Private Equity
Sale Finally? Yahoo is preparing financial information to send to potential buyers. Psych: Apple didn't come out with an iPhone 5 but gave us a faster iPhone 4S. And Apple launches the Siri (not Suri) assistant feature for iOS 5. Are you disappointed that there's no iPhone 5? Well Dan Frommer thinks you're nuts. And, where to sell your old iPhone. Some Good News: U.S. stocks rally in final hour. iPod Competitor: More than 250,000 Kindle Fires have been preordered since last week. More Rumors: Research in Motion has reportedly hired an investment banker to consider options. Company shares climb. Staying on Target: Twitter now has 1,600 advertisers.
1 min read · 04 October 2011
Mark Suster: Why aren't there more female entrepreneurs? And the Verdict Is: Amanda Knox is acquitted and here's her reaction on Tumblr. And, the Daily Mail jumps the gun and really messes up the verdict. Apple Martinis: Sean Parker is tweeting (apologizes to Zuckerberg) and tips a waitress $5000 on a $6000 bill. At Last: Apple's iPhone event is tomorrow but it won't be webcast. And Sprint gambles and agrees to buy $20 billion in iPhones regardless of whether it can find customers for them. Not So Secret Anymore: Koch Brothers flouted U.S. laws when they sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran.
1 min read · 03 October 2011
As expected, third quarter VC-backed IPO results were dismal. Only five VC-backed companies went public in third quarter, raising $442.9 million. This is down roughly 64% from the same time period in 2010 when 14 IPOs raised $1.2 billion, according to data from Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. In fact, Q3's results are the worst time period for VC-backed offerings since Q4 of 2009, when four IPOs totaled $349.3 million. Four of the IPOs--Tudou.com, Zillow, Tangoe, and Carbonite-- were in the IT sector, Thomson Reuters/NVCA said. Only Horizon Pharma, which raised $49.5 million in July, was the sole non-IT offering.
2 min read · 03 October 2011
Going Retail: Google opens its first retail store in London. Prebuttals: Flacks for the Koch brothers are trying to discredit a forthcoming Bloomberg story. And now we're very very interested. Up for sale? Kodak considers bankruptcy after getting interest for its patents. Shares plunge. Taking a Loss: Amazon's new tablet costs $209.63 to make but is selling for $199. Rumors: iPhone 5 Silicone sleeves are arriving at AT&T retail stores.
1 min read · 30 September 2011
Happy Anniversary: It's been a year since AOL bought TechCrunch. Mike Arrington shows off his new blog, uncrunched. Tech Fight: Oracle and Autonomy get into a spat and Frank Quattrone doesn't look too good. Always Free: Don't believe the rumors. Facebook will never charge users. Timeline Significance: Recording the experience is now more important than the experience itself, says Joe Moon. Love Dragons: SF Signals gives us a flowchart to help navigates NPR's list of top 100 scifi and fantasy books. Not Done Yet: FBI is investigating Solyndra for accounting fraud. Happy Coffee Day: Krispey Kreme is giving away coffee all day. Go now! Unbelievable: BofA plans to charge its debit card users a $5 a monthly fee. Bad Taste: Washington police are investigating an Onion joke about Congressman taking kids hostage. Scantily Clad: Women are more bothered by inappropriate office attire than men.
1 min read · 29 September 2011
Amazon on Wednesday finally unveiled its long-rumored answer to the iPad. The Kindle Fire, which will run on a unique version of Google's Android operating system, will sell for $199. Just in time for Christmas, the tablet will ship on Nov. 15.
2 min read · 29 September 2011
The Competition: Here's 10 things you should know about Amazon's Kindle Fire. Revamp: The new version of Delicious allows users to group links into easy to consume stacks. Estimate Cut: Twitter's advertising revenue will reach $139.5 million this year, down from $150 million. Real News: How to peel a head of garlic in less than 10 seconds. Not So Good: News Corp.'s The Daily is averaging 120,000 unique weekly visitors Switching Careers: Here are 10 things you should include on your resume. Upgrade: Study finds that 41% of current mobile users plan to buy the iPhone 5. The Answer: Report says that women-led startups are the key to new job creation.
1 min read · 28 September 2011
Network: Why you should build your own CEO club. No Brainer: Negative sentiment about the economy affects the economy. Jason Calacanis: What's your primary consumption device? Irreverent: Google bid "pi" for Nortel patents and lost. Busted: Fox News apologizes for reading fake newspaper headlines about Chicago QB Jay Cutler. Slowdown: Apple is cutting supply chain orders by 25%. Seriously: Chelsea Clinton has joined the board of Barry Diller's IAC.
1 min read · 26 September 2011
Coming Soon: Grapeshare, a social network for wine lovers. Heads Up! Bus-sized NASA satellite will hit Earth late Friday or early Sunday. See Ya: Leo Apotheker's last memo to HP employees. Denisovans? DNA shows that humans reached Asia in two waves. Stealing: After a big funding round, the haters come out for Business Insider. And, Ryan McCarthy talks about BI's mad grab for traffic. Finally: Amazon is holding a press conference on Sept. 28. Is this the tablet launch?
1 min read · 23 September 2011
Erick Jackson: Why the "Buffett Rule" is bad for startups. To Specialize or Not: In PE, does expertise in a specific field gives you a competitive advantage? Stocks: Dow drops nearly 400 points while S&P is off 27.20 points. And, Kim Kardashian triggers a selloff on Wall Street. Getting Slices: Two PE firms are vying for BofA's stake in Pizza Hut. Incredible: Here's a video of the Japanese Tsunami taken from a car camera (the car was engulfed by the water). It's Official: Meg Whitman becomes CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Another IPO Delays: LivingSocial may postpone IPO and focus on fundraising. Saying No: ZocDoc CEO says the company doesn't need to go IPO. One More Time: FBI arrests suspected members of the LulzSec and Anonymous hacking groups. New York Catching up to Silicon Valley: Here's Gridley & Co.'s guide to digital NY investors & tech ecosystem.
1 min read · 22 September 2011
