Bringing Profit Back to the People

with Kendrick Nguyen, Co-Founder, and CEO of Republic

You have the power to invest in the future you believe in. Here at Republic, we are committed to bringing profit back to the people and we want you to join this revolution. We’ll be taking you behind the scenes to meet the team, the founders, and the investors in our community, who share their insights on the future of investing and the work they do to make wealth generation accessible to everyone.

For those who are new to Republic, we are a leading investment platform that gives people the power to invest in the future they believe in by providing access to startups, real estate, crypto, and gaming investments. We are focused on creating a diverse, sustainable, and connected future for everyone. Republic has facilitated over $250 million in investments from over 1 million global community members and that’s just the beginning.

To kick things off, you’ll get to know the one and only Kendric Nguyen, Co-Founder and CEO of Republic. Ken shares his personal story as an immigrant, why he co-founded Republic, and his outlook on the future of investing at large. We discuss what profit to the people is all about and our three main values: passion, profit, and power.

Ken’s Background Story: The Power to Participate

Ken’s family immigrated from Vietnam to the Bay Area. Ken grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s and was inspired by the technological advancements of the time. And although his family lived in the middle of Silicon Valley, they weren’t accredited and couldn’t invest.

As someone who was on the outside looking in, Ken had a desire to become a part of that story and participate in building the future. This desire led him to a career path in law, finance, and finally angel investing and Republic.

Republic: Passion, Profit, Power

Ken always wanted to provide investment opportunities to his family, friends, and colleagues. The driving force behind his work has always been the passion for social impact.

In his early days at Wall Street, Ken experienced investing as something only a select few can do. The narrative was always just profit. In Silicon Valley, mixing passion and profit was an exception reserved for a few lucky venture capitalists.

Republic’s mission is to break through that mold and empower people. We believe passion and profit are not mutually exclusive. Republic provides fair access to anyone who wants to use their dollar to empower a company or leader they believe in. It’s all about the opportunity to take part in the future and share in the wealth and success of companies whose mission you believe in.

“As Republic grows and succeeds, we want everyone to have not only fair opportunities but the ability to cast a vote with your dollar. Your dollar matters, how you invest, what you buy, it all contributes directly to the future that you want to see. We don’t know what that future will be, but we do know that if everyone participates, invests, and spends with intention, that future is going to be much more representative of what most of us would want.” — Kendrick Nguyen

Even $10 Can Make a Change

Just a few years ago, it was impossible for an average person to invest in startups. That meant investing was reserved for the privileged few, and diversity was a pipe dream or a marketing tactic.

Since Regulation Crowdfunding was adopted, anyone can take their $10 and invest in a company that brings value to their community. Equity crowdfunding has been a huge game-changer and Republic has been leading the way for so many new investors and founders.

As Ken said, it’s a myth that you need a million dollars to launch a tech company. When you open the investing process so everyone can participate, it becomes entirely possible that a college student can raise the money they need to get started.

“The notion of everyone participating and investing a small dollar amount in something that is decidedly high-risk, but that is very, very impactful, is a huge boost for the startup ecosystem.” — Kendrick Nguyen

This concept has been validated through the last five years Republic has been active. We’ve helped more than 200 companies with often overlooked founders raise funds. The best part? This is just the beginning.

How to Define Success

Five years ago, the success of Republic was whatever Ken and his partners decided. Today, success is a collective definition. We’re in this together, the entire community.

Probably the biggest benchmark we want to hit is mainstream adoption. In Ken’s view, the only way to do that is to provide a possibility for actual capital return for end users. This year, we’re looking at dozens of potential exits on the platform that will show that this model of community ownership of retail investing is very real. That’s not the end goal, but it’s a big step in our process of evolution.

As far as Ken’s personal definition of success goes, it all comes down to two questions.

How do you have the most profound experience?

How do you have the most impactful activity?

We all have different opportunities and choices that we can take to be impactful. It’s an ongoing process and what really matters is that we keep learning and growing.

The Next Stage of Growth

Republic is a startup itself. As we scale up and the team grows, it’s time to set up new goals. Running any startup is a journey filled with challenges, but if there’s one big difference compared to where we started, it’s that the world is waking up to the power of retail capital.

That doesn’t just mean that new investors are coming to Republic, it also means that institutional VCs are starting to pay attention. Some of the largest VCs in the world are now backing our vision for the future. This level of adoption and recognition means that the crowdfunding revolution is here to stay.

Of course, there are always challenges. Republic set out to change human behavior and the concept of wealth generation. This is a difficult task made even more difficult by the fact that you have only nine seconds to grab someone’s attention.

The main question for us is this: How do you consistently and through different ways get everyone to know about this opportunity and to share the story?

This is where you come in. Share this blog, tune in for new episodes, and tell everyone that we’re bringing profit back to the people!

Additional resources

To keep in the loop for the latest developments in crowdfund investing, make sure to follow this podcast and listen in every week. Leave a rating and a review and let’s bring profit back to the people together.

Ready to start investing in your future? Then head over to www.republic.co and find a startup you’re passionate about.

This content is provided for educational purposes only by Republic. Nothing discussed should be construed as legal, tax, accounting, or investing advice. The views of the presenters may not be the views of Republic and its affiliates. Always consult with trusted professional advisors before making investments. Private investments are inherently illiquid and may result in a total loss. All rights reserved.