Linda Xie Says All Six Investments Above Cost Came From Crypto

In a Nov. 8 post, Linda Xie said six of her 50 personal angel investments had returned more than their original cost, and each backed a crypto company. Her review gives a snapshot of a portfolio built over nearly a decade.

Xie, a Scalar Capital co-founder and former Coinbase product lead, said crypto accounted for 60% of the companies she backed. AI made up 10%, with the rest spread across other industries.

Five of the six investments above cost came through token subscription rights, while one was an equity investment. No single investment returned as much as the total amount invested across the portfolio.

An AI company had the portfolio’s highest paper return rate, far above the other investments. If monetized, its value could theoretically cover the full amount invested across the portfolio.

Among 12 companies that shut down or exited through acqui-hires, seven investments returned nothing, four recovered 80% to 90% of their initial cost, and one outcome remained pending. Xie’s accounting covers her personal equity investments and excludes her funds and direct holdings of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).