Helping Others Find Their Roots

Frank Cardia, a New Jersey resident and entrepreneur, most recently launched Iron Edge VC, a venture that assists pre-IPO companies. One of the pre-IPOs Frank Cardia was involved with is 23 and Me, a genetics company that helps individuals trace their ancestry, genealogy, and inherited traits.

The company was one of the first to develop autosomal DNA testing, which would later become standard practice for other companies in this area. The innovation was so prized at the time that in 2006, two years after the company’s inception, it was named “Invention of the Year” by Time Magazine.

23 and Me provides its customers a kit containing a vial where they deposit some of their saliva. These kits can be purchased online or through brick-and-mortar establishments. After filling the vial with saliva, customers then register the container at a site online. The user then mails the vial to the company in a prepaid envelop and waits from three to five weeks for the results, which can be found online on a password-protected page.

For many, this innovation fills in the blanks to their identity. Some find themselves related to world-renowned personalities, others find themselves related to people of other races, and some find answers to questions regarding health conditions that might have a hereditary explanation. Finally, many connect with long-lost family members, some of whom may live only a few miles away.

Growth-Focused Startup Topgolf

Serving as managing director of Iron Edge VC, Frank Cardia has a longstanding financial leadership background. Among the pre-IPO companies that Frank Cardia and the Iron Edge team offer investment access to is Topgolf, which will be well positioned for a surge in recreational demand on golf courses once the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided.

Topgolf courses offer a unique, technology enabled take on minigolf that centers on scoring points through hitting golf balls with embedded micro-chips at large, dartboard-like targets spread across an outfield. Points are earned through a combination of distance and placing the ball as close as possible to the bullseye. In addition, guests have access to a full range of food and drink at courses.

With a strong commitment to safety, Topgolf has grown from $165 million in revenue from 10 courses in 2014 to $1.2 billion generated by 57 courses in 2019. Locations range across the country, from New Jersey to Texas. With the gradual reopening of the golf-themed outfit described as “a process of fits and starts,” this should not impact the long term growth potential of a business model that has proven extremely popular.

Topgolf shareholders have a potential for significant gains, particularly as investments are not yet available to the public through conventional equity purchases. What the current market suggests is a buying opportunity that will no longer exist once the recovery process is in “full swing.”

Silicon Valley's Highly Anticipated 2020 IPO - airbnb

Frank Cardia is a licensed financial advisor and the owner of Blue Sky Financial. An experienced venture capital investor, Frank Cardia has assisted in over $1 billion worth of funding for companies including airbnb.

The expected 2020 IPO of airbnb is turning out to be one of the most anticipated in Silicon Valley, for a number of reasons. One of these is the company's global reach. Since its inception in 2008, the company that allows homeowners to earn extra cash by renting out their rooms has built an impressive inventory of 7 million properties around the world. By comparison, Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, has 1.4 million rooms.

Another reason is that, according to the company itself, airbnb makes money. The company has said that it posted a positive EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) in 2017 and 2018. This is in sharp contrast to some of 2019’s tech IPO companies like Uber and Lyft, which generate huge losses yearly.

A private firm, airbnb is not obligated to reveal information on its earnings, so there is no conclusive way to confirm statements made by airbnb. However, it has not raised capital in private markets since its last raise in 2017 that valued it at $31 billion, and CEO Brian Chesky has said that the company has enough cash to run even without the IPO. This has further fueled speculation that the company will opt for a direct listing on a stock exchange where, instead of issuing new shares to the public, existing shares will be listed, thereby allowing current shareholders to sell to the public.