Mark Boslet
A lot of incubators and accelerators focus on Internet and technology startups where companies are founded with fast-moving ideas and small sums of money. Here is a new accelerator targeting health care and offering a $20,000 infusion of seed money to startups and a three-month mentorship program. BluePrint Health is kicking off a winter program […]
Twenty-seven secondary funds are out seeking capital, according to a report from Preqin. The funds hope to raise $19.8 billion from investors with a majority of the new investment vehicles focused on North America. According to Preqin, 59% target stakes in North American private equity funds, while 30% set their sights on Europe. The remaining […]
Sneaker maker Nike appears to be ramping up its efforts to back startups with a focus on green energy and more efficient production technologies, according to a news report. The Beaverton, Ore., company, which has set up a Sustainable Business & Innovation Lab, says its initiative is in an early stage with no investments yet, […]
Secondary markets, what’s not to love? Liquidity for private company founders, opportunities for venture investors to unload portfolios, LPs taking positions in hot private companies. With all the excitement, activity is on the rise. During the first half of the year, transaction volume at the SecondMarket exchange for private company shares rose 75% to $268 […]
The venture industry has suffered for more than a decade from intractable roadblocks to portfolio company liquidity. This strategic difficulty is evident in the alternative investments holdings of the University of California, where the Regents have invested in 84 venture funds, 20 between the years of 2001 and 2004. We took a look at the […]
Jeff Jordan, Andreessen Horowitz newest general partner, is quick to say he’s bullish, cautious, driven and circumspect. Jordan joined the firm in June after serving as the chief executive of reservation site OpenTable and on Thursday consented to an on-stage interview at the Plug and Play Expo in Sunnyvale, Calif. He was quickly asked about […]
Wisconsin seems poised to benefit from rare bipartisan agreement: the creation of a $500 million venture capital fund of fund. The proposal is at an early stage and still finding its way through the legislature. Details are evolving. But it appears to have the support of both parties and firebrand conservative Gov. Scott Walker (pictured). […]
Interest in seed stage incubators, accelerators and entrepreneurial funds continues at full bore, with companies, firms and universities all getting into the act. Vodafone early this month opened the doors of its Silicon Valley research center to startups with the hope of encouraging faster innovation on its network. Carnegie Mellon University, not to be left […]
Boston-Power Inc. announced today that it has raised $125 million in new venture and Chinese government financing as part of a major corporate shakeup that will lead to the construction of a lithium-ion battery factory in China. The Westborough, Mass.-based company said the new equity round is led by Beijing-based GSR Ventures and joined by […]
We shall soon find out. I ordinarily don’t write about awards ceremonies. But with wild stock gyrations and unsettled economies I thought a light feel-good piece was in order. The annual Investor Allstars Awards have been scheduled for Thursday in London and will unveil both the “VC Personality of the Year” and “VC Fund of […]