28 December 2015

Coley Andrews: What it Takes to be a Search Fund Entrepreneur (video)



Video above: Coley Andrews: What it Takes to be a Search Fund Entrepreneur - (Published September 23, 2015) - Takeaways from the Stanford Graduate School of Business Entrepreneur Symposium 2015

Pacific Lake Partners, Boston, MA: pacificlake.com

Coley Andrews | Pacific Lake Partners"Coley Andrews is a Co-Founder and Managing Member of Pacific Lake Partners. Since co-founding the firm with Jim Southern in 2009, Coley has worked with over 50 Search Funds. He currently serves as a Director at Inspired eLearning, Aquavita, dESCO, and Data Fusion Technologies and as a Board Visitor at AlphaCredit, Raptor Technologies, Scottish American, Arizona College, and Vector Disease Control International."

What's a Search Fund | Pacific Lake PartnersThe Search Fund model is a proven, viable path for entrepreneurs who want to own and build a company. The Search Fund model offers relatively inexperienced, recent MBA graduates with limited capital resources a quick path to owning, managing, and growing a company, or  "Entrepreneurship through Acquisition."

Pacific Lake Uses ‘Very Obscure’ Strategy To Help Entrepreneurs - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJDec 30, 2009 "Pacific Lake Partners is raising $35 million, but not for your run-of-the-mill venture fund – it’s for a rare breed of fund that provides capital for young entrepreneurs to search for a potential buyout opportunity. The investment strategy, known as a search fund, is “very obscure,” Pacific Lake Partner Jim Southern said. But it’s one informed by Southern’s own business experience."

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21 December 2015

Bill Gross: Single Biggest Reason Why Startups Succeed (video)



Bill Gross: The single biggest reason why startups succeed - Bill Gross has founded a lot of startups, and incubated many others — and he got curious about why some succeeded and others failed. So he gathered data from hundreds of companies, his own and other people's, and ranked each company on five key factors. He found one factor that stands out from the others — and surprised even him. (Originally published on Jun 1, 2015)

Bill Gross: Founder @Idealab. Created more than 100 companies leading to 45 IPO's and acquisitions, including 7 more than $1 Billion exits

http://www.idealab.com/

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14 December 2015

The Innovative Technology Leader (video)



The Innovative Technology Leader - the new Stanford Innovative Technology Leader program - anticipating and responding to the complex, rapidly changing issues in the world of information technology. Learn more: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exed/itl

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07 December 2015

David Dodson: What Makes a Board of Directors Work?



David Dodson: What Makes a Board Work? - Takeaways from the 2015 Stanford Graduate School of Business Entrepreneur Symposium.  Published on Dec 4, 2015

Re: CEO, startups, Board of Directors, transparency

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30 November 2015

Power: The Secret Language We Speak All the Time (video)



Power - The Secret Language We Speak All the Time - In every interaction, people and animals speak a secret language of power. It’s the reason some people get respect and promotions, and others don’t. Richard Cox will help you strategically create better relationships and achieve the success you want. Speaker: Richard Cox is a lecturer at the Graduate School of Business. His classes focus on acting with power, improvisation and creativity and innovation. Recorded on October 22, 2015, in collaboration with the Stanford Alumni Association, as part of the Graduate School of Business Fall Reunion/Alumni Weekend and Stanford Reunion Homecoming. Published on Nov 3, 2015

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23 November 2015

Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World (video)



Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World - What do burglars, Stanford’s football team, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen, and the Lean Startup have in common? They all use simple rules to help them navigate complex challenges in business and life. Speaker: Kathleen Eisenhardt is the Stanford W. Ascherman M.D. Professor and co-director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. Her research focuses on strategy and organization, especially in technology-based companies and high-velocity industries. Recorded on October 23, 2015, in collaboration with the Stanford Alumni Association, as part of the Graduate School of Business Fall Reunion/Alumni Weekend and Stanford Reunion Homecoming. Published on Nov 3, 2015.

