America's Greatest Villain: I Defeat Magic with Magic

Chapter 95 A Sure-Win Deal (Seeking First Subscription!)

The people in the private room fell into a brief silence as they looked at the group message on their phones.

Chen Yuan was surprised that Adrian was really good at this, actually coming up with the idea of ​​"startup financing". No wonder he is a top student from a top American university.

After a long while, Mina Hoshino cautiously asked, "Isn't this just privately raising funds from students? He's openly sending out this kind of message, won't the school's academic affairs office intervene?"

""

However, Kevin, standing nearby, shook his head dismissively, explaining, "Look closely at the wording of the message; Adrian didn't use the phrase 'fundraising' at all."

"Moreover, in California universities, it's perfectly politically correct for students to spontaneously pool their money for angel investing; it's called the Silicon Valley garage spirit. All Adrian needs to do is provide investors with a formal agreement."

Chen Yuan nodded and added, "In the eyes of the school, this is simply a group of passionate college students incubating a promising biotechnology project in its early stages. The school will not only not interfere, but will also encourage it as a model of academic transformation."

"Moreover, with Dr. Berg's high-profile endorsement, this is undoubtedly a star project. Moreover, the $10,000 investment cap is not high, perfectly avoiding regulatory red lines. Even if the project fails, the losses will be within a controllable range."

Kevin clearly had some knowledge of these matters, and he continued, "Moreover, the contracts Adrian provides to investors will certainly be filled with all sorts of disclaimers. Even if he can't come up with a single penny a few months later, it can only be classified as a failed business investment."

After hearing Kevin's explanation, Hoshino Mina couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

After all, Adrian's project has Dr. Berg's endorsement, so it seems to have a high chance of success.

Moreover, an investment of $10,000 can yield a return of $50,000, which is an incredibly attractive profit.

Most importantly, this $50,000 can be used to offset the amount of the "Spark Program".

In other words, you can not only make money, but also complete the academy's tasks, a true win-win situation!

However, Arthur, the fat man who had been silent until now, sneered, "Adrian's biological lipid blocking enzyme technology is indeed promising. But to achieve results, it is much more difficult than my high-temperature curing enzyme. No wonder they are not only recruiting people, but also raising funds."

These days, doing scientific research requires spending money. Even undergraduate research projects often require a considerable investment of resources.

This amount of money is indeed a large sum for students, but for a research project, it may just be preliminary funding, so the school doesn't bother with it.

"Huh! How could this be!"

Suddenly, Mina Hoshino exclaimed in surprise as she looked at her phone, then blushed and glanced guiltily at Chen Yuan across from her.

"You planned to subscribe to Adrian's options, but it didn't work out?"

Chen Yuan looked at the embarrassed Hoshino Mina and mocked her mercilessly, "You're not the only smart one. Although Adrian's mass message said that investments under $1 were acceptable, it's just a screening tactic of scarcity marketing. He'll definitely choose the highest bidder."

Mina Hoshino bit her lip and nodded: "I just tried sending a message to ask if I could buy a $500 share to test the waters, but they quickly replied that the quota was already full."

These past few days, Mina Hoshino has been working as a waitress at Rongding Pavilion, earning several hundred dollars in tips alone, so she's quite well-off.

I originally thought that if I bought a set of Adrian's options for $500, and it would increase fivefold, I would make a net profit of $2000. It was a sure thing!

Unexpectedly, the message was rejected as soon as it was sent.

"The so-called $1 cap is just to avoid being scrutinized by the school."

Chen Yuan looked at the dejected Hoshino Mina and sneered, "The real value of Adrian's 100 spots is far more than 1; it's even possible that they could be resold for over 5."

"Over 50,000?" Mina Hoshino exclaimed again. "That's outrageous! What if his project doesn't ultimately make that much money? How will he pay the subscribers?"

After all, even if all 100 spots are invested at $1 each, Adrian would ultimately need to return $500 million.

If his project succeeds or secures venture capital from Wall Street, paying the $500 million shouldn't be too difficult.

However, if each of the 100 participants invests $5, then the final amount he would need to return would be $2500 million.

Unless Adrian's project is a huge success, it will be difficult for him to afford this amount of money.

However, Chen Yuan shook his head and explained, "Adrian's project options are capped at $1, and that won't change. If it exceeds that amount, even without intervention from the school, he might not be able to provide enough profit returns in the end."

"But for students in the School of Life Sciences, making money isn't the goal of this project. The most important thing is to offset the $5 commercial profit target required by the 'Spark Program.'"

"Students in the School of Life Sciences who fail to meet the $5 target will face the risk of being dropped by the school."

"After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to study at USC for four years, I believe many people hope to go further and have a better future."

"Wouldn't it be a huge loss if we lost our upward mobility just because we couldn't meet this $5 target?"

After Chen Yuan said so much in one breath, Hoshino Mina finally understood: "You mean, someone would be willing to spend more money to buy this option slot?"

Chen Yuan looked at his phone and gave a cold laugh.

"What Adrian is selling is not options at all."

"What he sold was the qualification to pass the Fire Seed Project."

Mina Hoshino was taken aback.

"Qualification?"

"That's right." Chen Yuan nodded. "The students who really take the bait aren't in it for the money, but to keep their career path open."

"If they don't meet the $5 target, the college will drop them. But if they buy Adrian's spot, even if they do nothing, they'll still get a school-approved business profit in their performance review account."

"This way, they won't be eliminated; they can even use these grades to gain recommendation letters from schools and a better future."

Kevin then realized what was happening.

"So the $1 capped subscription price is just what's stated publicly."

"Those who really want this spot are very likely to pay extra money privately."

"After all, for those rich second-generation students who have some money at home but can't produce results in their own projects, spending tens of thousands of dollars to buy a lifeline that will prevent the school from giving up on them is really a good deal."

Chen Yuan continued explaining expressionlessly, "On the surface, Adrian is raising funds for student startups."

"In reality, he was using the panic created by Dr. Berg and the Fire Seed Project to sell a batch of legitimate passing grades at high prices."

""

"So the real value of these 100 spots is never the return on investment, but the fact that they allow the person who buys them to directly cross the $5 cutoff line."

"For those who buy a spot, it's like buying their future with money."

"For Adrian, this is turning the survival anxiety of life science students facing the cutoff line into cash."

"This is the kind of deal that guarantees a profit."