You were there before it blew up. Now What?

Hello friends, and welcome to The Unsophisticated Investor! Brought to you by Scott & Rob, the founders of Shuttle!

If you want to invest alongside the VC funds who've backed breakout companies like Revolut, Asana, JustEat, Bolt, Lets Get Checked, Loom, Runna, Charlotte Tilbury, Deel, Aircall, AngelList, Carta, TransferWise and many more, regardless of your knowledge, network or net worth, join our limited waitlist now.

Now, let’s get into it 👇

You were first.

First to upvote that slick new tool on Product Hunt.
First to tell your mates about the fintech that actually felt modern.
First to spot the brand before it became a brand.

But when those companies exploded - raised a monster round, made TechCrunch, hit unicorn status - you weren’t on the cap table. You were just another early user.

The Frustration: You were early. But not inside.

Let’s be honest; if spotting breakout products early were investable, you’d be flying private by now.

You knew about Figma before your designer friends switched over. You had Monzo on your phone while your bank was still mailing you PIN codes. Maybe you’ve even bookmarked a few “Product of the Day” winners from Product Hunt just because they felt exciting.

But none of that translated into ownership. You got the product. Someone else got the equity.

And it’s not your fault. The system isn’t designed to let you in. Early-stage investing has long been gated by wealth, regulation, and who-you-know networks. Founders raise from people they’re introduced to. VCs back each other’s deals. By the time a company IPOs (if it ever does) most of the real upside has already been captured.

The best performing startups don’t even make it to public markets anymore. They get acquired. Or they stay private, raising mega-rounds behind closed doors with private equity firms and late-stage venture capitalists.

As a retail investor, you’re left with two options:

1. Buy shares in the public market when the valuation’s already sky-high.

2. Watch from the sidelines and wonder what could’ve been.

That’s the real frustration. You had the instinct. You had the insight.
You were just never offered the access.

The System isn’t broken - It was built that way

Here’s the part no one really says out loud:
Private markets aren’t closed by accident. They’re closed by design.

For decades, early-stage investing has operated like an exclusive club. One where the price of entry isn’t insight or good judgement - it’s wealth, accreditation, and connections. You could be smart, financially savvy, and tuned into the market... and still be locked out.

Because the rules say unless you’ve got a high enough net worth, you’re not “sophisticated” enough to invest.

And sure, regulation matters. No one’s arguing for chaos. But somewhere along the way, the line between protecting investors and excluding them got blurry. The result? A system where most of the population is systematically blocked from the asset class with the most asymmetric upside.

Meanwhile, tech companies have changed the game. Startups are staying private longer. The biggest returns are happening earlier and behind closed doors. That exclusive access isn’t just about being in the right fund or knowing the right partner. It’s about being in the right room, at the right time, with the right ticket.

Retail investors? Still stuck outside.

And yet… something’s shifting. The walls are starting to crack. Platforms are emerging that rethink who gets access and why. Not by blowing up the rules, but by redesigning the experience around a different kind of investor.

The kind who sees the trend before the IPO.
The kind who’s been ready, just not allowed.

The Shift: Access is changing

Good news: the walls are starting to come down.

We’re entering a new phase of investing; where retail investors aren’t just tolerated, they’re wanted. And that’s not because the system suddenly grew a conscience. It’s because the old gatekeepers can’t hold it all together anymore.

Startups want faster, more flexible capital. Founders want backers who actually get their product. And technology has made it easier than ever to find both. The result? A new breed of platforms is stepping in, ones built to give individuals access to private market deals that used to be invite-only.

Not all platforms are created equal. Some still cling to outdated models or dress up crowdfunding as access. But others (like Shuttle) are built differently. We work with institutional-quality deals, vetted opportunities, and curated access that was once only available to VCs, family offices, or connected angels.

This isn’t about throwing darts at early-stage startups and hoping for the best. It’s about giving smart, experienced retail investors the chance to invest alongside the pros - not after them. Not at inflated public valuations. And not buried in jargon.

Because here’s the truth: you’ve probably been acting like a great early-stage investor for years. You’ve found great companies before they hit the mainstream. You’ve had the instincts. Now you finally get to act on them.

This shift isn’t coming. It’s already happening. The only question is: are you ready to move with it?

From Early Adopter to Early Investor

You’ve already proven you know how to spot the good stuff.

You found Notion before your manager. Downloaded Monzo before it had a metal card. Tried AI tools before ChatGPT was a household name. You’re not just “in the know”, you move early. You’ve got taste. You’ve got instinct.

Now imagine if you’d had skin in the game.

That same instinct that helped you discover the next big thing? It could’ve also built you real wealth, if you’d had access. That’s the next evolution. Not just being early as a user, but early as an owner.

That’s where Shuttle comes in. We’re not here to help you pick stocks. We’re here to give you the same kind of access the insiders have had for years - carefully selected private market deals, backed by real diligence and designed to sit alongside your public market portfolio. It’s long-term, high-conviction investing, the way it should be.

Because being early should mean more than just bragging rights. It should mean upside.

You’re already thinking like an early-stage investor. Now it’s time to invest like one.

On October 22nd, Shuttle is launching on Product Hunt. It’s our way of saying: we’re not just opening the doors to private markets - we’re tearing down the walls. If you’ve ever wanted to invest in the kind of companies you discover early and believe in deeply, now’s your moment. Follow the launch, spread the word, and come see what early access really looks like.

What we’ve been working on at Shuttle

• Kick-starting our Product Hunt Launch Campaign 🚀 

• Rolled out our new Referral program 💸 

• Moving through our UK Regulation process 🇬🇧 

The Unsophisticated Investor is brought to you by Scott & Rob, the founders of Shuttle. We’re both sick of private markets being a playground exclusive to the ultra-wealthy so we started a company to challenge the status-quo. Shuttle’s singular focus is to unlock private markets for Millennial and Gen Z tech professionals and help them build wealth through the highest performing private market opportunities.

Scott & Rob
Shuttle Co-Founders