Invest in the
future of tattoo

Investment Opportunities

Availability, Terms, and Process

Offering Type
Modified SAFE
Future Conversion
Preferred Stock
Qualifications
Investor benefits
Exclusive tattoo designs & collections
Email us at invest@blackdot.tattoo with any questions
Process to invest
  1. Click ‘Request Information’ to access the investor information request form. Enter your details and submit.
  2. Blackdot will review your request for information and may reject or accept it at our sole discretion. Completing an information request does not require you to invest nor does it give you a right to subscribe to the offering.
  3. If we extend an invitation for you to pursue an investment in Blackdot, we will:
    1. Provide you with access to a secure data vault that contains additional investment-related information (e.g. opportunity overview, investment terms, cap table summary, risk factors, financials, market overview, use of proceeds).
    2. Provide a link to initiate the investment through an AngelList RUV (a Special Purpose Vehicle, or SPV). Additional FAQs and disclosures related to investing through the AngelList RUV will be made available through that site.
  4. If we are not able to invite you to pursue an investment, we will inform you by email.
  5. If you would like to proceed with the investment, after reviewing the disclosures made available to you, you’ll need to create an account on AngelList and provide basic information about your subscription (legal name and other information about the investor, qualification as an accredited investor, amount you wish to invest, your funding method). You will then work directly through the AngelList platform to verify your identity and status as an accredited investor.
  6. Once the verification process is complete, and assuming we accept your subscription, you will electronically execute a subscription agreement and wire the funds to AngelList. AngelList will hold your funds in escrow until such time that Blackdot closes the investment round (Blackdot will make the close date known).
  7. Once the investment round is closed, you will receive executed subscription documents in your AngelList account.
  8. Blackdot will provide you with company updates on an ongoing basis.

* Send an email to invest@blackdot.tattoo if you have issues completing or submitting your investment information request.
* If you invest through the AngelList RUV, the RUV will be the holder of any Non-Voting Preferred Stock.
* See Investor FAQ at the bottom of the page for more information.

A multi·billion dollar
opportunity

The global tattoo market is highly lucrative and the industry is undergoing unprecedented growth and rapid transformation.

Blackdot is uniquely capable of satisfying the oversized demand for smaller, detailed tattoos. Moreover, our focus on predictability, atmosphere, hygiene, and minimizing discomfort enables us to address a large, hesitant population segment that can now be offered greater peace of mind with Blackdot technology.

$3.9B

Forecasted size of the tattoo market

The US tattoo market is currently valued at $1.6B and the global tattoo market is expected to reach $3.9B by 2030. Forecasted industry growth (CARG) is 9.9%.

Tattoo is often cited as one of the most recession-proof industries alongside funeral homes and healthcare.

*Source: Fortune Business Insights 2023
IBISWorld 2023

46%

Nearly half of the under 40 population in the US has one or more tattoos

Few Americans purchase only one tattoo. Almost 70% who choose to tattoo have multiple tattoos.

This unprecedented growth is being driven by younger generations (Gen Y & Z) that are acquiring more tattoos at a faster rate than at any other time in recorded history.

*Source: Statista 2017 & 2021, YPulse Poll 2022
Blackdot Tattoo Market Analytics 2023

40M+

The untapped portion of the market considering a tattoo but holding back for one or more reasons

Fear of the pain associated with traditional tattooing, limited design options, concern with the appearance of the end result, and intimidation of the typical tattoo studio can hold people back from getting a tattoo.

Blackdot’s unique approach addresses these concerns, finally opening up tattoo as an option for this significant population segment.

*Source: Statista Survey 2017
2020 US Census

No
shortage
of firsts

JULY
2018

The Quest Begins

  • R&D for the Blackdot device commences
JAN
2019

Blackdot is Born

  • The Company is incorporated as a Delaware C-Corp
JULY
2019

First Black Dots

  • Blackdot prototype tattoos first dots on a person
DEC
2019

Initial Funding Secured

  • Seed round of VC & angel investor funding (SAFEs)
  • Professionally managed angel investor fund (SPV) oversubscribed in 48 hours
2020
2021

Blackdot Handheld Device Testing

  • Tattooed test dots on all makes and models of people using our patented handheld tattooing device
SEPT
2021

First Fully Automated Tattoo

  • Blackdot V1 (Gen 1) device begins fully automated tattooing
  • First VC-led priced round closed
JULY
2022

First Technology Patent Issued

  • Blackdot receives technology patent US11376407
SEPT
2022

First Micro Grayscale Tattoo

  • Blackdot V1 device tattoos Mona Lisa’s eyes
APR
2023

First Credit Card Sized Grayscale Tattoos

  • Tattoos of 'Chapel' and 'Tech Brain' by renowned Turkish artist Omer Tunca
OCT
2023

