Slipping into a double-dip recession. Economic crisis seems to be like W, how it was predicted by
John Connor http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/01/forecast-on-second-decade-of-21-century.html
John Connor summarized the saga with rating agencies, which have been named the chief evil to the world economy. And he shows how will develop global economy in 2012
2011/11/14
Bernard Lietaer. How to save the financial system
Conventional Approach to Fund a Social or Environmental Project
- designed by Bernard Lietaer
Conventional means includes among others paying all labor required at market rates for all the relevant work.
The purpose of the system is to encourage green and healthy activities, beautify the neighborhood, and generally improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. The starting point was a survey with the question: What would be most desirable to the local resident population. The answer, particularly for the inhabitants of the apartment buildings, was to have access to a few square meters of land for gardening, for growing vegetables and flowers. The city provides access to the land: An old factory site that had been demolished and the land was left untended, plots of land that are waiting for building permits, a back part of a park, even the center of a large traffic roundabout. The land is made available for rent on a month to month basis.
Local NGO's whose mission is in alignment with that intention would also be invited to get involved.
There are two types of national currency flows that would be necessary. The first one is direct: subsidies or city projects paid out from tax income (or through debt, but that would involve over time the same amount of tax income, plus interest, only in a delayed way). The second channel is through non-profits activities.
More detail about new idea of Bernard Lietaer (euros architect) see on
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/139198.html
- designed by Bernard Lietaer
Conventional means includes among others paying all labor required at market rates for all the relevant work.
The purpose of the system is to encourage green and healthy activities, beautify the neighborhood, and generally improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. The starting point was a survey with the question: What would be most desirable to the local resident population. The answer, particularly for the inhabitants of the apartment buildings, was to have access to a few square meters of land for gardening, for growing vegetables and flowers. The city provides access to the land: An old factory site that had been demolished and the land was left untended, plots of land that are waiting for building permits, a back part of a park, even the center of a large traffic roundabout. The land is made available for rent on a month to month basis.
Local NGO's whose mission is in alignment with that intention would also be invited to get involved.
There are two types of national currency flows that would be necessary. The first one is direct: subsidies or city projects paid out from tax income (or through debt, but that would involve over time the same amount of tax income, plus interest, only in a delayed way). The second channel is through non-profits activities.
More detail about new idea of Bernard Lietaer (euros architect) see on
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/139198.html
2011/11/11
Peter Thiel initiated technology fund
The Thiel Foundation will award 20 young people cash grants of $100,000 to further their innovative scientific and technical ideas.
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-peter-thiel-initiative.html
Rating of disruptive technology ideas will be done by Future Europe Association.
TOP 10 of disruptive technology
1. Mobile in general (Geolocation in particular)
By 2012, smartphone shipments are expected to exceed the sum of desktop and notebook PCs, according to Morgan Stanley research. Mobile payment platform – the most important technology for future
2. Real-time data connectedness. This is secret weapon of Google and other company which take control over many sites, marketing platforms and social networks
3. Clean energy including water purification. Future scarcity of water makes a demand of water purification technology with simultaneous production of energy
4. Discount E-commerce
Members-only retail site offering collective discounts, like Groupon, which reached $1 billion in revenue in three years, versus six years for Google
5. SaaS and the ‘cloud’
6. Internet and mobile social network
7. 3d home video
8. Trading software
9. Online interactive games
10. 5G and LTE
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-peter-thiel-initiative.html
Rating of disruptive technology ideas will be done by Future Europe Association.
TOP 10 of disruptive technology
1. Mobile in general (Geolocation in particular)
By 2012, smartphone shipments are expected to exceed the sum of desktop and notebook PCs, according to Morgan Stanley research. Mobile payment platform – the most important technology for future
2. Real-time data connectedness. This is secret weapon of Google and other company which take control over many sites, marketing platforms and social networks
3. Clean energy including water purification. Future scarcity of water makes a demand of water purification technology with simultaneous production of energy
4. Discount E-commerce
Members-only retail site offering collective discounts, like Groupon, which reached $1 billion in revenue in three years, versus six years for Google
5. SaaS and the ‘cloud’
6. Internet and mobile social network
7. 3d home video
8. Trading software
9. Online interactive games
10. 5G and LTE
2011/11/02
Vision about early venture investment
Here's some highlights of the different strategies among these seed- to early-stage investors.
