2 min read · 16 July 2010
Blair Garrou is unassuming, but he’s as ambitious a venture capitalist as you’re likely to meet, as evidenced in part by his co-founding Houston-based DFJ Mercury at just 32 years of age. He was young, but having worked as a principal at the Houston-based private equity firm Genesis Park, and as the CEO of Intermat, a decades-old portfolio company of Genesis that Garrou helped sell to a public company, he decided he was ready anyway. That Garrou helped convinced investors of the same is more impressive. Indeed, the firm, formed in 2005, managed to collect $30 million to invest between $100,000 and $5 million into nascent companies -- particularly those created out of tech transfer programs in Texas, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. This spring, despite what’s long been an
3 min read · 15 July 2010
Well, I have to say, "The Social Network" is starting to look intriguing -- and surprisingly dark in a "Less Than Zero" way. Here is the full-length trailer for the film, newly released:
1 min read · 15 July 2010
CalPERS has just announced a fiscal year gain of 11.4 percent, exceeding its "long-term annualized earnings target of 7.75 percent" which CalPERS says it has enjoyed over the last 20 years. More from the announcement: “The positive returns over the last year are due to many factors, including the stabilization in the financial industry and the increase in market liquidity,” said Joe Dear, CalPERS Chief Investment Officer. “Many asset classes have exhibited strength amid signs of stabilization and recovery in the economy.” As of June 30, 2010, the market value of assets stood at $200 billion. With the exception of real estate, all of the asset classes had positive returns for the year,” Dear said. “We’re definitely in the recovery mode with the opportunity to capture future returns because of
2 min read · 15 July 2010
3 min read · 14 July 2010
I found a huge design flaw in my new iPhone. People get angry when I talk on it during a funeral. -- Conan O'Brien, on Consumer Reports' highly publicized decision not to endorse the iPhone 4 owing to a problem with its reception. Said the outlet in a post yesterday: "When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal. Due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4."
1 min read · 13 July 2010
It’s no secret that dozens of venture capital firms are fighting for their lives. It may be time to add Rustic Canyon Partners to that list. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based firm began life with a bang, raising $500 million for its debut fund in 1999. It would later raise small vehicles -- including an SBIC fund and a joint fund with Fontis -- and then secured just over $200 million for Rustic Canyon III. That vehicle officially closed in October 2008, though fundraising, and investing, began in early 2007.
3 min read · 13 July 2010
Actors have been researching their roles through the ages, sometimes shadowing the people they will portray or, in the case of Daniel Day Lewis, refusing to be treated for pneumonia while filming the 2002 movie “Gangs of New York." (During the early 19th century, when the film was set, no treatment was available. Duh.) The stars of “Margin Call,” -- an in-production film that centers on the perilous choices that eight traders and colleagues make within a 24-hour period during the financial crisis -- apparently feel it’s necessary to apply the same family of techniques to their upcoming roles. “I am trying to humanize bankers,” Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey tells the New York Times of his role as a veteran trader in the film. “Everyone talks about facts, figures and debt. I was more interested in what they were feeling.”
2 min read · 12 July 2010
Jim Clark has the life, including a gorgeous new wife and an executive producer credit for the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove." Whether the Netscape billionaire gets $27 million for his breathtakingly beautiful Miami penthouse apartment atop the Setai in South Beach is another question. Despite boasting “endless works of art, custom woodwork, unique furnishings, antiques and rooftop terrace this an unrivaled residence for the most distinguished homeowner,” $27 million is a lot of cake for a 6,200-square-foot home with
1 min read · 09 July 2010
6 min read · 09 July 2010
