Why is it important to start investing early?

Ask any legendary investor how real wealth is built, and you’ll hear the same principle echoed across centuries: Start investing early.

Before every major breakthrough — from the rise of suburban land, to the global explosion of coffee and cacao demand, to diamonds becoming precious assets — there was one moment that defined the winners:

A small number of people saw the opportunity before everyone else did.

This pattern repeats itself throughout economic history. Early investors earn the largest returns because they move before the market matures, before demand peaks, and before competition floods in. By the time the crowd notices, the outsized gains are long gone.

That is the true power of investing early.

Why is investing early important?

Starting early accelerates the two forces that build wealth faster than anything else: time and compounding.

Whether you're investing in traditional markets, real assets, or emerging sectors, early entry transforms returns. It allows your capital to grow before an asset class becomes widely recognized. Because once the world catches on — prices rise, margins shrink, and upside decreases.

But early investing is not just about compounding. It’s about entering before the value curve steepens.

The earlier you move, the more you benefit from:

• Lower entry prices

• Less competition

• Higher long-term appreciation

• Greater influence on the trajectory of the investment

• A stronger risk-to-reward ratio

This is why early stage investment funds outperform mature-market funds across most asset classes. They capture value when it has potential — before it becomes obvious.

Discover more: Top 10 long-term investments

Investing early vs late: Understanding the return gap

To illustrate the importance of investing early, let’s compare the typical investor journey when entering early versus late.

Comparison: Investing early vs late chart

In contrast, late investors typically pay more, gain less, and take on higher risk — all for lower reward.

Take Nvidia, for example. A modest $1,000 investment 10 years ago would be worth more than $115,000 today — the biggest gains always go to those who act before the market catches on. 

And this pattern is nothing new. The first-mover window for gold opened in 1971, when the U.S. ended the dollar’s convertibility to gold; once prices became market-driven, gold entered a historic bull market, rising from $35/oz to over $800/oz by 1980. 

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In real estate, early investors who bought before the suburban boom of the 1950s–1970s watched their properties multiply in value as millions of families moved outward. 

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Apple stock traded under $1 throughout much of the 1980s and early 1990s — long before the iPod or iPhone reshaped modern technology — giving early believers exponential gains. 

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And in 2010, Bitcoin was so misunderstood that a programmer traded 10,000 BTC for two pizzas — coins that would be worth over $900 million today. 

Discover our eBook: Carbon credits vs. Bitcoin

This investing early vs late chart shows how investors who move first historically capture the greatest upside

Entering these markets now still offers potential, but the era of transformational, asymmetric upside belonged to those who recognized value before the crowd. That early-stage advantage is what separates “average market returns” from “generational returns.”

What makes an early investment opportunity truly exceptional?

Across decades of market analysis, three traits show up in every major wealth-building opportunity:

1. It’s based on real, tangible assets

2. It produces something the world needs — not wants

3. It’s overlooked until someone sees what others missed

When an investment checks all three boxes, the early movers win big.
Today, one asset class fits this pattern perfectly.

Discover more: Top commodities to invest in today

Where early investors are looking next

Around the world, land restoration and regenerative agriculture have emerged as one of the most important — and least saturated — opportunities of the decade.

Why? Because global food demand is rising, arable land is shrinking, and companies are paying a premium for environmental commodities such as CO₂ capture units — all produced by restored ecosystems.

The early investment opportunity window for land restoration investment before prices are projected to rise by 6x by 2031. Source: EY

This sector is early in its maturity curve, underpriced relative to future demand, and historically misvalued. But now prices are projected to rise 6x by 2031 according to EY.

In other words: it’s a first-mover market.

The First Mover Fund — Early access to the next global asset class

Most investors only hear about a breakthrough once it has already matured.

The First Mover Fund was built so you can invest before that moment, while the upside is still exponential. We don’t follow opportunity — we define it.

Some investors keep asking: 'What are some incentives for early investment?' AI generated picture.

Here’s how:

• We identify undervalued or degraded land around the world.

• We restore it and transform it into high-performing agricultural assets.

• These assets produce commodities like cacao, coffee, avocado, mango, and macadamia — plus verified CO₂ capture units that corporations pay top dollar for.

• Our payment-at-delivery model ensures transparency, credibility, and reliable returns.

This is not theoretical. These are real, income-generating, globally demanded assets.

Discover more: Benefits of investing in regenerative agriculture

Key investment highlights

• 8% annual cash flow, paid quarterly

• Estimated double-digit annual returns

• Globally diversified land restoration portfolio

• Exposure to a $50 billion environmental commodities market

• 5–7 year investment horizon

• $200K minimum investment

We built the Fund for investors who understand the truth: early is powerful — but being first defines fortunes.