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16 November 2015

Sequoia's Neil Shen to Entrepreneurs: "Follow Your Heart" (video)



Video above: Sequoia's Neil Shen to Entrepreneurs: "Follow Your Heart" (Published on Nov 11, 2015): Advice for entrepreneurs, from Founding and Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital China Neil Shen: "Go with your heart. You have to really love what you do, otherwise it will be difficult to sustain." During his Stanford GSB Global Speakers Series talk on Monday, November 9, Shen offered wisdom for entrepreneurs in China on how to pursue business ideas and build a core founding team. Read more of his top takeaways on Twitter: stanford.io/1SJnsLW

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09 November 2015

Charles A. Holloway: Total Venture Design (video)



Charles A. Holloway: Total Venture Design - Published on Oct 29, 2015: Takeaways from the 2015 Stanford Graduate School of Business Entrepreneur Symposium

02 November 2015

Former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson: Practice, Practice, Practice (video)



Former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson: Practice, Practice, Practice - To be a top player, you have to practice and practice and practice, shared former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. On Monday, October 19, 2015, Sir Alex joined Sequoia Capital Chairman Sir Michael Moritz in a fireside chat for Stanford GSB's View From The Top speaker series. They discussed the critical role a manager plays in setting expectations, assessing talent, communicating, and recognizing the people who work for you. Published on Oct 26, 2015. Read more #GSBvftt takeaways on Twitter: see below and http://stanford.io/1LMg4Ox

 

26 October 2015

Strategy Beyond Markets, Stanford Graduate School of Business video



Strategy Beyond Markets (SBM) (video above)- Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) Faculty Directors Steven Callander and Ken Shotts discuss the tools and skills needed to analyze, integrate, and take ownership of your firm’s beyond-market strategy. Published on Sep 28, 2015. Learn more: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exed/sbm/

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19 October 2015

Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone on Luck and Taking Risks (video)



Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone on Luck & Taking Risks - Published on Nov 7, 2014:

"Always take risks. If something is working like a dream, break it. Taking risks is the only way to keep on going," shared Sequoia Capital Managing Partner Doug Leone during his Stanford GSB View From The Top talk on November 4. He also discussed the venture capital industry, what his team looks for in entrepreneurs, and more. 

Read additional insights on Twitter: http://stanford.io/1xXIcG3

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12 October 2015

Mark Leslie: Leadership in Entrepreneurial Companies (video)



Mark Leslie: Leadership in Entrepreneurial Companies - Takeaways from the 2015 Stanford Graduate School of Business Entrepreneur Symposium. Published on Oct 6, 2015

re: Proprietorship vs Stewardship and other entrepreneur, startup management issues

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05 October 2015

Vinod Khosla: Failure does not matter, Success matters (video)



Vinod Khosla: Failure does not matter. Success matters. - “Try and fail, but don’t fail to try,” emphasized Vinod Khosla (MBA '80) during the Roanak Desai Memorial View From The Top talk on May 1, 2015. Khosla, the founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures, also discussed the importance of having a belief system and the "indulgence" of brutal honesty. Originally published on May 11, 2015.

Read more #GSBvftt takeaways on Twitter: http://stanford.io/1PcRiFf

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28 September 2015

Panel Discussion on Financial Services at TiE LeapFrog



Panel Discussion on Financial Services at TiE LeapFrog - With Nandan Nilekani, Ritesh Pai, Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Adhil Shetty. Published on Sep 4, 2015

"Mobile is the game, and not just a new strategy,” said Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm; the company expects to have 500 million users by 2020.

More about TiE LeapFrog - http://bit.ly/1JO5Cnw

Paytm.com

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21 September 2015

Trae Vassallo: The Future of the Internet of Things (video)



Trae Vassallo: The Future of the Internet of Things - IoT - Published on Sep 17, 2015: Takeaways from the 2015 Stanford Graduate School of Business Entrepreneur Symposium

Trae Vassallo — Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers"Trae Vassallo is an independent investor, board member, and advisor. She is also a strategic advisor to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where she was a general partner. She serves on the Board of Directors of Enlighted. Over 10 years at KPCB, Trae invested in number of leading companies including Nest Labs (acquired by GOOG), Dropcam (acquired by GOOG) and Opower (NYSE: OPWR). Previously, Trae was a co-founder of Good Technology, a KPCB portfolio company..."

