Dec. 13, 2007
Volume 12, Number 39
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CHRIS SHIPLEY
COUNTDOWN TO '08 #7: VENTURE CAPITAL FEELS A PINCH
Venture capital in Silicon Valley, and throughout the tech industry, is a thriving business. How will these guardians of risk capital, these catalysts of entrepreneurship, possibly "feel a pinch?" After all, they are sitting on an overhang of billions in investable capital. Hundreds, if not thousands, of entrepreneurs are vying for their attention. Surely the venture industry is immune from pressure.
Not so much.
The economics of the startup economy have shifted faster than the investment cycle of most venture funds. Today, the model for most software startups - the bulk of all new business plans floated in the IT industry - is highly capital efficient. These young companies are building incredible products on the strength of personal credit and some open APIs. Scalable customer acquisition schemes keep costs low while building audience and, potentially, revenue. The most ambitious of startups need very little capital to prove themselves in the market. Many will be able to grow organically to significant revenues, and that organic growth will lead, in the vast majority of cases, to a polite little acquisition.
That may be a nice outcome for founders, but it's not exactly what investors are looking for.
Read more at:
http://www.demo.com/demoletter/countdown_to_08_7_venture_capital_feels_a_pinch.php
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KEITH SHAW
HOW WILL THE TECH INDUSTRY RESPOND TO GRAYING POPULATION?
Every year we get closer to the Baby Boomers getting one year older, and entering their "senior" years. Depending on which statistic you want to look at, the "oldest" Baby Boomer is now 61 years old, with most around the age of 50 (those born in 1957 represent the highest amount of Boomers).
As this large demographic group gets older (the ones that admit they're getting older), they'll want to adopt technologies that address their particular needs. This week, two such trends related to the Baby Boomer generation were offered from different firms.
Read more at:
http://www.demo.com/demoletter/how_will_the_tech_industry_respond_to_graying_population.php
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SIX MINUTES WITH PODCAST
Hosted by Cathy Brooks of the Guidewire Group, each six-minute podcast features DEMO alumni companies to get the latest updates and their experiences post-DEMO.
Latest episode:
Battery life is the bane of existence for oh-so-many business travelers. When Boston-Power came to market at DEMO 2007 with a revolutionary new concept in power supply, everyone took notice, and the attention has exploded since then. With rapid growth across all sectors of their business, we ask Boston Power CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud how she manages to stay focused and keep the eye on the ball. Her answer, and a discussion of how to helm a startup on the fast track, in this episode.
Listen at:
http://www.networkworld.com/podcasts/demo/2007/121107-sixminutes-christinalampe-onnerud.html
The archive of the Six Minutes With podcast is available at http://www.networkworld.com/podcasts/demo/
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DEMOTRACKER: The latest from DEMO alumni
* Nokia buys Avvenu (DEMO@15) for undisclosed amount.
* Newtek (DEMO@15) upgrades its TriCaster Studio system.
The complete DEMOtracker archive is located at http://www.demo.com/demoletter/weather_report.php
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DEMO 08 / January 28-30, 2008 / Palm Desert, CA
Connect with thought leaders, visionary entrepreneurs, and next-generation IT products at DEMO 08, the world's premier tech innovation showcase. Nothing offers a more valuable, comprehensive look at cutting-edge tech innovations or puts you ahead of the curve like the revolutionary advances and people found only at DEMO. Register now for a special DEMOletter subscriber discount: http://www.demo.com/D8DL or call 800-643-4668.
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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
DEMOletter Weekly Edition is written by Chris Shipley <mailto:chris@cshipley.com> and Keith Shaw <mailto:kshaw@nww.com>
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Network World Live events include our Technology Tours, IT Roadmap: Conference & Expo, The Security Standard (thesecuritystandard.net), DEMO and DEMOfall (http://www.demo.com), as well as the DEMOletter (http://www.demo.com/demoletter) newsletter.
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Copyright 2007
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