angels + entrepreneurs networkThis is a ”startup investing group” listing and discussing pre IPO startup investing. It is a group headed by Neil Patel and touted by Robert Herjavec. Are they a legitimate service.
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I need the step-by-step instructions on how to invest in the $50 startups as stated in your presentation at the summit.
It may not be a scam, but it sure feels like one. I will not receive any of the information in 4-6 weeks.
I upgraded from a 2 year subscription to a lifetime and they charged me for both without refunding the 2 year. I called several times during business hours and no one every picks up; instead, a recorded message plays stating to call back during business hours. I emailed the support email and the customer service email without a response. I texted them and there is an automatic message stating to call back during business hours. I finally got a number which deals with orders and they stated they do not handle issues like I described and they do not have access to what I paid or didn’t pay. They redirected me to the number no one answers. There are a few companies listed to invest in, some of them require another level up to be able to invest in them, the one I found which I could invest in listed that they raised 1,000,000 out of 1,000,000 does that mean they are not accepting any more investments? Not sure. Also, how do you actually invest. I can’t find any information on how to actually invest or am I on my own? Do they just provide the few companies to invest in and the rest I have to figure out on my own. Perhaps in 4-6 weeks when I receive the information packet, I will learn if there is a way that I could invest. Maybe my investment was the 79+495. I wonder if I get anything at all in return other then a bunch of dead ends. Maybe someone else had a different experience than me??
I joined A & E and paid $129 for a 2 year membership. Since then, I have been inundated with their wanting me to upgrade. So far I have not been impressed with the offered startups or the interviews with the startups. Also they announced a great “new” deal with Alpha-9 by Tom Gentile in early Sept 2019. I did an internet search and found the same deal as Dec 2018. I emailed A & E and asked why they presented this as a great “new” deal when it was not. They did not respond. I did not cancel my membership, but will not invest, but only observe.
Rob, same here. I joined at the introductory level, then was foolish enough to pay another $495 for the next level and didn’t get any additional good leads that make sense. It is ironical how Neil talks about focusing on companies that solve a real problem and yet their recommended companies are not major problem solvers…more like niche needs. If you want in on a red-hot deal….such as this company that supposedly solves the hacking problem….they’ll share that with you if you join the next level membership for $2,495. They keep sending emails about this next level sometimes two times a day. The walks, quacks and smells like a bait and switch. I initially joined because I respect Robert H. but later read that he was a paid sponsor and not really a partner. Color me “not happy.”
I just joined last night… Well I thought I joined last night. I bought into the gold package. For ‘founding members” at 79.00 discount price . Original price was like 1295.00.. they immediately took my payment some upgraded me to the platnum membership… Then tried to upgrade me to the elite lifetime package with the deal flow
I said no thank you. And they sent me to a payment plan option and told me to call… When I checked my email I got no welcome package for the initial introduction investment into the program… My plan was to stay working and diving into it today but… NOTHING! not one email from them. Now upon reading these reviews I’m kind of skeptical about the whole thing
Is the book, “How to Hack your Taxes with A&E” at all useful? Does it take 4 weeks to receive it? It’s in the $129 membership.
That report is on the website. To my knowledge it didn’t come as a separate hard copy. Useful info that I was not aware of, but I’d like to think a good cpa would know these things?
Agree with most of the threads so far. Seems all you get is a constant flood of emails enticing you to upgrade. Each time you literally have to spend hours listening to the videos, only to find out that if you want to know the startup you have to get out your CC again! . The deals he is promoting take you to sites like Republic, Start Engine, and Microventures, and they charge nothing and they list numerous other deals to review. I am planning on cancelling within the 60 Day window.
I think its very misleading to pay for a service, and then find out over and over again that to get the full service, you need to pay again and again.