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14 September 2015

Robert Chess: When A Plan Doesn't Work, Managing Through The Pivot (video)



Robert Chess: When A Plan Doesn't Work, Managing Through The Pivot - First time entrepreneurs are natural optimists. But all that positivity can be a detriment when it prevents you from recognizing that it's time to change course. Published on Sep 11, 2015

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07 September 2015

Why Netflix Slipped Into a Bear Market (video)



Why Netflix Slipped Into a Bear Market (video above) - Bloomberg Intelligence's Paul Sweeney reports on the performance of Netflix stock. He speaks on "Market Makers" Sep 4, 2015.

website: netflix.com

check stock price: NFLX

"In 2000, Netflix was offered for acquisition to Blockbuster for $50 million; however, Blockbuster declined the offer. Netflix initiated an initial public offering (IPO) on May 29, 2002, selling 5.5 million shares of common stock at the price of US$15.00 per share. On June 14, 2002, the company sold an additional 825,000 shares of common stock at the same price. After incurring substantial losses during its first few years, Netflix posted its first profit during fiscal year 2003, earning US$6.5 million profit on revenues of US$272 million." source: Wikipedia

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31 August 2015

Startups, Management Challenges, Brian Helmick of Algentis (video)



Brian Helmick: Management Challenges in Early Stage Companies - Published on Aug 28, 2015: Brian Helmick, founder of Algentis, a human resources platform for startups, says, "It's not a question of if there’s going to be challenges. It’s just a question of what challenges are going to show up this week." Why learning to tolerate ambiguity is key to making a startup work. Takeaways from the 2015 Stanford Graduate School of Business Entrepreneur Symposium.

Algentis.com - The HR Platform for Savvy Startups. Payroll + Benefits + Insurance + HR Expertise

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24 August 2015

Should Competitors Share Information? (video)



Pedro M. Gardete: Should Competitors Share Information? - Published on Jul 6, 2015:

In some industries, keeping valuable market data to yourself is not the best way to go. A Stanford Assistant Professor of Marketing says there are times when pooling information can help you get big picture perspective, avoid market turbulence and build a stronger company in the long run.

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17 August 2015

Peter Thiel on Startup Success: Secrets, Monopoly, Unique (video)


Peter Thiel on Startup Success: Secrets, Monopoly, Unique (video above)

Peter Thiel: successful businesses are based on secrets - speaking with Wired magazine editor David Rowan in London at an event on 25 September, Thiel said that "uniqueness", "secrets", and a monopoly on the marketplace were the key to successful startups. Published on Sep 30, 2014

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10 August 2015

Robert Siegel on Human Resource Issues in Startups (video)



Robert Siegel: Human Resource Issues in a Startup - As part of the 2015 Stanford Graduate School of Journalism Entrepreneur Symposium, Robert Siegel, a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior gave insight into one of the biggest challenges new startups face. According to Siegel, human resources issues are often ignored as first time managers concentrate on the immediate needs of developing a new product or service. But Siegel says building good HR practices into your company should be part of your strategy from day one. In this video, Siegel explains how taking HR seriously is critical if you want to create a company culture that will go the distance and give you the ability to scale when opportunity knocks. Published on Aug 7, 2015

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03 August 2015

Peter Thiel at Stanford: Business Tips from "Zero to One"



Peter Thiel Returns to Stanford to Share Business Tips from "Zero to One" - Venture capitalist Peter Thiel, JD '92, founded PayPal and was the first major investor in Facebook, shared business tips from his new book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, with students and alumni at Stanford on Sept. 29, 2014. He also recalled his days at Stanford as an undergraduate and law student.

Founders Fund

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27 July 2015

Solar Company Plans to Light Up the World (video)



All Solar Lights CEO Paul Hitchens discusses bringing solar lighting solutions to some of the poorest and most remote communities on earth. He speaks to Bloomberg’s Rishaad Salamat on “Trending Business.” (Published on Jul 21, 2015)

http://www.allsolarlightsltd.com/

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20 July 2015

Why Building a Diverse Board Is Best for Startups (video)



Why Building a Diverse Board Is Best for Startups - Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, founder and CEO of Joyus, and Anna Khan, founder and CEO of Launch X, discuss the importance of a diverse board for tech startups. They speak with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on "Bloomberg West." (Published on Jul 16, 2015)

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13 July 2015

John Doerr: Ideas are easy, execution is everything (video)



