10 Startups w/ Stock Grants That’ll Make You A Millionaire | Sara’s List 2024
13 Sep 2024 (6 days ago)
Auditing Cohort 1
- Sarah's List is a list of companies that have the potential to increase an employee's wealth through stock options.
- The criteria for a company to be included on Sarah's List include having product-market fit, being funded and growing, offering a good salary and benefits, and having the potential for stock options to increase in value significantly within five years.
- The goal of Sarah's List is to identify companies that offer a lower risk of financial loss while still providing the opportunity for significant financial gain through stock options.
OpenAI
- OpenAI is currently valued at 103 billion dollars and earns approximately 3.5 billion dollars in revenue annually.
- OpenAI is considered the first genuine competitor to Google in 20 years and has the potential to disrupt the search engine market.
- OpenAI faces intense competition from well-funded startups, highly skilled individuals, and major tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon.
Retool
- Retool is a platform that allows companies to easily build internal tools, such as admin panels, without needing extensive coding knowledge.
- Founded in 2017, Retool has experienced rapid growth, reaching $100 million in recurring revenue by 2024 and achieving a valuation of $3.7 billion.
- Retool addresses the large market for internal software tools, which represents a significant portion of all software in use.
Mercury
- Mercury is a financial platform designed for small businesses and startups, offering a more user-friendly experience compared to traditional banks.
- Mercury is a rapidly growing and profitable company, currently valued at $1.6 billion, with the potential to become a major player in the financial industry by catering to the needs of startups.
- One potential concern with Mercury is the reliance on smaller banks for its infrastructure, as highlighted by a recent incident where some users faced difficulties accessing funds due to issues with one of Mercury's partner banks.
Cursor
- Cursor is a website and application building tool that utilizes AI similar to Squarespace or Wix.
- Cursor is valued at $400 million and has a $10 million revenue run rate.
- Concerns exist regarding the low price-to-earnings multiples of similar website building tools and high competition.
Epirus
- Epirus is a privately held defense company that specializes in long-range electromagnetic pulse (EMP) technology used to disable drones and missiles.
- Epirus distinguishes itself from traditional defense contractors by focusing on superior product engineering and winning contracts through competitive bake-offs, showcasing the effectiveness of their technology.
- Securing government contracts often involves navigating established relationships and procurement processes, with strategies including participating in requests for proposals (RFPs), building networks with government officials, and recruiting individuals with prior government experience.
Wiz
- Wiz is a cybersecurity company that provides cloud security solutions for enterprise customers.
- Wiz has experienced rapid growth, achieving $100 million in annual revenue in 18 months and reaching a $12 billion valuation.
- Wiz's success is partly attributed to the "Gil Ranan model," where the company leverages a network of Chief Security Officers (CSOs) to secure early-stage investments and revenue.
Neuralink
- Neuralink is currently valued at $5 billion despite having minimal revenue.
- Neuralink successfully implanted a chip in a paralyzed patient, enabling him to use a computer with his thoughts.
- Neuralink's initial customers are individuals with severe disabilities, with the company aiming to restore lost senses and abilities.
Perplexity AI
- Perplexity AI was valued at $3 billion and has raised $415 million.
- The CEO of Perplexity AI is Arvin.
- Perplexity AI is considered a good acquisition target for companies like Google.
Traba
- Traba is a software and staffing company that helps manufacturers and other large companies find and hire part-time and fast workers.
- Traba is known for its intense work culture, which is inspired by China's 996 work model (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 6 days a week).
- Traba has a valuation of approximately $200 million and is reportedly growing at a rate of 5x per year.
Replit
- Replit, last valued at $1.1 billion, has experienced significant growth, transitioning from 5 million developers to 20 million and from minimal to rapidly scaling revenue.
- Founded by Amjad Masad, Replit offers a cloud-based programming environment that supports multiple programming languages and integrates AI assistance features.
- Replit distinguishes itself from competitors by supporting a wide range of programming languages, particularly Python, which has become central to machine learning and back-end development.