I actually started with $500, I bought ether twice with $250 each time when it was less than $10. You can see that eth is now at $160 and I have turned a total of a $900 investment into a crypto portfolio worth $8,300 as of today, with 13 different coins. I sold some ether when it was $50, $80 and $100 and used the profits to invest in other coins. I still hold 24 eth. You want to make sure to diversify and have several coins, that way if one goes down you don't lose all of your investment capital.

If I had $500 to start investing now, I would put $100 in 5 different coins that I researched and thought had good real world applications and future potential. And as I had more money I would either add to my 5 positions or start some new ones.