With venture capital difficult to obtain, more startups are looking at venture debt to finance either growth or equipment purchases. Venture debt involves a specialized financial institution extending a loan to a startup. Traditional commercial lenders are hesitant ...
Author Archives: Douglas Y. Park
Why Secondary Market For Private Company Stock Is Strong
In another sign that the secondary market for private company stock is going strong, Elevation Partners will soon complete its third large transaction in the past year. This time, Elevation will buy $100 million of Pandora stock. In June 2010, Elevation purchased five million shares of Facebook common stock for $120 ...
Corporate Governance Failure At HP Over CEO Hurd?
HP CEO Mark Hurd recently resigned, supposedly because Hurd submitted inaccurate expense reports to conceal a relationship with contractor Jodie Fisher. In a letter to the HP board, Fisher alleged that Hurd sexually harassed her. After investigating ...
Regulation D Private Placements Changed By Dodd-Frank Act
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Act”), effective July 21, 2010, immediately impacts private placements of securities under Regulation D. The Act makes important changes to key aspects of Regulation D, including the definition of "accredited investor" and restrictions ...
Regulation D Private Placement Offerings: The Basics
If you're a private company, how can you use Regulation D to sell your securities to VCs or angel investors without going public or registering your securities with the SEC? Private companies, whether startups or more established companies, can offer and sell their securities through a private placement. Companies can use one of the ...
Ebook Sales Soar For Amazon And Apple As Competition Grows
Ebooks are outselling print books on Amazon. During the second quarter of 2010, Amazon sold 143 ebooks for every 100 print books. The gap between ebook and print book sales is widening. In June 2010, Amazon sold 180 ebooks for every 100 hardcover books. While ...
Boku Expanding From Mobile Payments For Virtual Goods To Real World Transactions
Boku, a startup that makes mobile payments for virtual goods easier, is moving into the real world. That is, Boku has its sights on online transactions for concrete goods. The markets for both mobile payments and virtual goods are huge. Mobile ...
Three Business Strategy Questions To Ask Your Lawyer
Does your lawyer understand your company's business strategy? Does your lawyer need to understand it? These may seem like unusual questions, but they are critical to your business's success. Put simply, your lawyer should understand your strategy. Why? Most importantly, your strategy is ...
Using Corporate Social Responsibility As Strategy To Regain Legitimacy
Can big business integrate corporate social responsibility into strategy to regain legitimacy? The legitimacy of business, the trust that people place in business, is at a low point. Business legitimacy is a matter of strategy, leadership, and responsible corporate behavior. Starting with that premise,
Five Experts On Game Mechanics, Social Games, And Behavioral Economics
Five experts recently gave their thoughts on how game mechanics, social games, and behavioral economics inform gaming. Gabe Zichermann, co-founder and CEO of BeamMe Live, offered a provocative thought to kick off the discussion: I thought there was more to games than fun. Then I ...