Private Equity
Google likes Farmville, too: Google has secretly invested $100 million in Zynga, which is responsible for FarmVille and MafiaWars. Bad Reception: Consumer reports says No to the iPhone4. Peltz is Looking for Money: Billionaire Nelson Peltz is seeking to raise $1.5 billion for a fund aimed at buying minority stakes in public companies. Citi CEO not so bad: Vikram "Vickles" Pandit has done a fair to decent job at Citi and gets an award, according to DealBreaker. A New V8: Campbell's is introducing a V8 V-Fusion drink with green tea that it hopes people will drink during the afternoon hours. Campbell's is also launching a carrot-based V8 vegetable drink to attract consumers who may not like tomato juice. Whistleblowers not anonymous: Corporate audit committee members are less likely to consider tips about misdeeds as credible if the tipster remains anonymous.
1 min read · 12 July 2010
Son in Charge: Brett Icahn takes high profile role in Lions Gate negotations. Another NPT lawsuit: NTP Inc., which last sued RIM Ltd., has sued Apple, Google, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Microsoft and Motorola over patents related to the email delivery to cell phones. No free checking: Wells Fargo has cut free checking for new customers as it prepares for sticter consumer protection regulations. Having fun at Sun Valley: Media moguls gather to talk deals and to knit, bike, take yoga classes and, of course, golf. Skipping the Meeting: Only one of the FCC's five regulators will bother Tuesday to attend the agency's "public workshop" in Chicago on the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal mega merger. Return of the Blimp: You remember blimps. Big, puffy and they fly. Now comes word that they may make a comeback as a greener cargo carrier.
1 min read · 09 July 2010
* Should BP nuke the leak? Scary that this an option. * Global PE fundraising nearly dies in second quarter. * Email marketing meets social media and kicks its ass. * VC-backed IPOs survived and rebounded in second quarter. * The flying car is here! But wait, it costs $195,000... * Bids are in for Newsweek but where is PE? * Seven banks that could be first on the block. But what about the other 700 problem banks? * It's Friday so check out Woot's rap video celebrating its sale to Amazon. Go monkey! Happy Fourth of July everyone. Dan is back next week.
1 min read · 02 July 2010
*Bilski Redux and why you can't believe everything you read. *The Facebook/Elevation Partners deal isn't getting any love. *A Q&A with Marc Andreesen on Foursquare's funding. *Stop the presses! Larry King to stop talk show on CNN. *A video of Dan chronicling the Tesla Motors IPO. *The Newsweek auction nears some sort of end. *Volcker is upset with the final version of his rule. Really. *Jim Garvey of SV Life Sciences sits for a Q&A. *Surprise! PE Execs based in the U.S. prefer investing in North America. *A study of student-run VC funds at business schools. *A dissenting--or positive--view of Tesla Motors. *Blackstone is expected to close its latest mega fund today. *Tesla arrives at the Nasdaq. *New reporting requirements for private equity and hedge funds.
1 min read · 30 June 2010
