Private Equity
Russian entrepreneurialism appears on the rise, yet the quality of young companies is uneven. New laws promise a better market-oriented legal framework. Yet they may need another five years to mature. Russia is a land of contrasts. This was my takeaway from last week’s Russian Innovation Week, held in Silicon Valley.
2 min read · 30 October 2012
What a difference a year makes, at least when it comes to the venture industry’s 10-year performance numbers.
2 min read · 29 October 2012
Ron Conway's success with a payroll tax initiative demonstrates a profound transformation playing out in San Francisco's business corridors and its halls of power. As startups blossom, attracting a wave of entrepreneurs and investment dollars, the tech industry is wielding newfound clout in local politics.
7 min read · 29 October 2012
In a VCJ analysis of select funds, 61% of 2001-era funds have positive IRRs
2 min read · 29 October 2012
Reflections on the M&A scene from VCJ’s Venture Alpha conference in October
3 min read · 29 October 2012
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is endeavoring to do something more ambitious than ever before. He’s trying to transform 1.5 miles of arid, dust-caked downtown Las Vegas into a bustling entrepreneurial center with up to $350 million of his own money. The question is whether he can pull it off without someone to simply say, “no.”
4 min read · 25 October 2012
Benchmark Capital General Partner Bill Gurley gives a high-energy presentation at VCJ’s Venture Alpha 2012 conference.
1 min read · 24 October 2012
Lerer Ventures said it has raised a $36 million third fund to continue making seed investments in New York and Silicon Valley. The new fund is a noticeable step up from the firm’s $25 million second fund from 2011 and will enable Lerer to take larger positions in portfolio companies.
2 min read · 24 October 2012
There’s little question that on November 6, tech titans will be on tenterhooks as they watch the presidential election results. For one thing, who wins may determine whether today’s laws around repatriation -- bringing overseas earnings back to the U.S. -- will meaningfully change.
4 min read · 24 October 2012
In a victory for Thomson Reuters, a state judge tentatively ruled that the University of California must try to obtain and then disclose closely guarded information on the investment performance of VC funds managed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital.
4 min read · 24 October 2012
