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Archive for the ‘Investments’ Category

Java Appstore in the works

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, boic, Business models, Investments, Java, Market research, mobile 2.0, Sun Microsystems, Wireless, Wireless 2.0, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Building on the trend of Apple, Nokia and others – Sun makes the move into a independent Appstore deployment. As Apple has shown that it is a viable business model, it only makes sense – end-users like to shop around, and are willing to pay for smaller apps. As Google Android starting to make its way into mobile phones, and Nokia “opened” up Symbian – the end-user community developer trend will create a business eco-system worth spending some research on. The project is codenamed Vector but will likely be called “Java Store” after its official launch.

Here is some quotes from Jonathan Schwartz by way of Washington Post.

“Candidate applications will be submitted via a simple web site, evaluated by Sun for safety and content, then presented under free or fee terms to the broad Java audience via our update mechanism. Over time, developers will bid for position on our storefront, and the relationships won’t be exclusive (as they have been for search). As with other app stores, Sun will charge for distribution – but unlike other app stores, whose audiences are tiny, measured in the millions or tens of millions, ours will have what we estimate to be approximately a billion users. That’s clearly a lot of traffic, and will position the Java App Store as having just about the world’s largest audience.”

“The store will be for all Java devices. Initially, the PC desktop will get the most attention from developers and customers, but there’s plenty of Java-enabled phones and developers will be pleased to have another distribution channel, especially one with the power of Sun behind it.”

Read the full article here. Read Jonathan Schwartz blog entry here.

Other bloggers covering this topic include: OStatic, Mobile Marketing Watch, Mobile Blogs, IndicThreads.

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Facebook Turns Down Funding at $8 Billion Valuation

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, boic, Business models, FaceBook, Gerbsman Partners, Investments, Market research, Social Networks, Strategy, Uncategorized, Venture Capital, Wireless 2.0, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I guess that the economic crisis only apply to some. Here is a report by way of Digital media Wire.

“Palo Alto, Calif. – Facebook, the online social network with more than 200 million members, earlier this month turned down funding that would have valued the company at $8 billion, the blog TechCrunch reported on Tuesday, citing a source “with direct knowledge of the proposed transaction.” The company reportedly turned down the $200 million in proposed funding because of a stipulation that would have required it to give up a board seat, with founder Mark Zuckerberg intent on keeping control of the board, according to TechCrunch.

The blog also reported that “investors are now being told the company expects $550 million in 2009 revenue,” well above previous projections of up to $400 million”

Read the full article here.

Related article can be found here: TechCrunch, Blogrunner, Social Median, Seeking Alpha, Dintz,

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Analyst forecasts 900% Android phone sales growth

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, boic, Investments, Market research, Venture Capital, Wireless, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 12, 2009| 1 Comment »

If you look for growth opportunities, look no further say Strategy Analytics. With a 900% growth forecast, and Google support in the background – the mobile ecosystem will see some intriguing innovations shortly. With iPhone and AppStore showing the way, Android from Google may provide a business opoortunity for global opportunities for mobile developers.

Please also see our previous articles: “Android vs. iPhone: Why Openness may Not Be Best” and “Android to do what no one else managed!”

Hardware Register has more on this story:

“Android-based smartphones will ship in massive numbers this year – at least compared to last year’s total, market watcher Strategy Analytics has forecast.

In its latest report, the firm predicted that Android smartphone shipments will increase a whopping 900 per cent during 2009 over last year. Shipments of Apple’s iPhone will grow 79 per cent this year, SA said.

The Google-developed OS hasn’t featured on phones for as long as Apple’s handset has been on the market. Nonetheless, healthy support from “operators, vendors and developers” will continue to help increase Android’s adoption, SA said.

“A relatively low-cost licensing model, its semi-open source structure and Google’s support for cloud services have encouraged companies… to support the Android operating system,” said Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics.

The number of Android-based devices is certainly set to expand this year. Vodafone recently launched the world’s second Android phone in Blighty – the Magic. It’s also widely rumoured that Samsung will launch an own-brand Android phones this year.”

Read the article here.

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Crisis provide opportunity for “Angels”

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Investments, Venture Capital, tagged , , , , , , , on May 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here is a excerpt from San fernando Business Journal, that provides som good news.

“We’re seeing at least a 50 percent increase in deals choosing us over VCs for various reasons,” says John Dilts, founder and president of Maverick Angels in Westlake Village. The group has 25 members who screen and invest in companies monthly.

The economy has forced many VCs to slow their investment pace and focus on existing companies that are not able to exit their portfolios because of the shuttered IPO window and weak acquisitions market, said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, in the MoneyTree Report.

While many angels remain cautious, the downturn has resulted in higher quality entrepreneurs looking for early stage capital, says Dilts. Some have raised previous rounds of capital and developed their companies to the point of generating revenue.

Company valuations have also dropped, which is an appealing point of entry for angels. “As angels we’re seeing higher quality deals and lower valuations,” says Dilts. “We fill a unique void in the emerging growth finance universe. We provide speculative capital.”

Read the full article here.

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The real problem with the stress tests and the bailout programs

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Business models, Distressed IP, Economy, Investments, Market research, Strategy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

We wrote about this topic yesterday, the bailout was just a bandaid – the real issue is the fundamentals. The recent stress tests uncovered some uncomfortable truths in regards of cash, GMAC among others might need bailout or face bankruptcy!

The ever so humble (not) Paul Krugman today wrote a good Op-Ed in NY Times. Here are some selected quotes explaining the situation very clearly.

“I won’t weigh in on the debate over the quality of the stress tests themselves, except to repeat what many observers have noted: the regulators didn’t have the resources to make a really careful assessment of the banks’ assets, and in any case they allowed the banks to bargain over what the results would say. A rigorous audit it wasn’t.

But focusing on the process can distract from the larger picture. What we’re really seeing here is a decision on the part of President Obama and his officials to muddle through the financial crisis, hoping that the banks can earn their way back to health.”

He continues;

“After all, right now the banks are lending at high interest rates, while paying virtually no interest on their (government-insured) deposits. Given enough time, the banks could be flush again.

But it’s important to see the strategy for what it is and to understand the risks.

Remember, it was the markets, not the government, that in effect declared the banks undercapitalized. And while market indicators of distrust in banks, like the interest rates on bank bonds and the prices of bank credit-default swaps, have fallen somewhat in recent weeks, they’re still at levels that would have been considered inconceivable before the crisis.

As a result, the odds are that the financial system won’t function normally until the crucial players get much stronger financially than they are now. Yet the Obama administration has decided not to do anything dramatic to recapitalize the banks.

Can the economy recover even with weak banks? Maybe. Banks won’t be expanding credit any time soon, but government-backed lenders have stepped in to fill the gap. The Federal Reserve has expanded its credit by $1.2 trillion over the past year; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have become the principal sources of mortgage finance. So maybe we can let the economy fix the banks instead of the other way around.”

Read the full article here.

Others covering this article can be found here: Economists View, Brooks and Krugman, NewsTrust, One Penny Street, Relevant Science.

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