Hi everyone, I joined about a month ago and am starting to be disappointed in the service. Supposedly they will give us good leads and I have made some small investments under $500 in a few companies. I have a little time to decide if I want to stay in it, but I joined the lifetime membership for under $600 I believe. Someone below said they are being paid to promote these companies to us, that sucks. Now that I know where these investments can be made on Start Engine, etc., I feel like I am not getting much from the program. I also am a little weary of Crowd SAFE’s which I have seen for a lot of these investments.
I also briefly joined the Private Deal Flow, and went lifetime on that as well, roughly $5k. I wanted to see the “VIP” investments to be made, but shortly found out that they were way above what I could handle, mostly $5-20k minimums. I could maybe handle $1k here and there, but I couldn’t even qualify for the $20k deal as you had to be a millionaire to do so. So what’s the point, I got a refund pretty quickly.
I also have been receiving these new opportunity emails, one being pumped super hard right now, Cannabis Lots. I was disappointed to see this one in particular. I have been following that sector everyday for 4 years, and unfortunately my portfolio is getting hit super hard right now. I know the summer lul, but this is worse than the last 3 I have been through. So to see Neal and these other guys pushing this one really hard, just leaves me wondering. They call them lots, as far as I have heard they are Options. Well they act like its new, but they really are not. Just seems like a lot of BS in the video. Yeah some of those companies went crazy for awhile, and right now may be a good time to dip back in, or for me avg down, but I really feel like they are taking advantage, and it was just unfortunate to see Neal backing it.
I am an Angels & Entrepreneurs basic member for $79 and I would NOT recommend you pay any more than that. For the $79 I am ok for just the basics Neil Patel teaches. As you will find out, you don’t need the group to then go off on your own and invest in start-ups. Outside of that, all the bombarding emails and upsells are just that… This group of men are from, Mike Wards – Money Map Press. These guys are all pros at getting people hyped up to open their wallets. Don’t fall prey to being victimized financially by these guys and their emails.
Agreed.
okay not sure if I get to respond. My first suggestion would be let all members own part of the membership biz. I would be waaay more trusting that it wasn’t a scam if we got some ownership in Angels and Entrepreneurs. Better deal. Ill wait for that.
Tom Gentile Alpha 9
I joined Angel investment in the life time member ship. I first joined the basic 79 but then the up selling stated. So I got the life time.
I have been bombarded with up sales.
One upsell I got from angels was for Tom Gentile the Alpha 9. Decided to check out what reviews said about is so called world renound investment advice.
I would say at least 95% of the reviews were negative on his services. Tom Gentile got wealthy selling information that he himself never applied to his own money.
Angel investment is the same as Tom Gentile sell, sell, sell they make their money selling you – information. Even Neil himself said in one of his video’s that he never made his millions in investing, but in all the small start ups he has created, hence Angel investment is jus another one of his money making projects.
Even some of the videos he pumps in the life time membership, when he tries to sell you his VIp membership he never says he will invest, just that he may put money in the companies he is promoting to you.
My opinion, it is another Tom Gentile all over again, sell you the world who’s review reputation 95 % negative.
To boot as someone said in these reviews the companies may be paying Angels investments to promote
They make a killing on both ends, you take all the risk and the risk nothing,
Although I like the idea of investing in start ups, 90% of start ups fail. You can kiss you money good bye.
I would like to here from anyone who joined Alpha 9 with Tom Gentile. AI sounds intriggung but not so sure he is being upfront.
If you have had any experience with this Alpha 9 let me know how it going for you.
Tim
Cheers
Scam? Technically no. Intentionally slick misdirection? Likely.
1. Appeal to recognized authority who is only involved at the “ribbon cutting ceremony” to drive masses to buy into recurring revenue platform(enter Robert Herjavec)… Check.
2. Authority figure has no vested interest, future advice or any interaction with business or members… Check.
3. Multiple upsell levels to gain access to an elite “inner circle”… Check.
4. Just enough low level content/direction in lower tiers making it easier to hook you into upsells… Check.
5. From the A&E FAQ’s page…”Because we are financial journalists – not advisors or brokers – newsletters and investment advisories should never be interpreted as personalized investment advice. Any decisions related to investment amounts should be left entirely up to you and your broker.”
