4 min read · 06 April 2011
2 min read · 05 April 2011
3 min read · 04 April 2011
3 min read · 31 March 2011
3 min read · 31 March 2011
Recently, I asked a number of LPs the question: When VCs buy secondary shares in hot companies like Facebook and Twitter, why doesn't it infuriate them? After all, LPs have historically chosen to invest in VC because it is the only way to gain access to private companies with huge growth potential. The secondary market, on the other hand, provides the same capability to nearly anyone with enough zeros in their bank account. I also asked the LPs why they're willing to pay management fees for the service, when seemingly, they could invest in the companies directly. I wound up writing a column on the topic, but I wasn't able to use much of the feedback of one very thoughtful and high-profile institutional LP, who asked not to be named. For readers interested in the perspective of the LP -- an investor in pretty much every so-called top-tier fund --here's what I was told:
3 min read · 29 March 2011
5 min read · 28 March 2011
Lou Kerner has dabbled in real estate, worked as a cable and satellite analyst at Goldman Sachs, and headed numerous companies, including two domain companies: the now defunct Tuvalu domain registrar dot.tv and WildSites. Yet Kerner has seemingly found the role he was born to play as the self-described “first social media analyst on Wall Street.” He’s attracted quite an audience. Kerner has been quoted as an expert on social media valuations in the mainstream press, including the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the L.A. Times, no fewer than 120 times so far this year. He’s also cited regularly in online properties such as Business Insider and has appeared on television numerous times. In fact, Bloomberg may give him his own weekly show. “I’m building the Lou Kerner brand,” Kerner told me
4 min read · 24 March 2011
3 min read · 22 March 2011
3 min read · 21 March 2011
