BLOG STARTUPS, VENTURE AND THE TECH BUSINESS
February 12 2010
by Todd Hixon
Pay to Pitch?
Should entrepreneurs pay third parties to help raise money? This is a perennial question in the venture world. It comes down to two things:
Will the investment in outside help pay off?
Will investors see paying for help as a negative factor?
There are different kinds of fund-raising help. The main ones are: “investment ...
February 10 2010
by Scott Johnson
The Web Landscape 2010
Facebook’s monthly unique count is approaching Google’s. This got me thinking about the maturity of the internet, who the incumbents are ahead of the next phase of innovation as handsets become as important as the desktop, and who might be vulnerable to an entrepreneur and some investment.
In my view, the important consumer-facing companies on the ...
February 9 2010
by Todd Hixon
The Seduction of Venture Debt
Summon up your picture of a VC: insouciant air, expensive casual clothes, youthful with a touch of gray for gravitas, cruising the 101 in a Porsche, thinking about moving up to a Tesla. Does this guy have a sub-prime mortgage? No way, you think! But probably he does, not on his house but on his ...
February 5 2010
by Scott Johnson
An Apple/iPhone Rant
I love Apple’s products, and choose them over competitors despite higher prices (the Apple Tax) because they are better by far. The iPhone is a great value. But Apple is beginning to screw up, as they always do, by controlling the experience too much. Here are three reasons they will, in five years, have handed ...
January 29 2010
by Thanasis Delistathis
iPad and the amazing Apple PR machine
So the Apple tablet is finally out and it is called the iPad, to the amusement of most females who think they should have been consulted on the name. I have been following the rumours and hype surrounding the lead up to the announcement and I was having a tough time thinking of another product ...
January 28 2010
by Thanasis Delistathis
“Checking in” on the hyper-local opportunity
There is a new term that is quickly gaining popularity in the lexicon of social media: “checking in.” You can think of it as letting the world know where you are. Many apps have begun enabling this new functionality. And it has now made its way on my facebook page. On almost a daily basis ...
January 26 2010
by Scott Johnson
Fostering Innovation
I recently sat on a panel to discuss how to create an innovation economy with a high-level delegation from an Eastern European country. To prepare for this discussion, I sat down with a clean sheet of paper and outlined the necessary conditions for innovation to occur, and the attributes innovation hubs tend to share.
I ...
January 19 2010
by Scott Johnson
Beware Of The “No Question About It” Advisor
Advising and taking advice are a true art – particularly when it comes to questions of strategy. There is no advisor who can give a team of executives an unqualified point of view on a strategic issue. Yet such resolute advice is quite abundant. I am as guilty as anyone. It is so clear to ...
January 12 2010
by Scott Johnson
We Have Very Little To Whine About
I was wandering through stock chart land and decided to compare Art Technology Group against the Nasdaq since its IPO in 1999 as I hadn’t checked in on that company since 2001 or so. I noticed that the Nasdaq was flat since the ATG IPO, and that ARTG under-performed the Nasdaq but is still alive ...
January 11 2010
by Scott Johnson
Follow-on Capital
I see seed stage investing happening all around me. Angels appear to me to be very active as individuals although I have nothing but anecdotal data to support that. Dedicated funds doing seed investing are gaining traction with LPs who want their piece of the next super-deal. We at NAV do the occasional seed deal, ...
