Lawrence Aragon

In this week’s Social Scene, Mark Zuckerberg confirms F. Scott Fitzgerald’s assertion that the very rich “are different from you and me” … an Austin, Texas, VC hosts President Obama in his Floating Box House … and a cleantech VC at The Westly Group drops $2.3 million on a home in Hillsborough, Calif. Also, David […]

The Sacramento Bee has published the names of 49 CalPERS board members and employees being investigated by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission for not properly reporting gifts. The FPPC investigation was first reported by peHUB. The list of names reported by the Bee on Monday includes four CalPERS board members: George Diehr, Rob Feckner, Joseph "JJ" Jelincic and Louis Moret. The list also includes Chief Investment Officer Joe Dear and former CalPERS CEO Fred Buenrostro. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that, "Gift reporting infractions could result in punishments ranging from

Suggesting it sees strong demand from Wall Street, Fusion-io plans to price its initial public offering at up to $15 a share, which would give the company a valuation of as much as $1.17 billion, according to a document filed with the SEC today. The filing shows that the Salt Lake City-based company plans to […]

In this week’s Social Scene, Bill Tai of Charles River Ventures is as high as a kite … a Southern California VC throws in a Rolls to try to move his $9.9 million estate … Norwest Venture Partners’ GPs and friends celebrate the firm’s big 5-0 … a high-profile VC in China makes news for […]

While VCs and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley were high-fiving each other over the success of LinkedIn’s IPO, a curmudgeon on the other coast went on a long rant about the offering, calling it “outrageously overvalued” and “a travesty.” LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) priced Wednesday night at $45 per share, then opened Thursday morning at $83. Its […]

Remember when I speculated that the LinkedIn IPO might not make Reid Hoffman a billionaire? Open mouth, insert foot. With LinkedIn's initial public offering today, Herr Hoffman is a billionaire two times over (at least at LNKD's intraday share price of more than $100). But the LinkedIn co-founder isn't the only one who has made out like a bandit in the IPO. Four venture firms -- Bain Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners and Sequoia Capital -- as a group hold shares worth in excess of $4 billion. Following is a slideshow of the top 10 biggest winners in the IPO -- based on LNKD's price of $107.00 per share at 12:27 p.m. EDT. Given that the stock zoomed from an opening price of $80 to as much as $122.70 today, it is anyone's guess as to where it will finally close at the end of the day. Still, that won't affect our rankings.

LinkedIn’s IPO was the big story Wednesday, and it promises to top the news again Thursday when its shares start trading on the NYSE. The company’s bankers priced its shares at $45 apiece — the top of their range, and much higher than the $32 to $35 range anticipated just a week earlier — giving […]

Chris Douvos, who co-manages a $2 billion VC and PE portfolio for The Investment Fund for Foundations, is amicably parting ways with TIFF after nearly seven years. Douvos is well known in the Silicon Valley venture scene and is one of the few (if only) limited partners who writes a blog (www.superLP.com). He also blogs […]

In this week’s Social Scene, Eric Schmidt is building fancy new digs for his personal VC firm; Joanna Rees has convinced Reid Hoffman, Marc Pincus and others to back her bid to be mayor of San Francisco; Vinod Khosla says he will donate half of his fortune to charity; Mark Kvamme is moving to Ohio (seriously!); Jeff Bussgang hangs with the famed SEAL Team 6, Robert Simon, Eric Wright and Katja Gehrt all have birthdays coming up, and more. Schmidt in building mode Onetime Google CEO Eric Schmidt is building out the “entire top floor” of a building in downtown Palo Alto, Calif., for his personal investment firm, Tomorrow Ventures, reports Peter Delevett of the San Jose Mecury News. Delevett spoke to a commercial real estate broker who speculated

In this week's Social Scene, peHUB fans get their groove on at our New York Shindig, Promod Haque and the Norwest team put the final touches on their anniversary party, yet another VC (JVP's Erel Margalit) jumps into the political arena, KP's Ryan Popple plunks down $1.1 million for a seaside home, First Round's Christine Herron shows off her culinary skills, OVP Venture Partners' Chad Waite is almost one year older, and lots more. PARTY TIME: PeHUB fans got their groove on at the NYC Shindig About 225 peHUB fans turned out for our New York City Shindig on Monday night at Conolly’s Pub and Restaurant on West 45th Street. The beer flowed freely and there was no shortage of