John Doerr: Ideas are easy, execution is everything. - The A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series hosted venture capitalist John Doerr at UC Berkeley in a question and answer session where he helped enlighten students on such topics as startups, healthcare, education, policy and politics, venture capital, the sharing economy, and jobs in emerging markets. Published on Mar 4, 2015

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06 July 2015

Ben Horowitz, Nailing the Hard Things, Entire Video


Ben Horowitz: Nailing the Hard Things, Entire Video

Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz shares which entrepreneurial skills truly matter, and why learning to manage well may be the most critical skill of all. Horowitz, a founding partner of Andreessen Horowitz, discusses the value of learning inside a large company, some of the exciting technology frontiers ahead, and the purpose and philosophy of his firm, in conversation with Stanford Engineering Professor Tom Byers. Published on Nov 26, 2014

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30 June 2015

China Spending Billions On Green Infrastructure to Support Electric Cars (video)



Range Anxiety? Test Drive a Tesla in China - China is spending billions on green infrastructure to support electric cars. It's a crucial market for Tesla and other companies, as they fight for customers in the world's biggest auto market. However, sales of electric cars have been disappointing in China, with drivers worried about being able to charge their cars. Bloomberg's Alexandra Ho reports. (Published on Jun 26, 2015)

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22 June 2015

VC Investors Are Swarming to Drone Deals (video)



Jeremy Conrad, founding partner at Lemnos Labs, discusses why venture capital investors are swarming to drone technology with Bloomberg's Scarlet Fu on "Bloomberg Markets," June 19th.

lemnoslabs.com

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15 June 2015

Why Googlers Are Going to Unicorns (video)



Why Googlers Are Going to Unicorns: Cloudera CEO Tom Reilly and Khosla Ventures' Keith Rabois explain why unicorns are attractive to Googlers. They speak with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on "Bloomberg West."

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08 June 2015

Jesper Sørensen: How Do You Define A New Product Category? (video)

Jesper Sørensen: How Do You Define A New Product Category? Your great innovation might be ignored if nobody understands what it is. A Stanford professor of organizational behavior explains why nailing market identity is critical to successfully launching a new product.


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01 June 2015

Jesper Sørensen, How to Be A Strategic Leader (video)

Jesper Sørensen : How to Be A Strategic Leader
It’s not enough to come up with an innovation. Without strategy you could easily get lost in the crowd and be overtaken by the competition. But think strategically and you can break out of the pack. Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Jesper B. Sørensen says strategic leadership can be learned, and it’s key to turning a great idea into a sustainable business.
Published on May 21, 2015

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25 May 2015

Think Fast, Talk Smart, Communication Techniques (video)


Communication is critical to success in business and life. Concerned about an upcoming interview? Anxious about being asked to give your thoughts during a meeting? Fearful about needing to provide critical feedback in the moment? You are not alone! Learn and practice techniques that will help you speak spontaneously with greater confidence and clarity, regardless of content and context.

Recorded on October 25, 2014, in collaboration with the Stanford Alumni Association as part of Stanford Reunion Homecoming and the Graduate School of Business Fall Reunion/Alumni Weekend.

Speaker: Matt Abrahams, ’91 Matt Abrahams is a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, teaching strategic communication; he also teaches public speaking in Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. Published on Dec 4, 2014

spontaneous speaking | anxiety management | presentation as a conversation | questions |

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18 May 2015

Stanford's Darrell Duffie on Understanding China's Financial System (video)

Darrell Duffie: Understanding China's Financial System
China’s financial system... how does it work, what does an outsider need to know and what does the future hold? In this overview, Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Darrell Duffie offers valuable insights for anyone interested in learning what makes one of the world's largest economies tick. Published on Apr 26, 2015

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27 April 2015

Key to Startup Success, Purity of Motivation, Compelling Value Proposition

Imagining the future is not a science but an art. This description from Botha about what he is looking for is qualitative: “The key to start-up success is purity of motivation… If they can weave a believable story with a compelling value proposition, they’ll have us hooked.” (source infra)

A Dozen Things I’ve Learned from Roelof Botha about Venture Capital and Business | 25iq: "Many businesses described by founders as needing venture capital are really just small businesses looking for what amounts to small business finance. The people who start these businesses are genuine entrepreneurs. Often they are better off with bootstrap financing or borrowing money in the form of a loan. The businesses created by these entrepreneurs are very important businesses, and a key part of building an economy and creating jobs. But they are not the sort of businesses that are suitable for venture investing. Again, that’s OK.  the total amount of venture financing is overall a relatively small part of an economy. Because of its impact on innovation and productivity venture capital punches far above its weight in terms of impact, but the absolute dollar amount invested per year is relatively small." (read more at link above)


