Diana Ross may be fretting, but the Supremes are betting! Specifically, they are betting that their recent decision on patent protection won’t stifle innovation (as some critics have argued), but actually will increase the relevancy of intellectual property in the economy. The Supremes have recently issued four rulings which would seem to significantly narrow the […]
As a security industry vet and one of a handful of guys who developed the Cisco PIX Firewall (PIX is everywhere – if you are reading this from a computer at work, the text you’re reading most likely just traversed one), I can say with certainty that I am unable to protect myself from this sort […]
Just as private equity dominates news headlines today, the masters of the Wall Street universe 20 years ago were an investment bank (Drexel Burnham Lambert) and a form of debt with which the firm had become inextricably linked (the junk bond). They were fabulously successful for nearly 10 years, but Drexel’s high yield empire didn’t […]
Dear Readers (all 3 of you): Rather than waiting for Dan to fire my ass, I am voluntarily quitting blogging as I think I’m just too superficial and pollyanna to want to deal with the type of ire that some of my “random walks through Alexis’ brain” have provoked. No worries – my friends will […]
“Sell.” This is often my first thought when I see take-private offers announced (strategic or financial), and that was again the case with this week’s big deal. In an offer clearly designed to discourage any competition, News Corp. bid for Dow Jones the way the Rangers bid for A-Rod. It made me think of the old […]
My employer, VCFA Group, was the first firm formed to purchase private equity interests on a secondary basis and has raised approximately $750 million over the course of its 25-year history. At a time when other secondary firms are closing on multi-billion dollar funds (Goldman’s latest secondary private equity fund was in excess of $3 […]
More than a year in the making, the team at Lux Research this morning released the key findings for The Cleantech Report, its 600+ page authoritative study on energy and environmental technologies (Full disclosure: I’m a founder of Lux Research and my venture firm Lux Capital is an investor). Some quick highlights from the study:Cleantech’s undiscovered gem […]
This column is inspired by the reader who remarked that my last column was little more than sophomoric drivel. This posting attempts to be more useful… To continue our cleantech exploration, Ben Dubin, managing partner of Asset Management Company, recently shared his views with me. Ben is a prototypical early adopter of green and clean technology. He personally […]
Private equity has become the subject of extensive debate here in Europe. In particular, much has been made of the tussle between the unions and the large buyout funds. Little of the criticism is justified, although there is widespread recognition that disclosure by private equity firms, and their portfolio companies, can be improved. There has […]
Though I find myself usually agreeing with Professor Primack, this time I think he has it wrong on the middle market carry issue, both on a couple of points he made as well as some items he passed over. Mega Funds as a threat? In Dan’s hypothetical discussion he has the middle market GP arguing […]