I recommend a thought exercise for everyone on this board hollering that Neucoin is a scam.
The first part is going to hurt if you have few accomplishments and a big ego, but suck it up and force yourself to read the list of Neucoin’s angel investors. They’re at the bottom of this post.
These people are seriously accomplished. They are rich. They are smart. They are connected. They have reputations. They know the Neucoin management team or otherwise they wouldn’t invest as angels.
Now two questions for you:
1. How do you compare to these angels? Your accomplishments, your network, your reputation, your skills as an investor?
2. Do you really think that these investors and this team would try to pull a short term scam to make a couple million bucks. Maybe YOU would do that. But these angels wouldn’t. That’s not how they operate and it’s not how they got where they are.
Now for the second part of the thought exercise.
Try (it’ll be ok, it’s just an exercise…) to take what the Neucoin team is saying at face value. Go read their 40 page strategic plan (it’s a great read and very informative) Yes of course they are trying to make money… but by creating value through work over time, you know, the normal way for successful people. Due to the sales restrictions on founder and angel coins, they only profit if Neucoin is valuable over the long term.
Is your suspicious mind tricking you again? Is it saying “if it were me, I could get around the sales restrictions and cash out fast... if it were me, I’d figure a way to rob the foundations... If it were me...” If that’s what your mind is saying, they are the opposite of you. They’re already rich and they have reputations to protect.
I hope this thought exercise worked for at least a few of you. If it didn’t, admit it, you’re too lazy to read the plan. Or maybe you’re too envious to even think clearly. Which one is it for you Tibanne?
Josh Abram
Co-founder, Co-CEO, Neuehouse, premier co-working/hospitality provider valued at $180M; previously founder, Dstillery, ad tech firm with $100M annual revenues, Integral Ad Sciences, ad tech firm with $50M annual revenues.
Markus Alderback
Founder and CEO of leading booking software MrOrange, MrJet (acquired by Ebookers/Orbitz), founder of Jetweb, Jetset, Trippa, Badoo, and many more.
Olga Bartnicki
CRO of LiveAuctioneers; previously founded Livelook (acquired by Oracle); former VP Allen & Co.
Henrik Dahlback
Investor and corporate finance advisor, former Director of Leveraged Finance at Merrill Lynch; previously Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
Michael Daun
Founder/CEO of game developer Wellevue. Founder and former CEO of cloud-based viral video marketing platform Incloode. Co-founder of the Spray group, including pan-European interactive agency network Spray, which merged with Razorfish and listed on NASDAQ as the world's largest interactive services firm with an eventual $5B valuation, and Spray Network (pan-European portal sold to Lycos Europe for $572M). Board member of marketing services software developer Wendia International and real-time video software company Arkaos.
Anders Ehrenblad
Partner, Graviton Investment & Capital Advisers, an investment and corporate finance firm. Founder and former investment manager of tech/energy VC fund Alpha One. Board member of Maha Energy, RF Coverage, Eu-Supply Holdings, Widespace, PiaCare and Debitech.
Josh Engroff
Managing Partner at KBS+ Ventures, Chief Digital Media Officer at the Media Kitchen, previously VP of Billboard.
Bill and Gideon Friedman
Real estate investors owning over $1B of assets; Bill was previously founder and CEO of Tarragon Corporation.
David Frykman
Private equity investor in property, internet and retail. Board member of fashion brand Acne Jeans, Sweden's leading insurance broker Insplanet, online grocery retailer Matsmart.
Rob Goldman
Head of Growth at Facebook (responsible for "ads in your timeline"); formerly Founder of Swaylo (acquired by Facebook); previously General Manager of Shopping.com.
Toby Gorman
Producer of top television shows American Idol, Hollywood Game Night, The Winner Is, Celebrity Family Feud and Britain's Missing Top Model.
Pal Hodann
Private equity investor, material holdings in leading HR software company GlobeSoft and publicly traded packaging company Fasty, board member of publicly traded global communications consultancy Intellecta.
Michael Hudgins
Managing Director & Global Strategist, EII Capital Management; previously Executive Director, JPMorgan investment management; VP - Strategic Planning, Lend Lease.
Nicholas Högberg
CEO, Swedish subsidiary of 3 (Three), the world's largest 3G mobile operator with 27 million customers. Chairman of online ad production platform Bannerflow, 2013 Swedish "Telecom manager of the year" award, former CEO Vodafone Stores Sweden and CEO Campuz Mobile.
Johan Ihrfelt
Founder and CEO, renewable energy conglomerate OX2; co-founder of the Spray group, including pan-European interactive agency network Spray, which merged with Razorfish (where Johan was also EVP) and listed on NASDAQ as the world's largest interactive services firm with an eventual $5B valuation, and Spray Network (pan-European portal sold to Lycos Europe for $572M), where Johan also served as CEO.