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20 April 2015

Unshackled, New Angel Fund, Backs Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Unshackled, a New Angel Fund, Forms to Back Immigrant Entrepreneurs - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJ: Some of the U.S.’s most successful tech companies, including Intel Corp.INTC +0.80% and Google Inc.GOOGL -0.22%, have been built by immigrants, and many people who come to the U.S. aspire to work in or start tech companies. Without work visas, though, they don’t get far. A new San Francisco-based angel fund, Unshackled, which claims more than 50 individuals and funds as investors, has raised a $3.5 million fund to try to change that. Started by an immigrant, Nitin Pachisia, and the son of immigrants, Manan Mehta, Unshackled will hire entrepreneurs as employees, providing them with a paycheck, work visas and health benefits while they try to build their startups to the point where they can raise another round....(read more at the link above)

unshackled.co

Investors include First Round Capital, 500 Startups, Structure Capital, Brad Feld of Foundry Group and Techstars, AngelList founder Naval Ravikant, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, AME Cloud Ventures led by Jerry Yang, and Emerson Collective founded by Laurene Powell Jobs.

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13 April 2015

Hedge Funds Boosting Tech Valuations to Dangerous Highs

"Hedge funds and mutual funds that once shunned venture-style deals are flocking to the market’s hottest corner, paying 15 to 18 times projected sales for the year ahead in recent private-funding rounds, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. That compares with 10 to 12 times five years ago for the priciest companies, one said. While some of the startups may become profitable, others are consuming cash and could fail. The torrid action is spurring talk that 15 years after the collapse of the Internet bubble, the market may be setting itself up for another bruising fall. “Some of the valuations are mind-boggling,” said Sven Weber, investment manager of the Menlo Park, California-based SharesPost 100 Fund, which backs late-stage tech startups...." read more at Hedge Funds Are Boosting Tech Valuations to Dangerous Heights - Bloomberg Business


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06 April 2015

Go Public or Go Home? The Pros and Cons of IPOs (video)

Go Public or Go Home: The Pros and Cons of IPOs -

Benchmark Capital's Bill Gurley, Social + Capital Partnership's Chamath Palihapitiya and SurveyMonkey's Dave Goldberg discuss the evolving role of venture capitalists and debate the pros and cons of going public. They speak on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source: Bloomberg)

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30 March 2015

Insane Math Creating Many Billion-Dollar Tech Companies

VCs, Billion-Dollar Startups, Valuations, Backroom Agreements--

The Fuzzy, Insane Math That's Creating So Many Billion-Dollar Tech Companies - Bloomberg Business: "Here's the secret to how Silicon Valley calculates the value of its hottest companies: The numbers are sort of made-up. For the most mature startups, investors agree to grant higher valuations, which help the companies with recruitment and building credibility, in exchange for guarantees that they'll get their money back first if the company goes public or sells. They can also negotiate to receive additional free shares if a subsequent round's valuation is less favorable. Interviews with more than a dozen founders, venture capitalists, and the attorneys who draw up investment contracts reveal the most common financial provisions used in private-market technology deals today. The backroom agreements are becoming more common as tech companies stay private longer, according to the interviews and financial documents obtained by Bloomberg Business. The practice obfuscates the meaning of a valuation, which can become dangerous down the road because private investors aren't taking the same risks a public-market shareholder would. By the time a company does go public, the valuation it got from VCs may not align with its balance sheet. Just ask Box." (read more at link above)

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23 March 2015

Fundraising Acceleration, New VC Investment Thesis

Fundraising acceleration is the new modus operandi for top Venture Capital firms in Silicon Valley. So far, it has been carefully executed, generally targeting startups with strong growth potential. It’s not a bubble, and it is certainly not crazy. For founders who can take advantage of that early focus on success, the sky is the limit. (source infra)

An insightful article from TechCrunch on "Fundraising Acceleration" at link below (excerpt follows):