The very thing many people are paying for and hoping to get is exactly what Neil Patel has stated he will not provide. Neil Patel through A&E is acting in the capacity of a “financial journalist” – period. Mostly sharing low level information to the uninformed. Some will probably find some value in this. Many will not.
I will quote what a highly skilled salesperson said to me years ago while discussing ethics in business and sales… “my only job as a capitalist and salesman is to convince you to take money out of your pocket and put in mine, regardless of quality, value or benefit to you.”
PERFECT!
Definition of a salesman: “With a hand full a gimme, and a mouth full a much obliged”
The chances of hitting a mega return winner they’re trying to sell are probably only slightly higher than winning the lottery. Simple sales concept really…if you don’t play you’ll never win. They pray on peoples desire to be rich. The only ones making millions are the ones selling the book or service. Disappointed that Herjavec put his name to this. Thought he was a straight shooter. Looked like more of a pitchman you see on infomercials hustling get rich books or systems.
I like the way you’ve broken it down, Chris. Nice analysis.
Hi..I joined A&E a few months back and upgraded all the way. Shortly after I asked for my money back because it just isn’t for me. Neil has a great marketing program and I would rather invest in his company because he will make a great deal of money telling everyone how rich they will be. I don’t believe that and the fact of the matter you will need to invest in many many start up companies in the hopes that one of them actually makes money and is either sold or has an IPO.
The biggest disappointment is all the crap emails you get and now Neil is telling you how much money you can make with Tom Gentile’s new system for another 2500.00. This is all total bullshit and buyer beware. Moneymap press is a company that promotes and sells get rich quick programs that typically don’t work. Go and check previous reviews and they will all tell you the same story. Save your money and invest in something solid as there is no get rich quick programs out there.
I tried contacting Neil with no luck and Robert is just getting paid to promote A&E.
This is just my opinion.
I just called to cancel since I was still within my 60 day refund window. I never found much clear info on what the system is to hold and sell. I am NOT going to let someone hold me ransom to pay higher and higher membership fees to get out of holdings in years to come. As those who joined saw, once you join your immediately offered a more expensive pitch to pay more to get the “good stuff”. Then later a pitch to buy more years before the price is greatly raised. This new service leaves much to be desired. They seemed to be here to collect fees from startups and to have you pay for subscriptions. I see no evidence your success is part of the picture.
The welcome package is basically a book called Hustle. No practical info on working with their outfit.
I have been investing for decades. I have noticed that a large percentage of the least desirable newsletters, clubs, or things like this all seem to originate in the same spot in Baltimore. That should have been a clue to run right there, but the original video was good and it got me to join. After examining everything I could find, I have decided to get out now.
Long sales letters and hyped ups sales videos always trigger my defenses. In this case, I gave it a shot after looking at Neil Patel’s track record in SEO and startups. Having a Robert Herjavec as a sponsor doesn’t hurt. I don’t believe he would endorse a product unless he thought it was good. I bought into the “Elite Founder” level which is the base level. I get access to Neil’s recommendations for non-accredited investors.
To get the most out of Neil’s top-level one should be an accredited investor.
I’ve been in the program for three months and I’ve invested in over 10 startups based on his recommendations. It usually takes 2-3 years for a payout some occur sooner some take up to 10 years.
I plan to invest in 10 to 15 a year over the next 2 to 3 years. You invest through startup and crowdfunding sites, Neil makes the recommendations, he tells you why he likes it and usually interviews the founder of the startup.
So far I’m happy with the service. If you’re on the fence I would recommend buying into the base “Elite Founder” level, a 2 year subscription to try it out. With these startups remember that your payouts usually occur within 2 to 10 years.
Can you give an example of the 10+ startups that were recommended in the past? I want to judge the quality.
