Anthony Zhang, Vinovest: Fine Wine as an Alternative Investment

Our guest today is Anthony Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Vinovest, the first of its kind investment platform where individual investors of all kinds can own fine wine (investment grade). He dropped out of the University of Southern California at the age of 20 when he was selected for the prestigious Thiel Fellowship, a two-year program that provides entrepreneurs under 23 a $100K grant to pursue their startups. Other companies he has held leadership or board positions include RateMyInvestor, Blockfolio, JOANY & JoyRun. He is also an active angel investor (portfolio holdings listed on LinkedIn profile). In today’s episode, we begin with discussing Anthony’s background as a serial entrepreneur, starting with the Thiel Fellowship, his pitch to Mark Cuban, and what led him to dropping out of USC. We quickly move to the life changing accident that Anthony experienced, including his painful rehab and his incredible return to save his company. We then discuss how his interest in wine led him to starting Vinovest. Then we get into the case for investing in wine, beta exposure and how you can generate alpha buying and selling wine. We also compare investing in wine vs. whiskey, storage, and most importantly, what success will look like for a Vinovest investor (performance vs. the U.S. stock market). Last, we discuss fundraising for a startup, his heavy hitter investors and the future of his company. Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, Co-Founder of the Investors First Podcast and former President of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the Investors First Podcast & CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Om Podcasten

The award* winning Investors First Podcast is a service of CFA Society Orlando. Subject matter experts from our Society interview Founders, Chief Executive Officer’s, Chief Investment Strategists, Fed Presidents and more to discuss timely and relevant topics in finance. Our mission is to educate investors and investment professionals in Florida, the Americas and beyond, with a focus on making you a more informed investor and/or advisor. *The CFA Institute awarded CFA Society Orlando the 2020 Impact and Innovation Award for the Investor’s First Podcast. Previous guests include Patrick O’Shaugnessy, Liz Ann Sonders, Barry Ritholtz, Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic, Dr. David Kelly, Mark Yusko, Annie Duke, Morgan Housel, Peter Zeihan, and Meb Faber. CFA Society Orlando is a member of the CFA Institute's Network of over 150 societies globally. The majority of its members hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, which is considered the most respected and recognized investment management credential in the world. Fewer than 1 in 5 candidates who begin the program end up successfully earning the CFA charter. Successful candidates take an average of four years to complete the program.