Dan Primack

During an industry event a few weeks back, I was pulled aside by a public pension fund manager who objected to my blanket characterization of his peers as “dumb money.” He argued that every large group has both good and bad apples, and that it’s unfair to deride the entire bushel.  I had two possible […]

I was the first of my friends to get married, which prompted lots of questions about how I was handling my “new” life. “It’s just the same as it was before,” I said, “except I now have more plates.” After all, I had been living with my girlfriend/wife for several years (yes, slap me for […]

Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein last July gave a keynote address to ACG Boston, in which he mentioned that the buyout market should have a dedicated trade group in Washington. An audience member joked during Q&A that it would be tough for any lobbyist to have better governmental access than what Carlyle already enjoys, but […]

Today’s column fell apart at the last minute (kind of like the National League), so just a few quick notes:  *** When athletes say that it’s not about the money, it’s usually about the money. When multiple VCs give multiple reasons for leaving the same firm over a short period of time, it’s usually about […]

Have you ever seen one of those television segments where a monkey is brought in to make stock picks alongside Wall Street analysts? The monkeys occasionally prevail, which makes for the most compelling pseudo-business programming since CNBC launched the Dennis Miller show.  I actually haven’t seen one in a while, perhaps because the trained monkeys […]

I have spent the past two weeks in legitimate vacation mode, during which time I checked email or voicemail messages only when I tired of playing Madden or eating a variety of BBQ-grilled foods. What this means, of course, is that I have only a passing knowledge of what has happened in the private equity […]

Today’s guest column comes from Om Malik, founder and editor of GigaOM.com, a daily news and analysis website following technologies, innovation and startups.   Skype, Last.fm, Netvibes, and StarDoll – what do these startups have in common? First, they are all backed by Index Ventures, a London-based venture fund formed by Danny Rimer, a former […]

The sun is shining, geopolitical diplomacy is failing and the Big Dig debacle is playing havoc with my Framingham-to-South Boston commute. In other words, it’s time for some Friday Feedback.  First up were responses to Thursday’s note about In-Q-Tel, in which I suggested that organizational troubles have, at least partially, caused three high-profile defections in less […]

Last week, ComVentures announced that it had hired Bob Barron as a venture partner. I received the press release while in the middle of a phone conversation, and mentioned it to my conversant. His response: “Sounds like they’re trying to get some good news out before everyone learns about the bad news.” Unfortunately, he wouldn’t […]