Screen entertainment crowdfunding is bigger than movies now. This week’s Chart of the Week revisits our film crowdfunding analysis one year later and expands the lens to include traditional film and TV, video-driven media outlets, and creator revenue-share offerings. The category has grown dramatically, with dollars raised up roughly 22x from 2019 to 2025, driven by major raises from Newsmax and Angel Studios. But the deeper story is more nuanced: Reg A+ dominates the biggest offerings, creator revenue-share deals are emerging, and documented investor payouts remain concentrated in specific revenue-participation and P&A structures—not open-ended equity.

Healthcare real estate has emerged as one of the most resilient areas of private investing, supported by long-term demographic trends and growing demand for outpatient care.

Join Kingscrowd CEO Chris Lustrino and Zeus Companies Founder Dr. Steven Kaufman on Tuesday, July 21 at 2 PM ET as they discuss how healthcare developments are evaluated, what separates successful projects from the rest, and why disciplined underwriting has helped projects navigate even the most challenging market environments.

Can fans and creators help reinvent film finance?

This week on Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Hill Road Pictures’ Frank Peluso and Bob Vanech about So I’m the Crazy One, an upcoming R-rated comedy using a creator-driven, crowdfunded approach to independent film. The conversation covers content creator casting, audience ownership, Reg D and Reg CF fundraising, Hollywood accounting, direct-to-consumer revenue, and why R-rated comedies may be ready for a comeback.

Listen in your browser

By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau \ Deal Report

Brief: Canopii builds local greenhouses that grow organic produce independent of land, labor, and weather constraints, helping strengthen local food supply wherever demand exists. Founded in 2021 by David Ashton, Canopii has received $2.3 million in USDA and NSF grants, with $3.3 million in pending grants and a grocer commitment to buy the full harvest from its first commercial farm.

Léa’s Quick Take: 

Canopii isn't the traditional indoor farming company. It isn't separating the plants from the sun, and it isn't chasing lettuce. The company is focused on bringing fresh, locally grown Asian greens into mainstream grocery stores, replacing imported produce with vegetables that are fresher, organic, pre-packaged, and grown much closer to consumers.

The thesis is really about economics. Canopii has built a highly automated growing process that requires little labor and relatively little energy, two costs that have hurt many controlled-environment agriculture businesses. Canopii is a greenhouse and isn't comparable to vertical farming. Simply, as an urban farming system, it grows pricier and high-demand greens to maintain financial stability.

What I like is that this is already moving beyond theory. The company has signed a white-label contract with New Seasons Market, validating that retailers are interested in carrying the product. The opportunity also extends beyond Asian consumers. The goal is to introduce these vegetables to a broader audience looking for fresh, healthy, and convenient produce.

The biggest question for me is the expansion strategy. Canopii plans to rely heavily on a franchise model, which is an efficient way to scale without raising endless amounts of capital. But it also creates execution risk. Success will depend on whether franchise operators can consistently produce the same quality and economics across every location.

Overall, I like the positioning. It's a focused market, the product is differentiated, the economics appear more attractive than many indoor farming startups, and there is already early commercial validation. The franchise strategy is the piece I'd spend the most time diligencing before making an investment.

We’re excited to share that Kingscrowd has been named to the inaugural PurposeBuilt100™, recognizing the 100 fastest-growing mission-driven companies in America. Chosen from thousands of companies screened nationwide, this honor celebrates businesses proving that impact and growth go hand in hand. We bring data and transparency to online private markets, helping overlooked founders and everyday investors — and this milestone belongs to our team and community.

See the full list and register for the live reveal

VAWAA

By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau

The paradox of the rise of AI is that customers are increasingly asking for a human connection. VAWAA is betting that art cannot be learned through a machine, and that aspiring artists and travelers, more than ever want to learn from human experts.

Tap Systems

By Teddy Lyons

With Meta's smart glasses shipments up 322% and Apple, Google, and Samsung entering the space, Tap systems is selling the missing input piece, a patented watchband that turns finger taps into hands free control of AI glasses, already at $5M in sales and 45,000 units shipped.

Franchise League Football

By Teddy Lyons

Led by a PhD from The Athletic and a serial MIT entrepreneur, Franchise League Football brings salary caps and multi year contracts to fantasy football, a genuinely differentiated take on a massive category, though with only about 50 leagues live it is still tiny and unproven.

That's a wrap on this week's issue!

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