Henrik Kjellberg
President of Hotwire, Chairman of eLong (Nasdaq-traded leading Chinese travel company), former President and VP positions at Expedia.
David Lerner
Professor of Entrepreneurship, Columbia University Graduate School of Business; Director, Columbia University Entrepreneurship; Director, Venture Lab, Columbia University Technology Ventures; previously founded several health care and technology ventures.
Ori Mace
CEO of leading web agency Acne Digital, founder and former Chief Creative Officer of leading Swedish web agency Starsky, acquired by top ad agency network McCann.
Adam McNicol
Founding partner of Fintan Partners, hedge fund with over $1B of assets; previously Founder of AM Wealth Management.
Emil Michael
SVP of Business at Uber; previously COO Klout, Senior Vice President, Tellme Networks, Special Assistant to the US Secretary of Defense, Investment Banking Associate, Goldman Sachs.
Alan Murray
Co-founder, Co-CEO, Neuehouse, premier co-working/hospitality provider valued at $180M; previously founder, Dstillery, ad tech firm with $100M annual revenues, Integral Ad Sciences, ad tech firm with $50M annual revenues.
Henrik Hancke Nielsen
Executive Producer at FremantleMedia North America, one of the world's largest TV production companies, shows include X-Factor, The Apprentice, the Idol and Got Talent franchises, The Price Is Right, and Family Feud.
David Perez
Co-founder of Convertro, an online marketing optimization platform sold to AOL for $101M; previously founded numerous online marketing and online dating companies.
Tom Phillips
CEO of Dstillery, leading ad technology firm; previously Director of Search and Analytics, Google; CEO of Deja.com; President ESPN Internet Ventures; Founder/CEO of Spy Magazine.
Andreas Reutercrona
Head of Customer Experience at Magine TV, a leading European cloud-based TV broadcast platform. Former Head of Sales and Service at IF, the largest insurance group in Scandinavia, with 6,800 employees and 3.6 million customers.
Ted Rogers
Chief Strategy Officer, XAPO (Bitcoin wallet that has received $40M of VC capital); previously, co-founder, general partner of Arpex Capital; co-founder Vidavee, sold to Vignette.
Daniel Sachs
CEO of investment company Proventus. Awarded "Young Global Leader" at World Economic Forum in Davos. Chairman of Nordic Broadcasting Oy, Artek, Tom Dixon, Royal Swedish Dramatic Theatre. Member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Advisory Boards of Sotheby's and Maiyet.
Christophe Salanon
Managing Director of online dating service Meetic ($440M IPO in 2005, acquired by IAC for $489M in 2011); Co-founder of group buying site Groupolitan, sold to Rossel, Belgium's largest media group. Board member of Viadeo, Vinogusto, Forecastis.
Richard Silen
Partner at Alipes, private equity company controlled by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad.
Calle Sjoenell
Chief Creative Officer, top advertising agency Lowe Brindfors; previously Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy & Mather New York, world top 5 ad agency network. Ex Creative Director of top agencies BBH and Fallon.
Bjorn Soderstrom
Co-founder and former CEO of Mediaplanet North America and Conversionplanet, leading content marketing company with 400 employees in 15 countries. Founder and Exec Chairman of Rchery, startup mobile direct marketing platform.
Patrik Stymne
Co-founder and Chief Architect, King.com, NASDAQ-traded leading mobile game developer (Candy Crush Saga, largest game developer on Facebook, $4.5B valuation); co-founder of the Spray group, including pan-European interactive agency network Spray, which merged with Razorfish and listed on NASDAQ as the world's largest interactive services firm with an eventual $5B valuation, and Spray Network, a pan-European portal sold to Lycos Europe for $572M.
Henrik Sundgren
Top commercial film director, award winning commercials for Audi, VW, Coca-Cola, Burger King, Amazon, Volvo, Comcast, etc.
Jonas Svensson
Owner of MondoMedia, YouTube’s number one animation channel. Chairman of Talent Inc. Co-founder of the Spray group, including pan-European interactive agency network Spray, which merged with Razorfish (where Jonas also served as EVP and Vice Chairman) and listed on NASDAQ as the world's largest interactive services firm with an eventual $5B valuation, and Spray Network (pan-European portal sold to Lycos Europe for $572M); co-founder of Lovefilm, the Netflix of Europe, acquired by Amazon. Former owner and board member of Hyper Island, former Chairman of Acne.
Per Zachariassen
Producer of top television shows X-Factor, Eurovision Song Contest 2014, Talent and many more.