Blackdot comes out of stealth

  • Company launches with collections from John Craig, Omer Tunca, and Tyler Hobbs
  • Austin studio opens to the public
  • Offer Tradable Tattoos™
2024+

Looking Forward

  • Rollout of the Blackdot V2 (Gen 2) device
  • Open studios in key locations (evaluating LA, NYC, Las Vegas, Miami, London, Berlin, and other draw cities)
  • Support for color tattoos

Tattoo Talks

Gain additional perspective and key insights from Blackdot’s VCs, angel investors, and advisors. Also hear experts from across the art community weigh in on the potential for the unique technology and transformative experience Blackdot provides.

The Blackdot team

Blackdot:
The Road to the
Tattoo Revolution

The three-part book—Blackdot: The Road to the Tattoo Revolution—is a must read for prospective investors.

Part III details the genesis behind Blackdot as told by Joel Pennington, the company’s visionary founder and CEO. Joel also chronicles the significant technical and commercial milestones, from ideation to launch, as well as spotlighting key talent—leadership, board of directors, advisors, and engineers—that are helping position Blackdot as the future of tattoo.

Read
the eBook
Free

Make Your Mark
on Blackdot

Frequently Asked
Questions

What is the process for investing in Blackdot?
  • If you would like to receive more information about the investment opportunity, please complete the investment information request.
  • Blackdot will review your request and may reject or accept it at our sole discretion. Submitting an investment information request does not require you to invest nor does it give you a right to subscribe to the offering.
  • If we extend an invitation for you to pursue an investment in Blackdot, we will:
    • Provide you with access to a secure data vault that contains additional investment-related information (e.g. opportunity overview, investment terms, cap table summary, risk factors, financials, market overview, use of proceeds).
    • Provide a link to initiate the investment through an AngelList RUV (a Special Purpose Vehicle, or SPV). Additional FAQs and disclosures related to investing through the AngelList RUV will be made available through that site.
  • If we are not able to invite you to pursue an investment, we will inform you by email.
  • If you would like to proceed with the investment, after reviewing the disclosures made available to you, you’ll need to create an account on AngelList and provide basic information about your subscription (legal name and other information about the investor, qualification as an accredited investor, amount you wish to invest, your funding method). You will then work directly through the AngelList platform to verify your identity and status as an accredited investor.
  • Once the verification process is complete, and assuming we accept your subscription, you will electronically execute a subscription agreement and wire the funds to AngelList. AngelList will hold your funds in escrow until such time that Blackdot closes the investment round (Blackdot will make the close date known).
  • Once the investment round is closed, you will receive executed subscription documents in your AngelList account.
  • Blackdot will provide you with company updates on an ongoing basis.
What is an accredited investor?

In the US, an accredited investor is a sophisticated investor who meets one of the below criteria:

Individuals
  • Net worth over $1 million, excluding primary residence (individually or with spouse or partner)
  • Income over $200,000 (individually) or $300,000 (with spouse or partner) in each of the prior two years, and reasonably expects the same for the current year
  • Certain investment professionals in good standing holding the general securities representative license (Series 7), the investment adviser representative license (Series 65), or the private securities offerings representative license (Series 82)
Entities
  • Owning investments in excess of $5 million
  • Corporations, partnerships, LLCs, trusts, 501(c)(3) organizations, employee benefit plans, “family office” and any “family client” of that office with assets in excess of $5 million
  • Where all equity owners are accredited investors
  • Other investment advisors and financial entities

For additional details on qualification, visit the SEC’s website.

How does Blackdot verify the accreditation status of investors?

AngelList conducts all verification (including AML/KYC clearances) and will inform you as to what documentation can be used to substantiate your accredited status. The documentation you need to provide depends on the basis on which you claim to be accredited, but can include W-2s, tax returns, bank statements, brokerage statements, Verification letters from CPAs, attorneys, or licensed professionals holding either FINRA Series 7, 65, or 82 licenses.

What is a Reg D, 506(c) equity raise?

Rule 506(c) is an exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and related state securities laws that offers companies the opportunity to publicly advertise an investment round and to receive funds from verified accredited investors.

Securities purchased under Rule 506(c) are not freely tradable and may not be transferred or resold without registration or an exemption from registration.

Please visit the SEC’s website for more information.