Initially, it sounded like a good opportunity, but now I’m out because as far as I can tell there is no proof that anyone is making money other than Patel. I didn’t purchase the top entry position so I can’t speak for all levels, but as one that was curious enough to pay $150 to take a look at the entry-level deals, I’m now dubious. I never opted to invest in any deals because I wanted to wait and hear a few success stories from the company first but they could not provide any other than Patel (who is an owner and not representative of the majority). Since purchasing, I spoke to a broker that suggested that any deals projected to succeed would more than likely be snapped up by bigger investors before they reached Angels & Entrepreneurs. I would like to be wrong about my assessment but I don’t think I am. It seems a way for the rich (Patel) to bilk the poor (those that sign up with high hopes).
I wondered if Angels and Entrepreneurs Network (AEN) was yet another venture from a publisher that will remain nameless here. For years I’ve seen their excruciatingly long email pitches about this and that investment letter that will make you rich and change your life for sure.
Maybe they will; maybe they won’t. What I know for sure is that the investing space is full of publishing companies, some good; some bad. Some outright bottom-feeders. The worst rely on naive belief, hope and ignorance to pitch their newsletters and services.
AEN has the typical style: 1. So-so offerings at the lower tier levels, then 2. Immediate up-sell efforts to get you to purchase higher and WAY more expensive membership tiers. Then, 3. Unsolicited calls to get you to upgrade.
Yuck. To heck with that. Been there; Bought that. Enough.
You can get way better information elsewhere, and for NO money.
Yeah. Really. NO money.
Folks, I was as confused as many of you are about AEN and the offerings as recently as December 2019 when I joined, but I have learned a LOT about the “Alt Space” (alternative investments) since then. And I’m no investment genius by any stretch; fact is, you just have to visit some of the investing sites and get an idea of what they do and what’s offered for investment.
You Do Not Need AEN. Period.
As soon as I learned this, I called AEN and got my money back ($600 + bucks. It was within the 60-day period.) Then I went and actually invested the $600.
First, to get your feet wet in this space (startups, private equity, crowdfunding, early-stage, mid-stage, etc. and pre-IPO) look up KingsCrowd. Its goal is simple, (from their website) “We are on a mission to provide you one trusted source to find all the deal flow available.”
I guess you could think of KingsCrowd as a Motley Fool or Morningstar for startups and early-stage private companies.
I’d say that what sets KingsCrowd apart is that the featured deals are vetted and rated for performance and other measures so that you can judge their potential for yourself. You’re not on your own or in the dark anymore. You can even find links there to the companies’ SEC filings if you are interested in reading those.
These deals are hosted on crowdfunding sites like Netcapital, WeFunder, Republic, Motif, StartEngine, MicroVentures e.g. These sites are where you go to actually make the investment.
KingsCrowd even provides a button next to the listing that takes you to the investing site.
I have already opened accounts at all of these sites and subscribed to KingsCrowd. I have even invested in KingsCrowd at Netcapital. Maybe they’ll be a mega million-dollar publishing and information company someday. I hope so. The Morningstar of startups. Hey, could happen.
If you happen to be an “accredited investor,” (assets of $1 million or more, or $200,000 annual income) you can find later-stage private equity offerings on Sharespost.com. If you aren’t accredited, you can easily open an account at Netcapital and/or at any of the rest that I mention above.
Visit these sites, folks, and get to know how the sites and services work, how they interact in this environment, and what their purpose is in the “alt space.” If I can learn to understand all this, so can the rest of you. It’s only hard at first.
It’s risky, but exciting. It’s an interesting ride, and I hope a profitable one in the end for all of us.
Best of luck and God Bless.
