The phenomenon of the iPhone can’t be disputed, with about 9 million sold and growing, with a reach and influence that has made Apple the most valuable technology company in the world.  The primary driver is the “i” not…

Amid financial and regulatory oil slicks is an ongoing debate about carried interest, which Warren Buffet once characterized by asking why his receptionist was paying a higher tax rate than he was. She did so because investment funds…

Management consulting firm McKinsey conducted a study to find the most innovative regions (and nations) across the globe.  They helpfully present their findings with an interactive version (which, like true consultants…

Exactly a year ago we saw media reports on venture fundraising that contorted themselves, depending if the half they saw was empty or full.  So here we go again, but now it’s not even clear how much water the glass holds.  The WSJ uses data…

After venture-backed IPOs went MIA in 2009, VentureBeat notes the oddly imprecise appearance of 15-17 IPOs in Q2 alone, close to 2007 levels.  But even VentureBeat sounds a cautious note, since post-IPO performance has been poor,…

With the July 4th holiday and cookout hangover dissipating into their respective synapses, there were a few interesting commentaries that compared the founding and innovation of nations with that of startups.  As one author…

That the venture capital industry is dominated by men is hardly new news, and a new VCJ story (gated – so here is a recent article and a historical study) notes that just 5% of partners at the 50 most active venture firms are women…

t has long been a repeated truism that one can’t raise venture capital over the summer.  Last year a VC actually looked at the data and finds both that an equal proportion of deals close in the summer months, and that his own firm’s busiest closing month…

Given the limited access to equity capital — and lower valuations if you can find investors — a variety of other possibilities are emerging as options for smaller and early-stage companies.  Among these are mezzanine loans, royalty financing, and…

Among the odd juxtapositions in the venture world, I would add Ben Horowitz, half of VC firm du jour AndressenHorwitz quoting rap artist Dr. Dre, in this post trashing many of his fellow VCs for their bad behavior towards entrepreneurs…

A fundamental change for many early-stage companies is their increased capital efficiency: it simply takes less money (and time) to bring a product to market, and even to start to achieve scale.  An article in the New York Times highlights this trend…

Venture professionals have no life? Well, witness the always engaging Jeff Bussgang admit that he is just now starting to watch the television drama Mad Men, which is entering its fourth season.  However, Jeff uses the occasion to reflect…

At a reader’s suggestion, I am going to try to highlight longer articles or books that I think are worth some extended attention (tough in a Twitter world, but worth a shot).  Recently there were two compelling articles on Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, one in The New Yorker,..

From the good-humored folks at Better Capital in the UK comes Private Equity A-Z, an amusing glossary of terms.  My personal favorite is probably: “D: DCF analysis (aka Deceit by Computer Fraud); A highly scientific and extremely unreliable…

Last month we looked at the external factors partly responsible for the consolidation of the venture industry.  What also bears consideration is the internal economics of the industry itself.  As the industry grew and…

The first quarter exit numbers were overwhelmingly positive, as the NVCA reported the highest quarterly transaction total for VC-backed acquisitions ever, with 111 deals representing almost $6 billion in value. Likewise, the public markets…

Valuations of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies have been constructed, in part, around the idea that their platforms will serve as facilitators for commerce – particularly for small businesses…

Already the subject of a book or two, the origins of Facebook are now providing enough soap for a full-scale opera.  A new article charges that FB founder Mark Zuckerberg hacked into different accounts…