What are the different metrics you look at before investing in a growth company?

Balance sheet to know what the company financial status

What they are doing with their cash/investment

Track records of their management team

Direction/goals the company set for themselves in the future

Current and future contracts

I personally feel that not all companies can be measured using metrics and growth companies is one of them. Reason being, valuations are absurd, the company can be in the red but once it turns green, it turns green fast and by the time you want in, early investors want out and price will fall subsequently.

Hence, what I look for in a growth company:

1) Management - Founder must still be the CEO / calling the shots

The company was realised because of the vision and innovativeness of the founder. Can you imagine if Amazon wasn't run by Jeff Bezos anymore or Elon Musk in the case for Tesla. Is the company still able to generate life-changing technology / services? Not many have the guts and ideas of these guys that allow them to strive in actualising these ideas.

2) Future trends

Identifying future trends is key to finding growth company that are here to stay. How did Beyond Meat rise over 700% from its IPO price to hit over $200 a share? It's because investors know that plant-based ingredients are here to stay as people start changing priorities to health from taste.

3) Volatility in share prices

There needs to be ups and downs in prices, and when I mean ups and downs, its like 3-5% short of ups and downs. Because of the innovations, naysayers may or may not believe in the successes of these ideas simply because it has not been tested and proven and thus there aren't any past track records to aid in valuating how it'll affect the business. You can look at the spread of 52week high/low for this