Have you ever stopped and wondered why baseball players do not congratulate each other across teams at the end of the game? Every other sport that I have watched, including far more violent sports, such as football and rugby, even boxing, has the combatants shaking hands after the battle. But not baseball. Why? I was […]
Continue Reading...Category: musings
18th Centurey British Textile Industry and Non-Competes
In another chapter of “There is Nothing New Under the Sun”, we find a close comparison between the attempt to control information for economic superiority and the economic impact of free flowing information. The time is 1791 and the United States is in its infancy. Britain has invented numerous technologies such as textile machinery which […]
Continue Reading...VC Speak — “He is a good guy”
Every now and then I will post a phrase I have heard often in my journeys through and with VC land. Interpreting these phrases is key if we are to get the right meaning and act accordingly. “He is a good guy” This is a classic phrase VC’s use when they describe a person, who […]
Continue Reading...One Throat to Choke Will Choke Them
So corporate IT has finally gotten what they asked for — one throat to choke. With the acquisition of BEA, Oracle has taken out its last other smaller but major competitor leaving SAP and Oracle to battle it out. Corporate IT has made it so difficult for startups that they are now going to get […]
Continue Reading...Backhanded Error Messages and Limitations of the Web
I have been trying out Plaxo on-line since it was a plug-in in my old Outlook world. The concept seemed excellent — manage yourself (contacts, calendars, etc.) on-line and use it as a conduit across your various computing and communications pc and mobile platforms. But I started getting a weird error message (Object already exists) […]
Continue Reading...What you think is important vs what is important
I am currently reading American Creation by Joseph Ellis on the founding of the US. I am big proponent of the maxim that history constantly repeats itself. Building consumer-based internet companies parallels a key event in our history — the writing and release of the Declaration of Independence. The founders spent gads of time making […]
Continue Reading...Valuing Common Stock in a Startup — Where the Accountants are the Optimists
I have just gone through a very bizarre experience where I, the entrepreneur, somehow became more pessimistic than my accountants about my company’s prospects. Usually the entrepreneur is the one who paints the picture of the future that leads to riches for everyone — where despite the lack of present cash, revenue, product (or any […]
Continue Reading...The Outer Banks and Wall Street — When the Wind Shifts…
I have been coming to the Outer Banks (OBX) for over 20 years. Its a magical beach that offers the best of all worlds — large, smooth sand beaches, very unpopulated shores, good surf — body or board – and lots of nearby diversions — great golf, good food. On this trip, I am most […]
Continue Reading...A Perfect Storm
The acquisition of Club Penguin by Disney illustrates three great truths in a successful startup and exit. The law of fewer dollars. Companies that are highly capital efficient, have the best exits. The amount of capital you raise and the size/success of your exit are inversely related. And while technology gives us entrepreneurs the tools […]
Continue Reading...Teens and Technology
I attended a Teens and Technology conference put on by YPulse, who did a fantastic job. The conference was short, organized and had excellent presenters. The key take-away I pulled out is we parents really do know our kids. We may lack the confidence to trust our observations, but our intuition is often right. As […]
Continue Reading...