2012 Private Equity and Venture Capital Compensation Report

December 18, 2011

It can be difficult to find a good benchmark for venture capital salaries and bonuses.  PrivateEquityCompensation.com released their 2012 report that shows the venture capital industry continues to increase compensation and that the trend that will extend into 2012. For the second year in a row, professionals reported a solid increase in total earnings over […]

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Zynga Ends IPO Year With a Yawn

December 17, 2011

In what was hoped to be a year end homerun for venture capital, the Zynga IPO turned out to be the last out as the offering was met with tepid enthusiasm by investors who eventually drove the stock price down on its inaugural trading day. Although its initial valuation of $20 billion was slashed to […]

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Zynga IPO to End the Year with a Bang, or Bust?

December 10, 2011

Finally something has come along to help investors forget about Groupon, and that is the Zynga IPO scheduled for December 15. With three other IPOs bowing out in the last three weeks and memories of brighter days quickly fading (read: LinkedIn), it is the last best chance to end the year on a positive note. […]

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The End of Pharma As We Know It

December 2, 2011

A few months back we postulated that the anxiety investors are feeling over the declining exit activity and the softening returns with venture funds could ultimately lead to a dearth of medical advancements. With investors anxious for the “quick hit”, the appeal of a longer investment cycle with life science companies has vanished, even though […]

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Groupon Fizzles As Venture Funds Yearn for Sizzle

November 23, 2011

We promise that this is the last Groupon update of the year. But, it in an otherwise slow news-year for venture capital, it seems appropriate to follow this story through as it is likely to impact venture funding and IPO activity throughout the next 12 months. With the Groupon IPO less than a month old, […]

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Crowd-Funding: Venture Capital 2.0 has Arrived

November 19, 2011

Will Web 2.0 do for venture capital what is has been able to do for research and development? For several years now, companies have been turning to the cloud seeking mass-collaboration in their R & D efforts through a phenomenon called crowd-sourcing. Millions of would-be scientists and engineers have responded often times contributing break-through ideas […]

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As Groupon’s IPO Goes, So Goes the IPO Market?

November 11, 2011

With the successful launch of Groupon stock, the bulging IPO pipeline may be ready to flow again. After a bumpy summer that saw its valuation sliced due to reduced earnings expectations and questionable accounting practices, Groupon’s $700 million offering appears to be breathing new life into expectant investors anxious to cash in on some long […]

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Private Stock Exchanges Fill Venture Funding/IPO Void

November 3, 2011

In what is yet another sign that the IPO market has fizzled to a near-halt is the sudden increase in activity on the secondary market exchanges which facilitate the trading of shares in private, pre-IPO companies such as Facebook and Groupon. The secondary market has long been an avenue for investors to buy and sell […]

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Venture Funds Feeling the Heat

October 28, 2011

Can it Getting Any Worse for Venture Funds? Few saw it coming but few are surprised by the recent cliff dive of venture fund raising following a teasingly positive beginning for 2011 exit activity. The recent reports out of the National Venture Capital Association that show improved venture returns over the prior year also paints […]

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Gloom Clouds Venture Capital Hopes for Groupon

October 22, 2011

It was supposed to be a golden year for struggling venture capitalists; a renaissance of sorts for the downtrodden IPO market; a star lineup of technology and social media hopefuls plumped up with record venture capital investments ready to make their highly anticipated debuts. Then it happened. The bottom fell out from the stock market […]

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