All Entries in the "Perspectives" Category

2010: The Ultimate Buyer’s Market for Investors

No doubt, 2009 was a year of dieting and fat-trimming for startups. But those that have conquered the financial tsunami will come out a lean, mean, revenue-ramping machine.
“2010 should be the ultimate buyers’ market for investors with cash to spend because entrepreneurs who tightened their belts last year cannot do so indefinitely,” Steve Fredrick and [...]

Investors of Tomorrow: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Are you smarter than a 5th grader? While this phrase has become a wildly popular game and game show, it is also an interesting segue into a recent post in The Business Insider.
Daniel Schultz, DFJ Gotham’s co-founder and managing director, set out to try and explain venture capital to his son’s 5th grade class. To [...]

The Attraction of Social Gaming

Run a farm. Join a Mafia family. Become a vampire, play poker, or open a restaurant.
Seems like you can do just about anything you want in the vast universe of social gaming.
Social gaming, those simulated games populating social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, are everywhere, and their popularity is growing every day. Despite [...]

Silicon Valley Ready to Make a Comeback?

There are few throughout the global economy who have been able to escape the impact of the recession. Amidst the branch closings, market losses, cutbacks and reorganizations, one bright light is shining on the horizon – the revival of Silicon Valley. For angels seeking new investment opportunities, excitement just might be brewing.
Hot Deals Emerging
BBC News’ [...]

VCs Finding Seed Financing More Attractive

There was a day not long ago when a venture capitalist wouldn’t even look at a deal if all the entrepreneur was seeking was a minimal investment to get the company off the ground. Such investments were too small to consider and hardly worth their time. While this may have posed a problem for the [...]

Interview with MI Pre-Seed Capital Fund Managing Director Skip Simms

Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, managed by business accelerator Ann Arbor SPARK, is ranked among the Top 100 VC Firms in 2008 by Entrepreneur Magazine. SPARK’s programs are designed to “igniting innovation” and building a cutting-edge community in Ann Arbor, with a mission to stimulating the economic development of innovative businesses in the region.
To gain a [...]

PEHub Alastair Goldfisher Part II: Successful Investors Play Fair

Yesterday, Alastair Goldfisher, managing editor of Thomson Reuter’s PE Group, gave us an intro to private equity. Today, Goldfisher shares his observations on the characteristics of successful PE firms, emerging trends in PE investing, and more.
* Edited interview

VH: Alastair, from what you’ve seen throughout the years, what makes a successful PE firm?
AG: Most people would [...]

Adam Dudley: From Physical Ed to Private Equity

As a managing partner at Grace Capital Partners LLC, Adam Dudley is an anomaly in the investment industry as his path to success has been interesting, fruitful and even a little bit adventurous. For someone who emerged from the University of Florida with the qualifications of a gym teacher, Dudley has successfully worked to position [...]

Big Troubles, Big Opportunities

The current downturn in some of the world’s largest economies has spooked many investors. They wonder if they should just sit on the sidelines and wait for things to turn around. But a number of visionary angel investors see the current troubles as an exceptional opportunity to take a stake in some exciting startups

Cleantech Angel Network of Networks: Will it Work?

As another Earth Day comes and goes and the “Green” concept continues to grow in popularity, consumers are paying more attention to the impact products have on the environment. This increased focus on environmentally-friendly products means growing opportunities for those companies seeking to capitalize on this market.
One new angel network has emerged to do just [...]