It might sound strange, but Human IPO has branded itself as the marketplace for publicly traded people. This means you can invest in an individual much like you would invest in a company or product. By giving money to an individual now, you might get a return from their life’s work later. What would an hour of Bill Gates time be worth today? What would an hour of Bill Gates time have been worth 40 years ago? You get the idea.

If you think it sounds wild, here’s a snippet from Mike Merrill’s profile, the “World’s first publicly traded person:”

⭐️ "My life rights were optioned by Sony Television for a series on Amazon."
⭐️ "I've been featured in Wired, The Atlantic, BBC, and The Today Show."
⭐️ "I'm currently unemployed."
⭐️ "My shareholders have allowed me to take psychedelics."

But it’s not all headlines and shrooms. With an initial public offering price at $13/hr selling out last month, an hour of Mikes time now is going for $88.20. Not a bad short term return.

While it may seem fairly abstract, the idea isn’t entirely new.

Avenify first launched on Product Hunt a year ago as a way to invest in students under a similar premise. They later relaunched with a broader focus to invest in human potential using income share agreements to help students get funding. With Avenify, you might help someone attend nursing school under an ISA, whereas with Human IPO you’re investing in the entrepreneurs – the Bill Gates if you’re lucky – of tomorrow.

Individuals have also put themselves up for public investment independently. Long time Product Hunt community member, James Gallagher, has sold personal tokens in himself. Stakeholders have helped him make decisions about his future, like whether or not to attend university, with a vested interest in his success. Somewhat ironically they recently voted to end their personal stake in his decision making.

If you’d rather invest in startups but don’t have the capital to qualify as an accredited investor you can use Republic to become an angel investor with just $10. Or if you’d rather show appreciation to makers of the products you love without any expectation of a return, Buy Me A Coffee is nice way to say thanks for building cool products.

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