Tuesday, April 22, 2008

10 Disruptive companies


Ten Years, 10 Disruptors - Forbes.com
Ten Years, 10 Disruptors

Apples Ipod
Skype
Youtube
Wii
Google
Netflix
Blackberry

Stupidiest Business decision in Histroy, Beatles, Hersheys and others


The Stupidest Business Decisions in History
The Stupidest Business Decisions in History.

Beatles, Hershey and others read here

Friday, April 18, 2008

Money makers 2007 - Hedge Funds

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Kiing of business models

I happened to look at lot of business model during my work at early stage vc firm and in the course of working with many entrepreneurs. I couldn't stress more enough that the best business model is below. However I don't hear many people talking about the same. I liked what he said and re blogging here. Go and give a quick read you wont be disappointed.

Technical Revenue
I have plenty of opinions about business models, but to me, the best business model is one that makes your customer money.


People who make it are people who sit tight



A VC: Paul Graham Tackles Two Issues In One Post
Google's founders were willing to sell early on.
They just wanted more than acquirers were willing to pay.

It was the same with Facebook. They would have sold, but Yahoo blew it
by offering too little.

Tip for acquirers: when a startup turns you down, consider raising
your offer, because there's a good chance the outrageous price they
want will later seem a bargain.

``We're going to continue to grow very fast overseas. We'll grow less fast'' in the U.S" Larry Fink



Blackrock: Larry Fink Exclusive from Bloomberg
``We're going to continue to grow very fast overseas. We'll grow less fast'' in the U.S., he said.

State Street profit rises 69% - sleeping bull



State Street's net income climbs 69% on record revenue - MarketWatch
State Street's profit rises 69%, beats expectations
MarketWatch
Last update: 8:56 a.m. EDT April 15, 2008

State Street Corp. reported on Tuesday that first-quarter net income rose 69% and that amid the turmoil in the markets, it expects to hit the middle of the ranges of its earnings estimates for the full year.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Trader balls and what not



Paul Kedrosky: Traders, Balls and Testosterone
Traders, Balls and Testosterone

It's true: Traders with bigger balls do better, at least as evidenced by this study of testosterone levels in London traders:

Little is known about the role of the endocrine system in financial risk taking. Here, we report the findings of a study in which we sampled, under real working conditions, endogenous steroids from a group of male traders in the City of London. We found that a trader's morning testosterone level predicts his day's profitability. We also found that a trader's cortisol rises with both the variance of his trading results and the volatility of the market. Our results suggest that higher testosterone may contribute to economic return, whereas cortisol is increased by risk. Our results point to a further possibility: testosterone and cortisol are known to have cognitive and behavioral effects, so if the acutely elevated steroids we observed were to persist or increase as volatility rises, they may shift risk preferences and even affect a trader's ability to engage in rational choice.

You mean like they might go nuts and tear up the joint? Fine, but as long it's after quarter end, but before bonuses are paid.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Private Equity or Venture Capital

I like what he said in this one. I am sure this is not the most accurate definition and there is no empirical evidence. But common sense tells me that this makes much more sense.

Columbia University
There is also conventional wisdom that says if a company is not yet successful but the promoter is very confident, it is a venture capital investment, but if the reverse is true — if a company is successful but the promoter is not that confident and wants to either restructure using LBO or wants to exit — it is for sure a private equity investment.

Ready to borrow



IPO for Apollo Management - WSJ.com
IPO for Apollo Management

Goldmans Aura

Its no wonder that every one in the street thinks that anything about Goldman has an Aura. I dont know how the PR does this stunt. While from the beginning of the subprime debacle. I dont think GS has done anything significantly different than street buddies.

These guys moves as a flock any way. Let us see where is it going and the GS retains its Aura deal with sub prime stink.

Goldman's Illiquid Assets Increase - WSJ.com
Goldman's Illiquid Assets Increase.

Legendary Tiger Woods



Bloomberg.com: North American
``If he doesn't win, it's viewed as a bad week,'' said Jim Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion. ``For the rest of us, if we win two or three times in a year, we've had a great year.''

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Interesting points for startup equity negotiation



Startup Equity For Employees - Payne.org Wiki
Startup Equity For Employees.