Nov 4, 2021
Our guest today is Anthony Zhang, co-founder
and CEO of Vinovest,
the first of its kind investment platform where individual
investors of all kinds can own fine wine (investment grade). He
dropped out of the University of Southern California at the age of
20 when he was selected for the prestigious Thiel
Fellowship, a two-year program that provides entrepreneurs under 23
a $100K grant to pursue their startups. Other companies he has held
leadership or board positions include RateMyInvestor, Blockfolio,
JOANY & JoyRun. He is also an active angel investor (portfolio
holdings listed on LinkedIn profile).
In today’s episode, we
begin with discussing Anthony’s background as a serial
entrepreneur, starting with the Thiel Fellowship, his pitch to Mark
Cuban, and what led him to dropping out of USC. We quickly move to
the life changing accident that Anthony experienced, including his
painful rehab and his incredible return to save his company. We
then discuss how his interest in wine led him to starting Vinovest.
Then we get into the case for investing in wine, beta exposure and
how you can generate alpha buying and selling wine. We also compare
investing in wine vs. whiskey, storage, and most importantly, what
success will look like for a Vinovest investor (performance vs. the
U.S. stock market). Last, we discuss fundraising for a startup, his
heavy hitter investors and the future of his
company.
Our host today is
Steve Curley,
CFA, Co-Founder of the
Investors First Podcast and former President of CFA Society
Orlando. Please enjoy the episode.
Follow the Investors First Podcast & CFA Society
of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.