Tag: investment

Being cautious during the China rage

Investing in China is all the rage nowadays.

I was over there in 1994 working on a joint venture investment deal, and thought things were done more than a bit funny. During due diligence for the JV heavy manufacturing operation, it seems the further we dug the less assets existed. And the liabilities went in the opposite direction. I never got a straight answer out of anybody, but one thing was for certain: the investment from the US side wasn’t going to change no matter what deficiencies we found on their end – the Chinese management made that very clear up front.

I am sure things have changed a bunch since then, or have they?
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October 19, 2005 Add Comment

Another spyware firm – another dumb VC investment

Some venture capitalists are smart – they make solid investments in good companies with long term potential. Others are not so smart. They make “me too” investments in companies that look like nothing but short-term cash flow generators, get fooled by grand exit strategies that never pan out, and regret their decisions almost as soon as they make them. But then again, its not their money, and with a fixed vig of 1%-2% per year on commitments, why should they care.

So it comes as no surprise to me that VentureWire is reporting WhenU.com just picked up $20 million in Series A financing.
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April 26, 2005 Add Comment

Wireless security firm closes $6MM round

Network Chemistry Inc., a developer of wireless network monitoring and analysis systems, said it has closed $6 million in a financing round from venture, corporate and government investors. The company provides wireless LAN network monitoring and intrusion detection systems. While not readily available for consumer use, Network Chemistry’s RFProtect product should keep your business’s WLAN safe from this type of intrusion.

Meanwhile, keep an eye out for more investments in this space.

April 16, 2005 Add Comment