IPO WatchDog

Why I decided to explore Level Brands’ IPO and first annual report as an exercise in investigative journalism.

It’s been years since I wrote an investigative piece on a public company. Since that time, search engines and social media have made sniffing out suspect behavior easier for investors. But this IPO and Level Brands’ first annual report possess all the elements of a multifaceted smoke and mirrors stock play that I couldn’t resist exploring in detail.

I initially began my research into this company after following a thread on InvestorsHub about a company called NuGene. NuGene, a publicly traded skincare company, crashed and burned and now trades at a fraction of a penny per share. Posts on InvestorsHub heralded it as a classic Pump & Dump. And yet it was promoted by and associated with a group that touts themselves as some of the biggest influencers in business branding.

Those names, a lawsuit, plus links to specific investors and companies led me to the Level Brands’ November 17, 2017 IPO and to the Gordian knot of business relationships outlined in their annual report.

These posts are going to cover some incredibly broad territory, from bikini supermodels to federal investigations, Ponzi schemes and a suicide, the Wolf of Wall street and shady stock offerings, convicted felons and NASDAQ delistings, underwear models with VP business titles, junk science super-water, paper-thin shell companies, multitudes of phony social media followers, and even the estate of a violet-eyed Hollywood film star.

These reports will go much broader than just my initial inspection into the annual report, and explore a multi-company corporate culture that seems designed to mislead both consumers and investors.

I hold no investment interest in Level Brands, neither long nor short, nor in any of the several related public companies I will be discussing in these blog articles.