
Mach Industries $300M Series C: Production Over Prototypes in Defense Tech
Mach Industries raised $300 million in Series C at a $1.8 billion valuation—a 3.8x jump in 12 months. The company is run by 22-year-old Thiel Fellow Ethan Thornton. It makes jet-powered loitering
June 3, 2026

What Is an SPV? A Practical Guide to Special Purpose Vehicles for Angel Investors
An SPV is a Delaware LLC created for one deal only — to hold equity in a single startup. The pitch: clean deal access with expert due diligence. The catch: the median SPV returns exactly 1x after
June 3, 2026

DPI: The Only Private Equity Metric That Shows You Real Cash
Quick take: Private equity distributions as a share of NAV collapsed from 29% in 2021 to just 9% in the first half of 2024 -- the lowest level in over a decade, according to Goldman Sachs Asset
June 2, 2026

Self-Directed IRA for Alternative Investments: The Tax Advantages, the Prohibited Transaction Traps, and How to Set One Up
TL;DR: Americans hold $18.9 trillion in IRAs (ICI, Q3 2025), but only an estimated 2 to 5 percent of that sits in self-directed accounts. A self-directed IRA (SDIRA) lets you put tax-deferred or
June 2, 2026

Shield AI Raises $1.5 Billion at a $12.7 Billion Valuation: What Defense Tech's Biggest Round Tells You
TL;DR: On March 26, 2026, Shield AI announced a $1.5 billion Series G at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation , up 140% from $5.3 billion just twelve months before. That equity round is only part of
June 2, 2026

Wefunder 2026 Review: $983 Million Raised, a $1.4 Million FINRA Fine, and What Returns Actually Look Like
TL;DR: Wefunder has raised $983 million for more than 2,200 startups and holds the #1 spot in U.S. Regulation Crowdfunding by dollar volume. The platform commands roughly 33% of all Reg CF capital
June 2, 2026

The INVEST Act: What the House-Passed Capital Formation Bill Could Change for Private Investors
TL;DR: The Incentivizing New Ventures and Economic Strength Through Capital Formation Act of 2025 (H.R. 3383) , known as the INVEST Act, passed the House 302-123 on December 11, 2025. Eighty-seven
June 2, 2026

OpenAI at $852 Billion: When Private Market Valuations Break Every Historical Model
TL;DR: On March 31, 2026, OpenAI closed a $122 billion funding round at a post-money valuation of $852 billion , the largest single private funding round in corporate history, nearly nine times
June 2, 2026

Gaingels: The LGBTQ+ Venture Syndicate That Deployed $1 Billion Across 2,400 Companies
Quick Facts: Gaingels has deployed more than $1 billion across 2,400+ portfolio companies since 2014, with 70+ unicorns in its book including Databricks, Brex, Carta, and WHOOP. In May 2026, the
June 2, 2026

Blue Sky Laws: The State Securities Rules Every Private Investor Needs to Know
Blue sky laws still govern every private placement in America. The 54 state and territorial securities regimes cannot block a Rule 506 offering, but they can void one. State regulators ran 1,186
June 2, 2026

The 1031 Exchange: How to Defer Taxes Legally on Real Estate Sales (and the Rules That Can Blow It Up)
TL;DR: Real estate investors deferred $13.2 billion in capital gains taxes last year using IRC Section 1031 . Total annual transaction volume supported by the provision runs $100 billion, per the
June 2, 2026

Regulation CF vs. Regulation A+: The Crowdfunding Rules That Determine Your Access
TL;DR: Two federal exemptions let companies raise money from retail investors without a full SEC registration. Regulation CF caps raises at $5M per year . Regulation A+ goes up to $75M. Knowing whi...
June 1, 2026