Why is Blackdot going down the Reg D, 506(c) route?
Blackdot believes that having ownership concentrated amongst a handful of VCs is not in its best interest. By enabling accredited angel investors to also be a part of the Company, there will be more people advocating for the company and adding value in ways that VCs cannot.
Are VCs able to invest?
VCs that can add value to the Company—and have clean reputations—will be considered provided they invest on similar terms to accredited investors.
What is a SAFE and a Valuation cap?

A SAFE stands for a “Simple Agreement for Future Equity“, which allows investors to convert their investment into equity in future funding rounds or liquidation. Please review the summary of terms carefully prior to investing.

A valuation cap, often called a “cap,” is a predetermined maximum company valuation at which a SAFE will convert into equity. Essentially, it sets an upper limit on the valuation to determine how many shares the SAFE holder will receive when the SAFE converts.

What criteria will Blackdot use to select investors or accept subscriptions?

We may accept or reject information requests and subscriptions at our sole discretion.

There is no single criteria that Blackdot uses for investor selection or to accept a particular subscription, however here are some of the factors that we will consider:

  • First and foremost, the investor must be accredited and legally reside in the US.
  • Secondly, the investor must have a clean reputation. It’s important that we onboard people that align with the brand.
  • Additionally, when possible, Blackdot is interested in onboarding investors that are passionate about our mission and, if willing, can add value outside of the monetary investment.
Will there be future opportunities to invest in Blackdot?

It’s unknown at this time if future investment opportunities will be made available or on what terms we would be looking to raise capital outside of this initial round.

What are Blackdot’s fundraising plans after this raise?

Blackdot would like to focus on non-equity instruments (e.g. various revenue and debt based financing) to raise additional capital, but we have not ruled out more traditional priced equity rounds or additional convertibles (e.g. SAFEs).

Will I directly invest in Blackdot?

No. You will directly invest in the AngelList RUV formed for the purpose of our offering, unless you've made other arrangements with Blackdot. The AngelList RUV will directly invest in Blackdot.

What is the AngelList RUV?

The AngelList RUV is a ‘Roll Up Vehicle’ (RUV) formed by AngelList specifically for this offering. Instead of directly investing in Blackdot, you would subscribe to own an interest in a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ (SPV) which would then invest into Blackdot on the terms described here and in our disclosures.

Instead of being listed on Blackdot’s cap table, investors become limited partners of this RUV which itself will be listed on Blackdot’s cap table. This relieves investors of the requirement to interface with our legal team for consents, conversions, and ongoing questions. Instead, you get a single dashboard on AngelList that provides the details of your investment. Additional information about the RUV will be made available to selected investors via AngelList.

Will I still receive information about Blackdot even though I am not a direct investor in the Company?

Yes. You will receive information from Blackdot on an ongoing basis. Typically, these updates will be provided via your AngelList account.

Where will Blackdot’s first location(s) be located?

Blackdot’s initial tattoos are available for customers in Austin, TX and aims to establish studios over time in locations such as NYC, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, London, and Berlin. With more studios in more locations, Blackdot will be able to make accessibility to top tattooing, art and technology much less of an issue than it is today.

Tell me more about the founder’s expertise in this space, background in hardware and why he believes he’s poised to turn Blackdot into a scalable, profitable company?

After founding ClearAccess and selling it to Cisco Systems, Joel Pennington embarked on a new professional journey that involved custom wines, specialty coffee and, eventually, the art of tattoos.

After his custom wine project (Slow Turtle), Joel took his interest in specialty drinks to the next level at Bellwether Coffee, a Bay area startup focusing on making roasting more accessible and easier to master. Bellwether used a system of sourcing roasting profiles (i.e., roasting recipes) from top roasters, uploading them to the cloud and making them available to their next-generation roasters. This process enabled staff without specialized training to bring the roasts to life, combining hardware, software and cloud to centralize the art of coffee roasting.

Pennington took a page out of the Bellwether playbook and applied it to another creative medium, centralizing the art of tattoo. At first, the concept was to place automated tattoo devices in existing tattoo studios. However, this quickly shifted as the maintenance requirements, training process and the possibility of operator error was too risky. Instead, Joel and his team wanted to be associated with a different type of tattoo experience overall, one where Blackdot could completely reinvent and govern the experience from start to finish and make its studios the only places where the tattoo devices would operate.

What access will I get to Blackdot’s service as an investor? Are there any value-adds?

Yes. Blackdot will be making certain tattoo designs and collections available only to investors.

Who are the company’s advisors and/or board members?
Blackdot’s Board of Directors:
  • Joel Pennington (CEO/Founder)
  • Ken Hood (MP FusionX Ventures)
  • Gary Peterson (SVP Fisher Investments)
How will Blackdot combat any potentially negative response/backlash from traditional tattoo artists? Does Blackdot believe this will be taking jobs away or negatively impacting the industry?