Rinya, I was just scrolling through the comments here on Stock Gumshoe and was very impressed with your commentary, knowledge, and the manner in which you present your information on this forum. It is uncommon to find useful, intelligent commentary as neutral and well spoken as yours. THANK YOU! Because of that, I would like to request to connect with you directly to discuss investing in general (start ups, marijuana stocks, cryptocurrencies, or other alternative investments) in a more private manner. Also I’d like to ask if you would be interested in possibly joining together to form a selective investing group in order to share information and ideas in a more private forum? I hope to receive a response from you regarding this matter and look forward to the possibility of corroborating with other like-minded investors. Please reply to my personal email at cbusick4334@yahoo.com if you are amenable to this idea. Otherwise, please leave a reply here to inform me if you have no interest in this type of endeavor. Thank you in advance for your consideration and best wishes for profitable investing.
legit infoseeker, thanks so much for all of your kind words. I will do my best to deserve all that, going forward. I am pretty much an autodidact as far as my market knowledge is concerned, and generally prefer to go it alone in my decision-making. That said, “alone” is far from alone, since I rely heavily on sources such as KingsCrowd and other such sources. Thank you for the offer of corroboration just the same, and best of luck to you.
I also thank you Rinya for your excellent post. Kicking off the A & E video from an Instagram post I became intrigued. Then I found Stockgum… with all of these comments. After reading at least 75 comments, I reached yours, which has been by far the most helpful. Thank you for helping me and I’m sure many others. I will take your advice to heart.
Kind words, petros. Thank you. I’m glad that you found the post useful.
I joined about one year ago for the $49? option and soon found out they do not share their “real” investments for that amount but only some small companies that have very little potential. If you want the “real” companies you must upgrade to a higher subscription and if you want the companies they actually invest in you can upgrade again to a higher level subscription. I asked and received my money back. I do not know who Patel is and would NEVER had subscribed in the first place except for the Herjavec endorsement. My respect for Herjavec has gone from super high to zero since I feel this opportunity is nothing but a bait and switch scam! Robert should stick to legitimate offerings. Robert, if you think I got this wrong you can let me know by e-mail bill@cdawv.com
Agree.. Patty Patel is a scammer for his own gain. I too joined only to discover his promoters are paid.
Hi everyone. Hope everyone is safe & healthy.
I was wondering if anyone happens to know the name of the start-up Orthopedic & Knee Implants Company Neil Patel and Don Yocham are talking about in their recent (April 2020) Webinar??? (I watched the webinar today, April 10, 2020). Don Yocham also mentioned that he has three (3) more start-up companies in the same package he’s trying to sell. The deadline to invest in the pre-IPO Orthopedic & Knee Implants start-up Company is April 24 . So please please please hurry and contact me, ASAP. My personal email is: dropinmail@yahoo.com .
By the way, I happen to have subscriptions to some of Teeka Tiwari and Jeff Brown’s expensive packages, and I am more than happy to share information and their stocks recommendations with you, if you want.
Please email me at dropinmail@yahoo.com and let us chat more privately and help each other out if you want. By the way, I might point out that I am NOT here to sell, or buy information. I’m simply asking to help each other out by sharing (swapping) information and recommendations with any fellow investor(s) who is/are interested to do so. In essence, we are helping each other out mutually by saving on expensive subscriptions.
I really appreciate it, and I hope to hear from you before the pre-IPO deadline of April 24 , 2020 of the Orthopedic & Knee Implants start-up Company. Thank you so much, and happy investing to all.
Monogram Orthopaedics
Thank you so much, Hannibal Smith. I truly thank you and appreciate your kindness.
Do they have a website? Thanks, again.
First one in Google results.
Speaking of Seed investing. Anybody have an opinion about Nowrx?
I am thinking about investing in NowRx, too, but would like fellow investors’ opinion about that, first. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks, in advance.
Kazito, go to KingsCrowd.com and check out Nowrx. You’ll get better advice at KingsCrowd than you will ever get from a “fellow investor.”
Patrick, Go to KingsCrowd.com. You’ll get better advice at KingsCrowd than you will ever get from a fellow investor or any paid service. Also, read my post from January 30, 2020. Best of luck and God Bless.
