Sometimes i think to myself, if this is such a great company why is not everyone jumping over each other to get a stake. I think it is human nature and below are just a few examples. Wonder what the last example will look like in 2026.
In early 2005, MySpace was interested in acquiring Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg asked for $75 million. MySpace felt the price was too high. It’s now worth more than $350 billion.
Jamie Siminoff pitched Shark Tank, back in 2013. He wanted $700,000, which would’ve valued the business at $7 million. There was no deal. Amazon bought Ring for $1 billion in 2018.
In 2008, Airbnb’s founders wanted to raise startup capital. They were seeking $150,000 in exchange for 10% of Airbnb. They emailed 7 prominent investors. 5 of them sent back rejections. The other 2 didn’t respond. Today, a 10% stake in Airbnb is worth more than $7 billion.
In 2012, Canva founder Melanie Perkins was rejected by investors more than 100 times. “Most people said they weren’t quite ready,” she said. “Each of these rejections hurt a lot.” She waited 3 more years for the first investment. Canva is now worth more than $25 billion.
In 2024 Cardiex market cap 25 million asked the market for 10 million through a Nasdaq listing. This was rejected as the timing was not right for investors. Directors and a few loyal shareholders raised funds at 8 cents.
2025 after Pulse gaining market share $50,000 investment at 8 cents is now worth #1 million dollars.
