Posts filed under ‘Financial Advisory’
Bubble Watch – Part 3: Cloud Computing
In our first two installments of bubble watch, we looked at cleantech and social gaming. Of course, our trilogy wouldn’t be complete without also considering cloud computing. (more…)
Bubble Watch – Part 2: Social Gaming
In my first bubble watch installment, I took a look at the cleantech industry. To continue our search for the latest bubble, we direct our attention towards the area of social gaming:
A search for “social gaming bubble” on Google returns a whopping 266,000 results. Move over, cleantech! The search in the news section shows an increase from 22 hits in 2009 to 87 in 2010. Getting closer. (more…)
Bubble Watch – Part 1: Cleantech
The end of the old year and the beginning of the new year always lends itself to a retrospective on the past and speculations on the future. And what could be more enticing to speculate on than the latest financial bubbles; a worthwhile topic since 1637, when some single tulip bulbs in Holland sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman.
So here goes our list of contenders for 2011 bubbles: (more…)
Is Strong IPO Market Momentum Benefiting VC Backed Companies?
PwC just released its US IPO Watch which tracks IPO activity on US stock exchanges. According to PwC, “…the surge of activity in the fourth quarter of 2010 confirms the IPO market has recovered from the doldrums of 2008 and 2009.” (more…)
2010 Survey of Professional Services Firms in Silicon Valley
2010 Professional Services Survey Names Top Firms
A recent survey of the professional services landscape in Silicon Valley yielded some unique insights into the top names in professional services among VCs and CEOs of VC backed companies. The survey, completed and published by the Silicon Valley Research Group in San Jose and Seattle, was designed to identify trends and the leading brands across six professional services categories in Silicon Valley. (more…)
Focus.com Seminar on Financial Management of SMBs
Focus.com is hosting a teleconference featuring a panel of senior CFOs with extensive tech sector start-up experience on Thursday, January 20 at 11AM PT/2PM ET. The subject is tips and trends in managing finances and cash in early stage companies.
If you are an entrepreneur or CEO of an early stage company, and you are considering additional financing from current or potential investors, then this session should help you stay on top of the finance issues that are most important to growing your business and attracting additional financing. For more information on the event, go to http://www.focus.com/events/finance/focus-finance-roundtable-financial-planning-and-management-s/ and register.
Super Angel versus Venture Man
There has been much noise recently about who’s the better investor: the newly minted Super Angels, or the traditional venture capitalists of Sand Hill Road.
The debate has been carried out rather openly, and the borders of straight-talk, self-promotion, and honest reflection have become somewhat blurred.
The basic question is whether it’s better to take a limited amount of money from Super Angels – say between $100 thousand and $1.0 million, or shoot for the moon and go to Sand Hill Road where a self-respecting Series A starts with $5.0 million. Super Angels are loosely defined as business angels with more money making a lot more investments. (more…)
December 17, 2010 at 10:58 am Gunther Hofmann Leave a comment
Does 409A kill the IPO Bump?
Several Silicon Valley bloggers have been pondering the question of whether 409A rules are leading to the end of the IPO Bump. The IPO Bump refers to the difference in the exercise price of stock option grants and the offering price of an IPO. In particular, several companies, such as Facebook, have had trades in privately held common stock reported on sites such as Sharespost.com. For instance as one blogger, Don Dodge, put it “The effect of the 409A requirement, and the new movement of private investors buying vested stock options from employees, is that pre-IPO valuations, and thus the employee stock option prices are very close to the expected IPO price. So, how will there be a big bump in the stock price at IPO?” See Will Facebook have an IPO Bounce? Has 409A Changed the Game? for his full posting.
M&A – What’s the Rush?
2010 so far has seen a formidable increase in merger and acquisition activity in general, and in the tech industry in particular: HP is on a veritable shopping spree, picking up Palm, 3Com, 3PAR, Fortify, Stratavia, and ArcSight. IBM picked up Sterling Commerce, Unica, and Netezza. Oracle bought Sun Microsystems. Intel pockets Infineon’s Wireless Solutions Business as well as McAfee. Google is continuing to show a ferocious appetite with 23 acquisitions through late September. Even long-time M&A spectator SAP has jumped into the fray with the purchase of Sybase. Beside these big deals, there is a host of smaller mergers and acquisitions across the technology spa
So what’s the rush?
October 27, 2010 at 11:35 am Gunther Hofmann Leave a comment
Have We Hit Bottom? Reading Tea Leaves in Bankruptcy Statistics
Not quite the bottom, but getting closer.
Bankruptcy filings rose 20 percent in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
This is generally hailed as bad news; at most the Economist is invoking Schumepeterian creative destruction as necessary evil before new growth can blossom. (more…)
September 17, 2010 at 1:03 pm Gunther Hofmann Leave a comment
