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Together With:

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Hi there, 👋

Happy New Year, and welcome back!

The good news: This issue is packed full of the stories you've missed from the past 9 days.

The better news: We've given the content a haircut to save on your reading time. You'll find 2 roundup sections below - one for domains, and the other for crypto and NFT news.

Before we dive in, these two random headlines attracted our attention:

​Tata’s seat squeals if your successors are sizzling in the seat in the sun​

(We're squealing too. Who forgets that they left their kid in the car?)

And,

​These balls tell you how zen you are​

(We resisted the massive temptation to inject a little adult humor here. Use your imagination).

In this issue:

• Tax savvy investments
• Domain roundup: December gTLD domain sales, Pilot.com, and the top 20 .xyz sales
• Crypto & NFT updates: User-friendly NFTs, a Metaverse portfolio, Kasparov's math, and Shady Holdings

From the snippets: A personal financial plan, startup funding options, Fintech wins, and trends that will define the lives of American men in 2022.

Read on and enjoy!

As always, thanks for being here.
Juliet Lyall

P.S. Want to get out of your inbox? You can now view this letter in your browser.​
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Tax Savvy Investments

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Alternative investments are booming.

Their popularity has surged over the last decade, with the asset class growing from just over $3 trillion in 2008 to more than $10 trillion in 2019, according to data provider Preqin.​

Institutions have fueled a large part of this growth, but 'average' investors are increasingly seeking a slice of the markets for crypto, real estate, art, music royalties, and private equity.

Veteran investor Eric Satz realized how difficult it is for the average person to invest in alternatives when he first tried to deploy money from his IRA into private companies.

Using self-directed IRA companies to make such investments was costing Satz over $500 a year in fees, a problem he aimed to solve for others by launching Alto in 2018.

Alto’s self-directed IRA platform provides a simpler, more affordable option for individuals to invest their retirement savings into alternatives.
​The company provides its users with access to a host of alternatives through its partnerships with ~75 investment platforms.

Last week, Alto announced that it has raised $40 million in Series B funding led by Advance Venture Partners. Existing investors Unusual Ventures, Acrew Capital, Alpha Edison, Foundation Capital, Gaingels and Coinbase Ventures also participated in the round.
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Domain Snacks

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👉 Waseem Daher, Founder and CEO at Pilot, posted on LinkedIn to discuss why his company spent $400,000 to buy Pilot.com in 2017.

(The performance of the domain name aftermarket over the last couple of years makes this purchase look like a bargain now).

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👉 Raymond Hackney comments on the top 20 .xyz sales in 2021.

Related: Bolt.xyz sells for $79,888.​

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👉 New gTLD domain name sales at Namebio ended strongly in 2021, with sales totalling $940,000 in December.

Top extension: You guessed it - .xyz

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👉 Who knew there was an internet inventory startup (called Security Trails) that collects and banks current and historical domain and IP address data?

Recorded Future did. They just purchased Security Trails for $65 million.​

Recorded Future is the world's largest provider of intelligence for enterprise security. The company announced the purchase (and their plans) last week.
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Random Tweet

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The Speed of Thought

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As you launch yourself into a productive 2022, you'll have plenty of ideas rolling around your head.

One of the best ways to organise your thoughts is with a mind map. Mind maps let you visually organise information and see the relationship between each part of the whole.

​Whimsical is a faster way to create a mind map - and it's incredibly stylish too.
The platform also gives you the benefits of real-time collaboration.

Spend less time formatting and more time sharing your ideas.

​Start for free.​
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Together With MicroAcquire

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🔥 Hot Sheets 🔥

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MicroAcquire is the top destination for bootstrapped SaaS and online businesses to list and sell.

There are new listings vetted and posted on MicroAcquire every day.

Here’s a preview of three of the latest hot listings:
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🚀Twitter curation database and newsletter with $3,500 in TTM revenue and $2,853 in TTM profit that has 1,500 subscribers and 2,700 uniques per month. Growth opportunities: Content Marketing, Affiliate Links, Referral Programs
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🚀 Profitable niche community with $26,000 in TTM revenue and $20,000 in TTM profit that is built for halal and ethical (Muslim) investors seeking to invest based on their values with a strong emphasis on ESG and ethical investing. Competitors: Motley Fool.
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🚀Aggregator that automatically pulls job listings from the top startups according to Forbes, LinkedIn, AngelList, etc into an Airtable database. $6,848 in TTM revenue and $5,588 in TTM profit.

