Alternative Investing Report - January 21, 2025

*as of 1/20; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, CL50

The Q4 Setter 30 ranking sought-after VC-backed startups on the secondary market which was led for the sixth straight quarter by SpaceX. Defense tech startup Anduril took the #2 spot for the second straight quarter, followed by payments processor Stripe, which moved up two spots to #3. AI startups were the big story, with Anthropic (#5), OpenAI (#6), xAI (#7), FigureAI (#10), CoreWeave (#11), and Perplexity (#12) all ranking highly. TikTok parent company ByteDance moved up 12 spots to #9 with all of the attention surrounded its potential ban and forced sale.

➨ TAKEAWAY: This list is a cheat sheet for investors who want to know which private companies are the “blue-chip” ones. It is no surprise that AI startups are in high demand, as all of these companies had huge fundraising rounds and valuation increases in 2024, and the AI craze shows no signs of slowing down. Many of the late-stage startups in the top-30 are potential IPO candidates, and have the potential to generate high returns quickly for investors.

Monday January 27 at 11 AM ET - join us our next pre-IPO briefing covering the $60 billion AI startup Anthropic. Vincent’s Slava Rubin and Sacra’s Jan-Erik Asplund will discuss the company’s growth, strengths, challenges, IPO prospects, and much more.

Julien’s Auctions’ highly anticipated Bob Dylan auction generated more than $1.5 million in sales, with the original draft lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man” selling for $508,000. In total, 55 of the 59 lots exceeded their pre-sale high estimates, in many cases by significant amounts. Original artworks by Dylan seemed to be the most sought-after items, with one sketch selling for $88,900 against a high estimate of $2,500 and another selling for $28,575 against a high estimate of $1,500.

➨ TAKEAWAY: The sale was timed to coincide with the current Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” hitting theaters and getting into the running for a number of Oscar nominations. The film has led to a resurgence of attention on the legendary musician, in particular his early era, which the auction featured. Combine that with the unique nature of many of items, and it is no surprise the auction was a success.

🪙 Trumpcoin update: The presidential memecoin dropped to $34 per coin as of 1 AM ET, a 45% drop in 24 hours, after his inaugural address failed to mention crypto. The Melania memecoin fell by 65% in the past 24 hours as well.

💵 Blackstone’s ECRED triples in size: The private credit fund for high net-worth European individual investors is on track to hit $1.5 billion in assets by the end of the month, a threefold increase in the past year.

🍷 Americans are drinking less wine: U.S. wine sales dropped by 6% in 2024, continuing a multiyear decline as young Americans drink less alcohol overall and have more beverages to choose from. This decline in interest is an existential worry for wine collectors and investors.

🤖 Perplexity eyes TikTok: The AI search engine startup with a $9 billion valuation has submitted a merger proposal to TikTok parent company ByteDance. While TikTok is back up and running, ByteDance is still facing a 90-day deadline to divest, and a merger with an existing startup could be an option.

📚 Flamm book collection: Next week, Christie’s is auctioning off a collection of rare medical textbooks from the 15th and 16th century, some of which are expected to sell for six figures, including a 1476 copy of Pliny’s “Historia Naturalis.”

🎨 December’s most expensive auction sales: Botticelli’s “The Virgin and Child Enthroned” led the way after a $12.5 million sale smashed the pre-sale high estimate of $3.7 million, followed by a Giacometti sculpture ($9.9 million) and multiple traditional Chinese works of art.

Set on a 4-acre lot in the tiny oceanfront hamlet of Manalapan, FL, south of Palm Beach, this 8-bed, 9.5 bath, 55,000 square-foot home is on the market for $285 million, making it the most expensive new construction home in the country. With an estimated completion date of 2026, the house will contain a bowling alley, wine cellar, gym, spa, home theater, golf simulation room, padel court and an indoor shooting range. The property itself also includes an infinity pool, beach house, guesthouse, boathouse, and car “museum.” The buyer will also have a notable next-door-neighbor - Oracle founder and billionaire Larry Ellison.

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This is a paid advertisement for Boxabl’s Regulation A offering, part of a campaign for which Boxabl paid $2,800 in total.

Please read the offering circular at https://www.boxabl.com/invest#circular?utm_source=withvincent * Reservations represents a non-binding indication of interest to purchase as Casita. A reservation does not require purchase of a Casita and there is no assurance of how many will result in actual purchases.