Hello fellow investors. I am a subscriber of Teeka’s “Palm Beach Venture”. I would like to share FOUR great Pre-IPO’s featured in his “Palm Beach Venture” for anyone interested in investing.
These are companies with HUGE upside potentials, as per Teeka’s extensive research and analysis. Some of these Pre-IPO companies give warrant shares, too.
(Just helping out my fellow investors. “Palm Beach Venture” is a $2,500 subscription, so take advantage of the FOUR Pre-IPO’s I’m giving you, here, if you’re interested).
1. Emerald Haelth Pharmaceutical : Last day to invest is June 6, 2020 !
https://investehp.com/
Phone # : 1-888-468-3471
2. High Times : ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT TO INVEST !!! May 15, 2020 is the last day !
https://hightimesinvestor.com/
Phone # : (833) 289-4842
3. Winc ; LAST DAY TO INVEST IS MAY 27, 2020. (15 more days) !
https://www.winc.com/shares/
Phone # : 1-213-322-1263
4. Flora Growth ;
Not excatly sure when this pre-IPO will close, but it shouldn’t be long before they’ll close.
So, don’t waste time while you still have a chance.
investflora.com
Phone # : 1-647-800-8535
Happy investing, and best of luck to everybody.
i just did a little research but i didnt see anything with these pre ipo companies that meet the company teeka calls the next monster. can you tell me which one? supposed to be like an energy drink, thanks
Teeka’s Next Monster company is called “Elegance Brands”.
Website: investinelegance.com
Phone: (310) 299-9584
I apologize to give you the bad news that the deadline to invest in this Pre-IPO company is already well past.
You can still call them up on the phone and see what they say if you want to.
Good luck.
thank you so much
You’re most welcome.
Hello Kazito,
Thank you for the 4 IPO suggestions. Unfortunately, I missed the date to invest by on one of them.
How long have you been a subscriber to Palm Beach Venture? Is it worth the charge of $2500?
On your 4 suggestions, is one of them the company that he is referring to in Freedom 2020?
I am a subscriber to Palm Beach Confidential (his newsletter for Crypto). Don’t know yet if it will be worth it, and am afraid to pay another $2500 for a different service of his.
Cindy, I believe Freedom 2020 is about the crypto stuff which I don’t care for. I think if I’m not mistaking, Freedom 2020 is featured in the Palm Beach Confidential (I could be wrong, though. I can’t remember a 100% as to which package Freedom 2020 is featured in).
At any rate, I do have the Palm Beach Venture subscription (I’ve had it for several months). So, if you need anything that is featured in the Venture, I will be more than happy to share with you. DO NOT WASTE ANOTHER $2,500 on that !!! LOL…
Email me at dropinmail@yahoo.com, and I will give you my Cell # if you want, so we can stay in touch and share info from our subscriptions if you like. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Kazito! I checked it again, and Freedom 2020 was featured in Palm Beach Venture. I watched the sales video all the way through, and it sure sounds like Elegance Brands. I called them and emailed them to see if there was any chance of still investing, but haven’t hear back from them. I am going to check out the other four that you mentioned above. Thanks again, for the info and saving me the subscription fee.
Go to KingsCrowd.com. You’ll get better advice at KingsCrowd than you will ever get from a fellow investor or any paid service.
Thank you for sharing!
You’re most welcome, Michelle.
Flora Growth is impressive. Have several revenue streams in the CBD market. They told me December or January for the IPO.
Good news, Darin. Thanks.
you are a true gem…Are you happy with that service? I wanted to subscribe but I was afraid to commit more money….may God bless you and your family…if you ever want insights into Empire Trader, Empire Growth and Jeff Brown EArly stage trader and motley fool (AI, Risign stars 2o20 and Next Gen 5G) feel free to let me know! you just saved me 2500$ so it the least I can do! GLTA