Blackdot intends to co-exist symbiotically within the tattoo industry and provide tattoo artists with additional revenue streams to let them scale in an industry that generally trades time for money. Blackdot understands that traditional tattooing will always remain mainstream but believes there is room for an innovative approach that will attract a parallel audience and be available alongside the classic system.

Relevant quotes from renowned Turkish tattoo artist, Omer Tunca:

Today, technology is developing every year, and this change has a great impact on our field as well. To give an example, about 10 or 15 years ago, tattoo machines were tools that worked in much more primitive ways—say, a classical coil-driven tattoo machine— with the development of technology, rotary machines have achieved impressive levels. There are also wireless machines now, and we tattoo using them. While technology advances at this rate and presents these changes, of course, the emergence of Blackdot is a breakthrough innovation in the tattoo field. At first, some people may get a little nervous when they hear about such innovations. It is as if a machine would emerge and take over their jobs. But this is definitely not the case. On the contrary, these innovations, especially in the field of art, are very positive developments that will carry artists to different vantage points in many different fields. For example, thanks to Blackdot, not only tattoo artists, but also many other artists in the world whose creative output is aligned with tattoos—painters, illustrators, or people who work in different fields of art will have a chance to experience this medium. In addition to this, people around the world who want to carry these artists’ works on their bodies will be able to access these works easily thanks to Blackdot.

I think, Blackdot is a huge project that can change not only the tattoo industry, but also the way of art production. Inspired by this project, I think the artists will begin to undertake much more creative and different works in the future. Having such projects in our lives and their continued support and use by us artists will pave the way for a new kind of art production in the world. Evolution of art production has always been like this in history. Not only technological, but also socio-cultural developments, accompanying changes, political ideas, views—just as all of these put forth a new art language or a new art period, Blackdot will, with the unique vision it embodies, introduce important renovation not only in the field of tattoo, but also in art and art production in general.

Stay up to date

Sign up for updates on upcoming tattoo drops, artist collaborations and more.

This website is an advertisement to Accredited Investors for the sale of unregistered securities relying on Regulation D, Rule 506(c). This website is not an offer to sell securities. The offer to sell securities is made only through the subscription agreement and related offering materials which is provided to qualified investors separately (the “Offering Materials”). The Company’s primary website is www.blackdot.tattoo. The information available on or through the Company’s website is not a part of the Offering Materials. In making an investment decision with respect to the securities, you should only consider the information contained in the Offering Materials provided by the Company.

THE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. THERE ARE FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFERABILITY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED ON THIS WEBSITE. NO FEDERAL OR STATE SECURITIES ADMINISTRATOR HAS REVIEWED OR PASSED ON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE OFFERING MATERIALS FOR THESE SECURITIES. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFERABILITY OF THE SECURITIES AND NO RESALE MARKET MAY BE AVAILABLE AFTER RESTRICTIONS EXPIRE.

THE PURCHASE OF THE SECURITIES INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ONLY BY PERSONS WHO CAN BEAR THE RISK OF THE LOSS OF THEIR ENTIRE INVESTMENT. IN MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS CAN RELY ON THEIR OWN EXAMINATION OF THE ISSUER AND THE TERMS OF THE OFFERING, INCLUDING THE MERITS AND RISKS INVOLVED OR DISCUSS THE MERITS AND RISKS INVOLVED WITH THEIR OWN PERSONAL TRUSTED ADVISERS PRIOR TO INVESTING.

THIS WEBSITE AND THE OFFERING MATERIALS MAY CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE COMPANY, ITS BUSINESS PLAN AND STRATEGY, AND ITS INDUSTRY. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BELIEFS OF, ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY, AND INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO THE COMPANY’S MANAGEMENT. WHEN USED, THE WORDS “ESTIMATE,” “PROJECT,” “BELIEVE,” “ANTICIPATE,” “INTEND,” “EXPECT” AND SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS ARE INTENDED TO IDENTIFY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH CONSTITUTE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE STATEMENTS REFLECT MANAGEMENT’S CURRENT VIEWS WITH RESPECT TO FUTURE EVENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE THE COMPANY’S ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH SPEAK ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON WHICH THEY ARE MADE. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE ANY OBLIGATION TO REVISE OR UPDATE THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS TO REFLECT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER SUCH DATE OR TO REFLECT THE OCCURRENCE OF UNANTICIPATED EVENTS.

THE SECURITIES ARE NOT OFFERED IN JURISDICTIONS WHERE PUBLIC SOLICITATION FOR OFFERINGS IS NOT PERMITTED; IT IS SOLELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE.