Virtual stock trading is nothing new; there are hundreds of services that offer it, and many online brokers have caught up, too. But, if you - like me - are knee deep in the wonderful world of Web startups, perhaps you'd like to try your hand at Startup Exchange, a virtual stock trading application focused only on Web startups.
The premise is simple: you get 100.000 virtual dollars, buy and sell startup stocks, and try to earn money. It's created by TradeVibes, which leverages its existing community to determine the valuations for startups. In their own words, "the prices of the companies in the exchange represent the community's view on the valuations for these companies," which pretty much means that the stock prices go up and down randomly - just like in the real stock market.
So, if you're the gambling type, and are sick of losing real money on the stock market (it's ok, you can admit it), Startup Exchange might be a welcome change for you.
