As Amazon replaces brick-and-mortar store shelves and social influencers replace television stars, newer brands are not only taking advantage of these channels, but also are architecting their products and business models around them. Read More
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Category: Column
Fighting fake news online wins these three projects accolades
There are few greater threats to democracy in the world today than the proliferation of fake news and propaganda.
So it was no surprise that this year’s National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) prestigious Democracy Award focused on websites and research organizations that are countering the distribution of fake news. Read More
Do VC woes extend to portfolio companies? For Rothenberg, probably not
As VC brands go, Rothenberg Ventures has seen better days. The firm built up a reputation as an up-and-coming early-stage investor. But Silicon Valley soured on Rothenberg Ventures last year; lawsuits ensued. So it hasn’t been a good year for Mike Rothenberg. But what about the Rothenberg Ventures portfolio? Read More
Approaching e-commerce investments in the age of Amazon
With Amazon as the 800-pound gorilla, many of my fellow investors choose to ignore e-commerce altogether. In fact, the industry hit recent lows in a number of deals and investments. But as Bonobos’ $310 million acquisition by Walmart and Stitch Fix’s IPO demonstrate, there are still plenty of exciting opportunities in this space for investors. Read More
The rise of SPACs
Every few years efforts to redefine the IPO emerge, and as night follows day, investors get hurt and calls for tighter regulatory reform echo in legislative chambers and cable TV studios. The last significant “re-invention” emerged in the height of the dot-com boom when online brokers started selling newly issued shares directly to retail customers. We all know how that ended. Read More
The US-based tech company that just went public in London
Boku, a U.S.-based carrier billing company, listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market recently, selling £45 million in stock. Only about one-third of those shares were from the company, however, with the rest sourced from extant shareholders. Let’s peek into the Boku offering to see what happened and what we might learn from it. Read More
Managing software complexity through intent-based programming
Software is losing its magic. We simply demand too much from the current approaches. As a result, software developers are losing the battle with complexity, often without realizing it. To bring the magic back into software, developers need to mak…
View More Managing software complexity through intent-based programming100 cryptocurrencies described in four words or less
This list describes cryptocurrencies. Each gets four words. There are many. Some are landmarks. Some are scams. Hopefully this provides orientation. Read More
Silicon Valley could be the next hotspot for SEC whistleblowers
In recent years, the SEC has had greater success policing wrongdoing due in large part to the implementation of its whistleblower program. But the whistleblowers’ crosshairs are not limited to Wall Street. Individuals are beginning to come forward in a new sphere of the business world, one with its own reputation of a problematic, win-at-all-cost culture: Silicon Valley. Read More
Seizing partnership opportunities in emerging markets
Partnering beyond your borders — something many of the world’s leading multi-sided businesses and online marketplaces already engage in — is becoming a low-friction way for those in less developed countries to add their value to the global economy. So what’s keeping businesses from getting contributions from emerging markets, and how do they overcome those obstacles? Read More
Where and why venture capitalists invest close to home
Public market investors have the luxury of being able to make, invest and move their money anywhere they’d like. But the same isn’t true for startup investors, who, if conventional wisdom is to be believed, tend to invest relatively close to home. Read More
Africa Roundup: Lori Systems wins BFX Africa, Andela raises $40M, Jumia lends to SMEs, Safaricom launches incubator
Logistics transportation company Lori Systems won best of show at TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield Africa after gaining majority votes of the event’s 15 judges. The Kenyan based venture pitched its platform to optimize all points of the cargo delivery supply chain―from the trucks, to the suppliers, to invoicing and costs. Co-founded by South African Josh Sandler and Kenyan… Read More