The world of wine investment is often seen as an exclusive realm accessible to the affluent and connoisseurs. This perception is changing, thanks in part to Anthony Zhang, the co-founder and CEO of Vinovest.
Vinovest is a revolutionary platform committed to democratizing wine investment by reducing cost—and complexity—for the average investor.
It not only empowers you to tap into the world of wine investment but allows you to savor the taste of exquisite fine wines while providing the opportunity of returning a profit. Imagine sipping on a Bordeaux or Burgundy with the potential to watch your portfolio grow.
At 21, Anthony suffered a devastating injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Rather than succumbing to despair, he displayed remarkable grit, steering his first business from the confines of a hospital room.
Against all odds, he scaled and transitioned out of that company—a monumental achievement. He’s used that same mindset to build Vinovest. Listen in for some great takeaways about Anthony’s entrepreneurial journey. His story serves as a reminder that you can overcome any obstacle with the right mindset.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- Learn more about Anthony Zhang and Vinovest [3:17]
- How Anthony’s injury transformed his mindset [7:09]
- Why Anthony embraces leads with levity [11:02]
- What led Anthony to found Vinovest [12:27]
- What is highly-appreciating wine? [16:02]
- Get your copy of the “Joy and Productivity Journal” [17:05]
- Democratizing the world of fine wine [17:51]
- Why they branched out into whiskey lots [23:20]
- What level of investment are you looking at? [25:44]
- What Anthony did today that put him in the mindset for success [31:00]
Learn more about Anthony Zhang and Vinovest
While Anthony was in college, food delivery apps were becoming popular. He launched one for his college campus. Only students could use the app. He pitched his app on SharkTank and received his first investment offer. He realized he didn’t need to get a graduate degree to start a business and launch his career.
He received a fellowship program to take a leave of absence from college and run the business full-time. He sold the company to a larger food delivery app that was eventually acquired by Walmart. That kick-started his entrepreneurial journey.
How Anthony’s injury transformed his mindset
When Anthony was 21, he dove into a pool and broke his neck. It left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. His identity and self-worth had been wrapped up in his business. He had to re-learn how to breathe and feed himself using adaptive tools. His business was the furthest thing from his mind.
He was in intensive physical and occupational therapy. He needed something to occupy his time. Secondly, only 25–35% of people who suffer spinal cord injuries get a job again. Many people are unable to do what they used to do and give up.
But because he was an entrepreneur, Anthony found himself in a fortunate position. He was still himself. He didn’t want to be part of the 70% of people who never went back to work. He wanted to contribute to society. He had an urge to return to normalcy.
What led Anthony to found Vinovest
Anthony worked at a cryptocurrency portfolio management company, “Blockfolio.” It was there that he met numerous investors who were interested in alternative assets. Many of them invested in vintage cars, rare watches, art, wine, etc.—“Esoteric asset classes.” The alcohol space made the most sense to Anthony. Why?
There is a natural supply and demand that accelerates the process. You can never undrink a bottle. Supply decreases as time goes on. You can’t recreate a vintage year. It appreciates as it ages. There isn’t speculation. There’s inherent value being accrued. Wine and spirits are ingrained in society. That resonated with Anthony.
Democratizing the world of fine wine
When Anthony first heard of wine investing, he thought it was only for the ultra-wealthy. He wanted to start something that used technology and apply it to something often inaccessible. Vinovest takes care of all of the external components. You just have to decide how much you want to invest in via their platform.
They use an algorithm that determines what to buy. They monitor the market for price updates monthly and annually. They alert you when that wine or whiskey enters its maturity window and you receive bids on it. You’ll be notified what your profit will be and asked if you’d like to sell it. They manage it like a portfolio of stocks and bonds.
You’re investing in the bottle, case, or barrel—not a fractional portion. Because you “own” what you’ve purchased, you can decide to drink it as well. They recommend a portfolio of wine and whiskey so you cover the entire asset class. However, you can also choose to invest in one or the other.
They offer an accessible entry point, starting at $1,000 for a case of wine. They recommend starting with the purchase of a few cases from different regions. On the whiskey side, you can buy a lot for as little as $300. Wine and whiskey are a long-term asset with a 5–10-year horizon with low volatility (⅓ of the S&P 500). Even better? The factors that drive pricing have nothing to do with the stock market.
Resources & People Mentioned
- Episode #6: Behind the Counter with Andy Lamba
- Episode #104: WhiskyCast
- Episode #139: G.R.I.T with Austin Hatch
- Get a Free copy of our JOY and Productivity Journal
Connect with Anthony Zhang
Bio
Anthony Zhang is the co-founder and CEO of Vinovest, a platform democratizing access to investing in wine as an alternative asset class. A young, talented serial entrepreneur, Anthony has experience scaling tech platforms into global markets and securing funding from leading investors. Prior to launching Vinovest, Anthony founded and sold two companies. After spending his childhood and formative years in five countries across three different continents, he enrolled at the University of Southern California. As a freshman, he launched his first company, EnvoyNow, an on-demand food delivery platform for college campuses. He scaled the business to dozens of markets nationwide and hundreds of thousands of customers before it was acquired by Joyrun, a subsidiary of Walmart. EnvoyNow received funding from Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban, and famed TV producer Mark Burnett. His work at EnvoyNow earned him the prestigious Thiel Fellowship award, for which he was awarded $100k in funding from Peter Thiel’s Thiel Foundation. His second company, KnowYourVC, a platform for vetted reviews on angel investors and venture capitalists, was acquired by RateMyInvestor after usage exploded to several hundred thousand unique searches a month. He remains an active board member at RateMyInvestor. Anthony has also served as the head of marketing and business development at Blockfolio, a cryptocurrency portfolio management app, and helped lead teams to scale the user base to 10+ million users before it was acquired for $150M. Recognized for his achievement as an entrepreneur, Anthony has earned the Interact Fellowship award and landed on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “20 In Their 20s” List. He is also a mentor at WineUnify, a nonprofit sponsoring funding and career development for underrepresented minorities in the wine industry.
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