The Rise And Future Of The New York Startup Ecosystem

The Rise And Future Of The New York Startup Ecosystem

Posted 20 minutes ago by Nick Beim (@NickBeim)

Like many who have been active in the New York startup ecosystem over the past decade, I am optimistic about its future. The last 10 years have seen an increasing number of startup successes in New York. Read more of this post

What Can Indian Startups Learn From The Facebook Acquisition That Didn’t Happen

What Can Indian Startups Learn From The Facebook Acquisition That Didn’t Happen

Posted 13 hours ago by Pankaj Mishra (@pankajontech)

Little Eye Labs was not the only acquisition Facebook was chasing in India last year. Salorix, a social media analytics startup that had raised $3.5 million in Series A from Inventus Capital Partners and Nexus Venture Partners in November 2011, was approached by Facebook in October last year. But by December, the acquisition talks were stalled. Read more of this post

WhatsApp and the Wild, Weird, Wacky World of Investing

WhatsApp and the Wild, Weird, Wacky World of Investing

26 FEB 2014 – VITALIY KATSENELSON

Recently, in a conversation with another investor, I referred to a company’s management as being “extremely honest.” I was corrected, that honesty is binary and cannot be described with an adjective — a person is either honest or not. Read more of this post

WhatsApp and Tesla set the scene for soaring valuations; Danger that valuations will touch off a wider euphoria

February 27, 2014 6:11 pm

WhatsApp and Tesla set the scene for soaring valuations

By Richard Waters

Danger that valuations will touch off a wider euphoria

It is often a sign of a bubble when analysts and commentators rush to explain away each new upward step in valuations – and then come up with expansive arguments to justify why prices should be even higher. Read more of this post

Missing at Mobile World Congress: Innovation

Missing at Mobile World Congress: Innovation

This Year’s Show Offered Another Cascade of Glass-Slab Devices That Varied in Size and, Maybe, Color

SAM SCHECHNER

Feb. 27, 2014 3:25 p.m. ET

Startups have taken over the old home of Mobile World Congress. Christopher Pommerening, a venture capitalist and organizer of the ‘Four Years From Now’ project, explains why he wants to get mobile startups and investors together in a single place. Read more of this post

Baidu’s Search for Elusive Profit Growth

Baidu’s Search for Elusive Profit Growth

AARON BACK

Updated Feb. 27, 2014 11:41 a.m. ET

China’s online-search behemoth Baidu BIDU +3.48% is doing what it must to stay competitive. But in a theme Chinese Internet investors should get used to, profit growth isn’t going to be as bubbly as previously hoped.

That was the company’s message to investors Thursday. Revenue surged by 50% from a year earlier in the fourth quarter while profits were flat, as expected. But in a conference call with analysts, Baidu Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Li dropped a bombshell, saying the company doesn’t expect any increase in profit this year as it continues to invest. Pity the analysts, who according to FactSet had optimistically forecast a 31% rise in 2014 net profit. Now they are asking where the money will be spent. Read more of this post

Copycat Business Model Generates Genuine Global Success for Start-Up Incubator

Copycat Business Model Generates Genuine Global Success for Start-Up Incubator

By MARK SCOTTFEB. 27, 2014

BERLIN — For Linio, think Amazon for Mexicans. For Zalora, think Zappos for Malaysians. For Easy Taxi, think Uber for Nigerians.

And for all of them, think Rocket Internet, a budding tech empire here in Germany’s capital. Read more of this post