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Archive for the ‘Market research’ Category

Venture Funding Up 17.5%, M&A Rebounds Even More

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Business models, Gerbsman Partners, Intellectual capital, Investments, Market research, Technology, Venture Capital, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here is some good news from TechCrunch.

“Last quarter, based on funding and M&A data we collect in CrunchBase, we signaled that we were cautiously optimistic about the rebound of the tech sector. Q2 trends were no worse than Q1 09: venture financings were up 20% and mergers & acquisitions held steady (excluding Oracle’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems) in comparison to Q1.

With another quarter of data under our belts, we’re feeling even better about the health of technology startups. The number of new startups, venture fundings and M&A are all on the rise. In addition to decent stats, there are lots of new tech products launching across diverse categories, coming from companies both great and small. The Layoff Tracker and Deadpool have quieted down in our sector. In short, we’re feeling like there’s a more rational and focused market for startups and tech.

Strategic M&A Is Back: 3x Q2 Levels

One of the strongest signals of the quarter was the resumption of activity in mergers and acquisitions. The acquisition market really rebounded in Q3 09 to over $45 billion from 231 deals, 3x greater than Q2’s $15 billion. We haven’t seen M&A activity at this level since Q2 08, which recorded 275 deals totaling $59 billion.

…

Most encouraging, acquirers are adding strategically to their businesses (Amazon-Zappos, Facebook-Friendfeed, Google-On2, Yahoo!-Xoopit, VMWare-Springsource, RIM-Torch Mobile, Intuit-Mint, etc.) Some acquirers are returning to the market with multiple strategic deals (Adobe, EMC, IBM, Thomson Reuters, Yahoo!, Google, etc.) Deal making was well distributed across business segments (consumer web, retail, mobile, advertising, enterprise, biotech, cleantech)”

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Sign o´times – Cisco leads tech M&A charge out of downturn

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Gerbsman Partners, Intellectual capital, Investments, Market research, Strategy, Technology, Venture Capital, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 14, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here is some news from Reuters.

“NEW YORK (Reuters) – When it comes to Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) and dealmaking, the prevailing sentiment in Silicon Valley is: You can’t predict what Cisco will buy next, but you can see why it fits.

The world’s largest maker of corporate networking gear is known for its voracious dealmaking appetite, buying dozens of companies every year and digesting them quickly and efficiently to broaden its already wide-ranging business.

Cisco has led the tech industry’s charge out of the recession-induced lull in mergers and acquisitions, announcing two big deals in two weeks: wireless equipment maker Starent Networks (STAR.O) for $2.9 billion and Norwegian video conferencing maker Tandberg for $3 billion.

Analysts expect the San Jose, California-based company, which ended the last quarter with a cash balance of $34 billion, to keep up the dealmaking pace, especially now that some stability has returned to financial markets.

“The ability to expand in markets where we have been strong clearly has been a big part of what we’ve done in the past,” Hilton Romanski, Cisco’s vice president of corporate development, said in an interview on Tuesday.

“But the other major element is new market entry,” said Romanski, a former JPMorgan (JPM.N) banker who joined Cisco in 2000 and runs its global acquisition and venture investment strategy.

Cisco, which was founded in 1984, has spent about $56 billion on 174 deals so far, according to Thomson Reuters data. Along with its in-house team, Cisco occasionally uses a range of outside financial advisers, from Barclays PLC (BARC.L) to Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N).

Many of the acquisitions were start-ups or private companies with assets that bolster Cisco’s core business of making switches and routers that direct computer traffic.

But as the networking business has matured, Cisco has forayed into several new interconnected markets, such as Web-based video conferencing and online video.”

Read the full article here.

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Adobe to Buy Omniture for $1.8 Billion, Expanding Beyond Design

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Economy, Gerbsman Partners, Intellectual capital, Investments, Market research, tagged , , , , , , , on September 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Adobe´s innovation through aquisition continues, next in line is Omniture. On a larger scale, this indicates a growing market optimism that the time is right for investments. This article is by way of Bloomberg.

“Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) — Adobe Systems Inc., the world’s biggest maker of graphic-design software, agreed to buy Omniture Inc. for $1.8 billion, expanding into programs that track the performance of Web sites and online advertising campaigns.

Adobe will pay $21.50 a share for Omniture, 24 percent more than the closing price yesterday. Adobe fell as much as 4.9 percent in extended trading after announcing the acquisition and forecasting sales that missed some analysts’ estimates.

Chief Executive Officer Shantanu Narayen is pushing Adobe into new businesses at a time when customers are pulling back on purchases of the company’s design software. Omniture gives Adobe a steady source of revenue and may mean investors will focus less on periodic upgrades to products such as Adobe Creative Suite, said Michael Olson, a Minneapolis-based analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co.

“Adobe is trying to diversify beyond being just a maker of development tools,” Olson said. “Any time you do a big acquisition, the acquirer’s shares are down because of the element of risk that some investors aren’t comfortable with.”

Others offering opinion on the topic include: Barrons, Zikkir, Econsultancy, Seeking Alpha.

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Intuit to Acquire Mint.com for $170 Million

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Investments, Market research, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here is an article from Web CPA.

“Intuit has signed a deal to acquire personal finance site Mint.com for approximately $170 million cash.

The privately held Web site, based like Intuit in Mountain View, Calif., has gained popularity, especially among young people who use it to keep track of their spending and budgets. Intuit has been expanding its array of online services as part of its “connected services” strategy. The company said it plans to keep operating both Mint.com and its own personal finance site, Quicken Online.

Mint.com will become the primary online personal finance management service that Intuit will offer directly to consumers. Quicken Online will connect Quicken customers via the desktop, Web and mobile phone. After the transaction is completed in the fourth quarter, Mint.com will become part of Intuit’s consumer group, which includes both the company’s Quicken and TurboTax products.

“With this transaction, Intuit will gain another fast-growing consumer brand and a highly successful software-as-a-service offering that helps people save and make money,” said Intuit CEO Brad Smith in a statement. “This move will enhance Intuit’s position as a leading provider of consumer SaaS offerings that connect customers across desktop, online and mobile.”

Launched in September 2007, Mint.com has attracted over 1.5 million users. The site claims to track nearly $200 billion in transactions and $50 billion in assets. Mint.com has received over $17 million in financing from venture capital firms including Shasta Ventures, Benchmark Capital, First Round Capital, DAG Ventures and Sherpalo Ventures”

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Three startups bring in VC funds for battery, fuel cell tech

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Investments, Market research, Strategy, Technology, Venture Capital, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here is some cleantech news from Cleantech.

“An Azusa, Calif.-based advanced battery company looks to close $27M, ClearEdge Power brings in $15M and stealthy Khosla-backed Seeo raises $8.6M.

CFX Battery expects to have $27 million in the bank in the next 60 days, but the company is still keeping specifics of what it is doing on the quiet side.

The Azusa, Calif.-based advanced battery company’s CEO Joe Fisher told the Cleantech Group today that his company has secured $5 million of its $27 million Series B round, without disclosing investors.

The announcement was among at least three cleantech companies that secured venture capital financing today, according to regulatory filings. CFX would be the largest if it brings in the $27 million, which Fisher is confident it should be able to do quickly. He said the company is also open to new investors.

The company plans to use the funds to continue to advance its research and development, for manufacturing equipment as it scales up to production, for working capital related to the equipment, and potential acquisitions in the battery space, Fisher said.

“We’re looking for niche-type smaller companies that have good intellectual property and potential to fit into our portfolio,” he said.

Other funding announcements today included fuel cell micro-combined heat and power (CHP) generation system developer ClearEdge Power raising $15 million in its fifth round of financing. And Berkeley, Calif.-based Seeo, a Khosla Ventures-backed company, raised more than $8.6 million in new venture capital financing (see Khosla-backed Coskata, EcoMotors come out of stealth and Stealthy Khosla-backed battery startup driving economic makeover?).

ClearEdge Power, which has locations in California and Oregon, manufactures what it said it are highly efficient CHP systems for residential and small commercial buildings, based on its expertise in fuel cells, fuel processing and systems integration.”

Read the full article here.

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