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KPMG: Clean tech investments to rise in 2009

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:26:40 GMT

clipped by: chikkman

Venture capitalists expect investment in clean technology to significantly increase next year and are not worried about a potential investment bubble in the clean, or “green,” technology sector, according to a survey by KPMG LLP.

According to research firm Cleantech Group, North America and European investments in clean technology, a large category that includes biofuel for transportation, renewable-energy generation, water and materials, rose to $5.2 billion, up from $1.8 billion in 2004.

Tags: cleantech vc

Insight Photobucket WSJ Story

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:26:21 GMT

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Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Two years earlier, Insight employees, their friends and family paid $3 million for 20% of the fast-growing company. The group made more than 15 times its money on the investment, banking more than $40 million, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The firm's co-founders, Jeff Horing and Jerry Murdock, invested $300,000 apiece. Each banked nearly $5 million when News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media bought Photobucket.

Tags: vc photobucket

NVCA Survey - VC Feeders

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:11:48 GMT

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Clip Source: www.bloglines.com

The study by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureWire disclosed that 42 percent of VC investors went to Harvard, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Duke, or MIT.

Though a handful of schools produced a disproportionate slice of VCs, only 4 percent of those in the industry entered their current jobs directly from school. Prior to entering the venture capital business, 22 percent were either C-level entrepreneurs or startup employees; 20 percent worked at a larger or middle-market company; 20 percent worked at a different venture capital firm, and 19 percent worked at a law firm, consulting firm or investment bank.

Tags: vc

IPO Downturn

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:09:37 GMT

clipped by: chikkman

Clip Source: avc.blogs.com

In the second quarter of this year not a single company backed by venture capitalists has gone public. It is the first time that has happened since 1978, according to a venture capital industry group.

Sarbanes-Oxley and other post bubble, post Enron regulations have certainly made it harder to be a public company here in the US. I know every time I sign a 10K or 10Q, my hand shakes a little. Honestly, it takes a very big opportunity to make me want to be a significant shareholder or a director of a public company. The risks and hassles are just so big.

But the VC business without an IPO market would be a different business. It would be smaller, with fewer funds, and smaller fund sizes.

Tags: vc ipos startups

NVCA Doerr and Moritz Interview

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:49:23 GMT

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Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Moritz said he's learned as an investor to listen carefully to entrepreneurs and only look at the facts, casting aside prejudice and opinion. "That stuff will preclude you in making a new investment in a new area that hasn't hit the radar screen yet or is preposterous to other people," he said.

Doerr added that Kleiner is trying to watch its language by eliminating the word "deal" from meetings with entrepreneurs. "If you're an entrepreneur, do you want to walk into someone's venture capital shop and be known as a "deal?" he said. Moritz followed by saying it's demeaning to use the word "project" to describe an entrepreneurs' business that they may have dreamed about for years and labored hard over.

Tags: vc moritz doerr

Buyouts Madness - Aspiring Buyouts Pros

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:13:13 GMT

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Clip Source: www.pehub.com

A large rolodex is crucial factor in expanding for any buyout pro’s career, and business school is one way to start filling it. But as a panel of young buyout pros showed today at Buyouts Madness, it’s not essential.

Joel Osnoss, director at Silver Lake, said business school is great a way to build your networking base. But he opted against it because he was already doing what he loved, planned to be there for the long-term and didn’t want to jeopardize his position by leaving for a year or two for an MBA.

That clear vision of your career is essential if you do decide against it, said Phil Carpenter, senior managing director and partner at Bear Stearns Merchant Banking Partners, who also did not go to business school. If your station in the firm is not clear, you could lose out on a promotion to someone with that MBA, he said. “Do you see a clear runway?” for your career, he asked.

Tags: pe career

Buyouts Madness - PE Careers Panel

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:09:43 GMT

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Clip Source: www.pehub.com

The take-away point was this: Buyout pros want the background of their new hires to look like their own backgrounds. Firms populated with former consultants are more likely to hire a consultant; firms whose partners tout MBAs will probably require the same of their fresh meat. Finding common ground is especially important for those entering the field from a nontraditional background, Palmieri said.

An MBA isn’t a must-have, she added. The degree opens some doors, and not having one closes others. But, she countered, “There’s a shoe for every foot.”

About 80 percent of private equity jobs are filled through personal connections—Palmieri stressed the importance of networking in one’s job hunt. Firms hire for two reasons: either they’ve raised more money, or an employee has left, and job hunters get access to info about those vacancies or fundraising sprees through their industry connections.

Tags: pe careers

John Doerr on Intuit

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:03:59 GMT

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Clip Source: venturehacks.com

At the first Intuit board meeting I attended, I was surprised: more than half the meeting took place at Intuit’s tech support center, listening to tech reps answer customers’ product questions and fix their problems. Cook’s uniquely intense focus on happy customers and firsthand customer feedback impresses me to this day…

Cook has an unusual ability to ask the right questions (which my partner Vinod Khosla insists is more important than getting the right answers; in business, there are often several right answers).

Fortune iMeme - Moritz Comments

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:37:09 GMT

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Clip Source: blogs.barrons.com

Moritz: I rarely ever think about big themes; our business is a bit more like bird spotting; you don’t look at big flock, you try to pick out each one. You might find odd looking, interesting complected bir in flock that otherwise looks mundane, rather than try to make observation on large flock in any particular area. Can point to late entries into crowded market and then went on to prosper (Eric adds: Like Google.) You want to make sure bird you are picking out can fly for a long time. There is lot to be said for investing in ugly ducklings.

Moritz: Nothing beats incredible hunger, tenacity of entrepreneur full of ideas and ambition.

Tags: vc

John D. Rockefeller Quotes

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:47:12 GMT

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Clip Source: www.fabricegrinda.com

“I had no ambition to make a fortune. Mere money-making has never been my goal, I had an ambition to build.”

“The person who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won’t succeed; you must have a larger ambition. There is no mystery in business success. If you do each day’s task successfully, and stay faithfully within these natural operations of commercial laws which I talk so much about, and keep your head clear, you will come out all right.”

Tags: quotes

Google AdSense for Games

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:33:19 GMT

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Clip Source: blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com

"I'm going to be very clear right now," Stolar said. "Google is involved in in-game advertising. I'm going to say it one more time, in case there's any misconceptions here: in-game advertising. This is an area that Google believes will have tremendous growth over the next number of years. ..."

That means game publishers will be able to use the Google system to put advertising in their games, and advertisers will be able to work through the Google system to buy ad space within games. Schaffer said it will start with ads in Web-based games, with plans to move into PC and console games later on.

Tags: games google