Fundraising Acceleration Is The New VC Investment Thesis | TechCrunchThere was a quite a jolt on Friday from the news that Slack, a company whose eponymous enterprise communications platform was first publicly launched this year, raised $120 million in new venture funding from KPCB and Google Ventures. Even more eye-popping was the valuation: $1.12 billion. Although Slack pivoted from an earlier incarnation as a games company called Tiny Speck, such a growth in valuation in just the first 8 months of a new product’s existence is almost completely unheard of in the annals of venture capital. This is even more true in the lethargic enterprise space, where there is significantly more friction in adoption and sales than in the consumer market. What might look like a frothy bubble though, is in fact a much more fundamental change in the way venture capitalists perceive investments. These fundraising accelerations are here to stay, and represent a far more nuanced view of startup performance than we have ever seen before from VCs..... (read more at the link above)

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16 March 2015

The Latest Biotech Boom in Venture Capital Investment

Scientific advances and new business models are spurring investor confidence in biomedical-related ventures--

The Size of the Latest Biotech Boom | MIT Technology Review: "Venture capital investment in U.S. life sciences companies soared 29 percent in 2014 from the year before, reaching $8.6 billion, the highest level since 2007. And there is reason to think 2015 will also be a big year for a sector having its third boom of the last two decades." (read more at link above)

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09 March 2015

Warren Buffett on Investment Bankers, Arrogance, Bureaucracy, Complacency

Warren Buffett wants Berkshire-Hathaway to make acquisitions in the $5 billion to $20 billion range, but purchases could be even bigger with partners, such as Brazil's 3G Capital which received $3 billion from Berkshire to help its Burger King unit buy Canadian donut chain Tim Hortons, creating Restaurant Brands International Inc. Buffett has said that he expects to work with 3G Capital on more activities.

Buffett says 'sprawl' is good, but may not be good enough | Reuters: "He also questioned the wisdom of deferring too readily to investment bankers who advise what to buy and sell. "Investment bankers, being paid as they are for action, constantly urge acquirers to pay 20 percent to 50 percent premiums over market price for publicly-held businesses," he wrote. "A few years later, bankers - bearing straight faces - again appear and just as earnestly urge spinning off the earlier acquisition in order to 'unlock shareholder value,'" he added... Berkshire is sitting on $63.27 billion of cash and its most recent purchases have been comparatively small... Though [Berkshire] does shed... some businesses - the textile company that gave Berkshire its name was closed in 1985 - Buffett said spinoffs "make no sense," citing tax reasons and a belief that businesses are worth more within ... Berkshire than on their own. Buffett said his eventual successor at Berkshire... will need to monitor those businesses closely, and as Berkshire grows larger fend off the "arrogance, bureaucracy and complacency" that can destroy seemingly indestructible companies...."

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02 March 2015

Silicon Valley, Natural State of a Start-up Is To Die

"The natural state of a start-up is to die; most start-ups require multiple miracles in their early days to escape this fate. But the density and breadth of the Silicon Valley network does sometimes let start-ups cheat death. Silicon Valley works because there is such a high density of people working on start-ups and they are inclined to help each other. Other tech hubs have this as well but this is a case of Metcalfe’s law – the utility of a network is proportional to the square of the number of nodes on the network. Silicon Valley has far more nodes in the network than anywhere else. One of the biggest misconceptions about us is that you need to have pre-existing connections to get value from the network. Remarkably, you don’t. Silicon Valley is a community of outsiders that have come together. If you build something good, people will help you. It’s standard practice to ask people you’ve just met for help – and as long as you aren’t annoying about it, they usually don’t mind...." read more at Why Silicon Valley Works - Sam Altman

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23 February 2015

Outlook Ahead in Private Equity Regulation (video)



Spreecast is the social video platform that connects people.
 Outlook: What’s Ahead in PE Regulation?

Outlook Ahead in Private Equity Regulation (video above)

Outlook: What’s Ahead in PE Regulation? - Spreecast: "A Republican-controlled Congress is back in Washington: What does that mean for the private equity industry? Will the new leadership bring corporate tax reform, a repeal of the Affordable Care Act or changes to Dodd-Frank? Riverside Co. Chief Operating Officer Pam Hendrickson, Private Equity Growth Capital Council President Steve Judge and Brett Palmer, president of the Small Business Investor Alliance, talk with Private Equity Analyst’s Laura Kreutzer about what may be on the docket. "

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16 February 2015

What’s Ahead in Private Equity Deals? (video)


Spreecast is the social video platform that connects people.
Check out Outlook: What’s Ahead in PE Deals? on Spreecast.