Review the above opportunities and thousands more on MicroAcquire.

👉 Create your free account today.​
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Crypto and NFT Updates

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Monster Valuation

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NFT marketplace OpenSea raised $300MM last week, boosting its valuation to a monster $13.3 Billion.

Founded in 2017, the company has now raised a total of $427 million, according to Crunchbase.

Is this yet more evidence of how overheated things have become in the NFT and crypto collectible space? ​
After all, OpenSea last raised at a fraction of its new valuation around six months ago, adding $100 million to its accounts at a $1.5 billion valuation in July.

Related: User-friendly NFTs. OpenSea is reportedly in talks to purchase Dharma Labs, a digital wallet platform that could make NFT purchases more user friendly. (We live in hope).

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Bored Em

​Eminem spent over $400,000 on a Bored Ape NFT that is supposed to look like him. The rapper reportedly owns 15 NFTs on OpenSea under the name Shady Holdings. Enough said.

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A Metaverse Portfolio

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​One World Universe snapped up 10 Apocalyptic Ape NFTs as soon as they hit the market.

​Apocalyptic Apes are a derivative collection of the famous Bored Ape Yacht Club.

One World Universe Inc. (OWUV) is a publicly traded company that invests in sports related businesses, distressed assets, and business opportunities within emerging industries.

Dana Salzarulo of OWUV stated:

"We feel the Apocalyptic Apes is a 3rd tier and a perfect price range for Ape NFT enthusiasts on a budget can invest in. This morning we swept the floor and grabbed 10 of them to HODL in our Metaverse Holding portfolio."

(We forgive Dana for his 3rd-tier grammar)

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OpenSea Freeze

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NFT marketplace OpenSea froze 16 Bored Ape and Mutant Ape NFTs after they were reportedly stolen from a New York art gallery operator.

The freeze on buying and selling the NFTs had some traders decrying a lack of decentralization, one of the cherished aspects of the crypto industry.

(Surely this action makes a mockery of the word "decentralized?")

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“Trustworthy” Site Disappears

Arbix Finance, an audited and supposedly trustworthy yield farming platform, has been flagged as a 'rugpull.' The company deleted its website, Twitter, and Telegram channel and transferred $10 million worth of deposited cryptocurrency.

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Alternative Money

​Billionaires Are Embracing Crypto in Case Money ‘Goes to Hell.’ (For when cash actually does become trash).

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Crypto Means Freedom

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Garry Kasparov knows math.

He knows logic, strategy, and decision-making.

The Russian chess grandmaster - ranked No. 1 from 1984 to 2005 - sees the world with a certain clarity. So it will delight many in the blockchain industry to learn that Kasparov is now a champion of cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin offers protection against rampant government spending, says Kasparov, "because you're protected by math" - by the logic of the code itself.

Check out Kasparov's interview for more of his thoughts on NFTs and the future of coins.
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Brought to You by Smash Digital​
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🦄 SEOs with Skin in the Game

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✅ Snippets to Send You on Your Way

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​🔷 Your personal financial plan: If you don’t have a plan for your finances you face an uncertain future. This simple guide outlines the practical benefits of creating a personal financial plan, and gives you the 10 components of an effective plan.
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🔷 Growve adds $225MM in funding: Florida-based brand aggregator Growve raised an additional $205 million in funding after amending and upsizing its existing senior credit facility. The company also completed a $20MM equipment line closing through Truist Bank in order to fund its organic growth and vertical integration strategy. Growve specializes in the acquisition and management of wellness and beauty brands.
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🔷 Fintech wins: Tech startups across the African continent raised close to $5 billion last year. Fintechs dominated the fundraising, accounting for nearly $3 billion. That number is more than double the $1.35 billion investment that Fintechs in Africa raised in 2020, and triple the amount in 2019.
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🔷 Funding your startup in 2022: Whether you’re looking for traditional forms of funding like VCs, angel investing, and incubators or for more modern solutions like decentralized financing and crypto lending, there are plenty of options. Here are 6 realistic ways to fund your startup.​
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🔷 22 Trends That Will Define the Lives of American Men in 2022: A user's manual and predictions for life in 2022. (Written for men. Women either already know what's going to happen or don't care about pickup trucks and booze-free spirits).
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🔷 Focus on your customer: Our intrepid leader, Travis Jamison, offers 5 useful tips on customer experience. Travis offers advice to new businesses from the perspective of a startup investor.
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📄 When you lie on your resume:

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