 23, 2018

Can I cash out my investments? ›

Investors can cash out stocks by selling them on a stock exchange through a broker. Stocks are relatively liquid assets, meaning they can be converted into cash quickly, especially compared to investments like real estate or jewelry. However, until an investor sells a stock, their money stays tied up in the market.

How much do you need to invest to make $100 ka year in dividend? ›

You'll need to build your portfolio up to at least $1 million to make $100,000 each year through dividend investing. Conservative options trading will give you more capital to invest into more dividend stocks and get you closer to the 6-figure goal.

Is it good to invest in a company that does not pay dividends? ›

In fact, there can be significant positives to investing in stocks without dividends. Companies that don't pay dividends on stocks are typically reinvesting the money that might otherwise go to dividend payments into the expansion and overall growth of the company.

How much do dividend investors make? ›

The average dividend yield on S&P 500 index companies that pay a dividend historically fluctuates somewhere between 2% and 5%, depending on market conditions. 5 In general, it pays to do your homework on stocks yielding more than 8% to find out what is truly going on with the company.

Will startups be profitable? ›

In their lifetime, only 40% of startups are actually profitable. 30% of startups will break and fail, and the last 30% will continue to lose money.

How many companies are on StartEngine? ›

CF combined through its subsidiaries StartEngine Primary and StartEngine Capital, for over 500 company offerings on our platform to date.

What is the best stock to make money fast? ›

In addition to Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN), other Fast Money stocks that are widely held by elite hedge funds include Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Do investors get their money back if the business fails? ›

Generally, investors will lose all of their money, unless a small portion of their investment is redeemed through the sale of any company assets.

What percentage do investors take? ›

You Want How Much? Most investors take a percentage of ownership in your company in exchange for providing capital. Angel investors typically want from 20 to 25 percent return on the money they invest in your company.

Can I sell my StartEngine shares? ›

StartEngine Secondary is an alternative trading system regulated by the SEC and operated by StartEngine Primary, LLC, a broker dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA. The shares sold via Regulation A+ offerings are unrestricted and can be sold freely immediately after purchase.

What percentage does StartEngine take? ›

How does StartEngine compare?
StartEngineSeedInvest
Min. Investment Varies, typically $100 - $1,000Min. Investment $500 - $10,000
Fees 3.5% fee for some startups (5% sell fee on StartEngine Secondary)Fees 2%, up to $300 per investment
Investment choices StartupsInvestment choices Startups
Open an accountOpen an account
Jul 15, 2021

How much does it cost to use StartEngine? ›

The vast majority of our offerings are completely free for an investor, as StartEngine makes its money by charging fees to issuers, the company selling shares. That being said, issuers can opt to offset the costs by having investors pay 3.5% fee. This fee will be charged to investors on top of the price of shares.

Is 1% of a startup good? ›

Up to this point, generally speaking, with teams of less than 12 people, the average granted equity for startup employees is 1%. This number can be as high as 2% for the first hires, and in some circ*mstances, the first hire(s) can be considered founders and their equity share could be even greater.

How long has StartEngine been around? ›

Enter StartEngine

We started with a bang in 2015. Our first offering raised close to $17 million under Regulation A+ (the first rule enacted under the JOBS Act allowing equity crowdfunding).

How hard is it to get into 500 startups? ›

An approximation of almost 71 percent of startups that do actually get accepted into 500 Startups programs applied within the first 45 days after the applications' window is open.

Will I get stock if my company goes public? ›

A company is not necessarily obligated to give its employees any stock during the initial public offering. Employees are generally privy to the announcement and given the opportunity to buy stock, but the company the company does not have to give any to the employees.

What does StartEngine do to market my raise? ›

If your offering maximum is over $1.15M, you'll receive a standalone email and push notification to our investor community at $1M raised and every $1M thereafter.

Is using financial engines worth it? ›

As one of the largest independent financial planning firms in the country, there's a chance your employer actually works with Edelman Financial Engines. And considering its successful history and numerous accolades, it's certainly worth considering if you want help with your employer-sponsored retirement plans.

What should I put for startup costs? ›

Examples of startup costs include licensing and permits, insurance, office supplies, payroll, marketing costs, research expenses, and utilities.

How much are StartEngine shares worth? ›

Performance Outlook
Previous Close11.00
Day's Range11.00 - 11.00
52 Week Range11.00 - 11.00
Volume2,788
Avg. Volume0
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