What’s Ahead in Private Equity Deals? (video above) - Declines in oil prices, sustained high valuations, and an anticipated increase in interest rates mean that 2015 won’t be too boring for private equity deal makers. How do investors navigate the current environment? GTCR Managing Director Craig Bondy, Morgan Lewis Partner Kevin O’Mara, and Steven Miller, managing director of Standard & Poor’s Capital IQ Leveraged Commentary & Data unit join Private Equity Analyst’s Shasha Dai to discuss the investment outlook.

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08 February 2015

Venture Capital Market, Is It Getting Over-Heated? (video)

Venture Capital Market: Is It Getting Over-Heated?: Video - Bloomberg:
(Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- OurCrowd Founder and CEO Jonathan Medved discusses venture capital, the Israeli IPO market and his investment ideas on “In The Loop.” (Source: Bloomberg)

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25 January 2015

Era of Unscale, Internet Gives Small Business an Edge

Scale: a distinctive relative size, extent, or degree--build a business on a large scale

Today we find ourselves in an era of “unscale,” where small businesses and entrepreneurs can successfully compete with far larger competitors, as Hemut Taneja of General Catalyst wrote last year in the Harvard Business Review. source: Fortune: How the Internet is giving Small Business Saturday an edge

Economies of Unscale: Why Business Has Never Been Easier for the Little Guy:
"... A series of breakthrough technologies and new business models are destroying the old rule that bigger is better.  By exploiting the vast (but cheap) audience afforded by the Internet, and taking advantage of a host of modular services, small becomes the new big.  The global business environment is decomposing into smaller yet more profitable markets, so businesses can no longer rely on scaling up to compete, but must instead embrace a new economies of unscale... Unscaling has emerged over decades. FedEx offered overnight delivery services in the 1970s, letting anyone ship a product anywhere, fast, at a modest cost.  Around the same time, Chinese companies like Foxconn were developing less expensive approaches to manufacturing, and opening those facilities up to product designers across the globe.  These two changes alone allow a lone innovator in Austin to build a world class product in China and ship it to Berlin — and that’s a revolution for someone with a good idea. Two decades later, Amazon and eBay launched online marketplaces that allowed small businesses to sell their goods to global consumers, creating enormous marketing power even for the little guy.  However, like an orchestra missing several of its musicians, these platforms did not offer the complete ensemble needed for small businesses to compete effectively.... new economies of unscale will be good for job growth, because they open up thousands of new market niches for exploitation.  By buying specialized services, in customized form and at modest cost, companies can create unique products, find buyers from across the world, and secure profits.  It doesn’t matter if a designer wants to build polka dot bird feeders — there is a hyper-niche market they can tap, using platforms like Etsy to sell it across the world.  To succeed though, we first have to unlearn what we have been taught about business: We have to think in an unscaled mindset, where the emphasis is on a greater number of specialized products sold to customers who know exactly what they need.  How we train our students for this world will be critical to securing their future employment...." (read more at links above)

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18 January 2015

VC Eric Hippeau: Silicon Valley Builds Technology, New York City Applies It (video)

Venture Capitalist Eric Hippeau: Silicon Valley Builds Technology, New York City Applies It

Venture Capitalist Eric Hippeau discusses the similarities and difference between New York City and Silicon Valley with regard to technology startups. Where California is currently home to tech world trendsetters, the Big Apple's focus is on software development and application. That said, New York's diverse collection of resources has the potential to make it the next major technology hub.
First Published on Nov 3, 2014

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11 January 2015

Growing a Company Quickly Is Stressful (video)

Growing a Company Quickly Is Stressful: Albinson : Video - Bloomberg:
(Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)

Founders Circle Co-Founder and Managing Director Chris Albinson discusses why he helps growth companies stay private longer. He speaks on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg 12/2)

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Mediocre Entrepreneurs | TechCrunch: " . . . . persistence is not the self-help cliche “Keep going until you hit the finish line!”. The key slogan is, “Keep failing until you accidentally no longer fail.” That’s persistence." - James Altucher

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