Dave McClure of 500 Startups: Strategy - "diversified." The fund looks to make up to 100 investments in a year, with the understanding that "most" companies will fail (as they typically do across the board). Not surprisingly, Dave has little time to spend with each company. Dave will look to invest about $50,000 to $100,000 to prove out a startup's thesis and reach milestones. He'll do follow-on rounds with companies that are hitting those miletsones. Dave focuses more on M&A exits, as opposed to big billion-dollar exits. To this end, he's not as worried about being diluted by later-stage funds getting in on the deals. He believes many founders will be inclined to sell their company for $25 million more often than not.
Jed Katz of Javelin Venture Partners: Strategy - "traditional." Javelin invests in about six deals a year, committing anywhere between $200,000 and $2 million. Javelin will only do seed investments if he and his partners are certain they will follow on with a Series A round. Unlike 500 Startups, Javelin's team spends "a lot" of time with their founders.
Manu Kumar of K-9 Ventures: Strategy - "selective." Manu makes four to five investments a year, and commits anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000. He's looking for home-runs. Because Manu is looking for big wins, he also doesn't invest in any company that's valued at $5 million.
Thomas Korte of AngelPad: Strategy - "incubator." The group invests in 40 companies a year and is always the first money in. Entrepreneurs spend three months with AngelPad. Those entering the program receive $20,000 from AngelPad and $100,000 from two un-named VCs who've backed AngelPad.
http://vator.tv/news/2011-11-02-which-early-stage-startup-strategy-is-the-best
Dave McClure of 500 Startups: Strategy - "diversified." The fund looks to make up to 100 investments in a year, with the understanding that "most" companies will fail (as they typically do across the board). Not surprisingly, Dave has little time to spend with each company. Dave will look to invest about $50,000 to $100,000 to prove out a startup's thesis and reach milestones. He'll do follow-on rounds with companies that are hitting those miletsones. Dave focuses more on M&A exits, as opposed to big billion-dollar exits. To this end, he's not as worried about being diluted by later-stage funds getting in on the deals. He believes many founders will be inclined to sell their company for $25 million more often than not.
Jed Katz of Javelin Venture Partners: Strategy - "traditional." Javelin invests in about six deals a year, committing anywhere between $200,000 and $2 million. Javelin will only do seed investments if he and his partners are certain they will follow on with a Series A round. Unlike 500 Startups, Javelin's team spends "a lot" of time with their founders.
Manu Kumar of K-9 Ventures: Strategy - "selective." Manu makes four to five investments a year, and commits anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000. He's looking for home-runs. Because Manu is looking for big wins, he also doesn't invest in any company that's valued at $5 million.
Thomas Korte of AngelPad: Strategy - "incubator." The group invests in 40 companies a year and is always the first money in. Entrepreneurs spend three months with AngelPad. Those entering the program receive $20,000 from AngelPad and $100,000 from two un-named VCs who've backed AngelPad.
http://vator.tv/news/2011-11-02-which-early-stage-startup-strategy-is-the-best
2011/08/08
The forecast of the global economic crisis
The most severe economic crisis in 70 years begins these days.
This was warned Edward Mushinsky in an article for the Russian newspaper
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/27416.html
U.S. resolve to save the dollar as world reserve currency and sharply tightened monetary policy by increasing interest rates.
It will be first collapsed real estate market in the U.S. and other countries where was applicable mortgage schemes on the American model.
This will be followed by a repetition of the Great Depression, ie, deflationary collapse of the economy and the collapse of financial markets.
This was warned Edward Mushinsky in an article for the Russian newspaper
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/27416.html
U.S. resolve to save the dollar as world reserve currency and sharply tightened monetary policy by increasing interest rates.
It will be first collapsed real estate market in the U.S. and other countries where was applicable mortgage schemes on the American model.
This will be followed by a repetition of the Great Depression, ie, deflationary collapse of the economy and the collapse of financial markets.
2011/07/26
Mobile payment service #1
Dwolla launched its product in December and differentiated itself not only with its midwest roots but also its cash-based network approach that allows users to pay directly from their bank accounts. By combining this with location-based technology and social networking tools, Dwolla has been able to build a next-generation payment system that bypasses the current credit and debit networks and offers some attractive benefits.
Square, which does utilize existing credit networks, took 10 months to hit $1 million in daily transactions and is now up to $4 million in transactions a day. Dwolla was able to reach the $1 million mark in about seven months. It has about 30,000 users on its network.
CEO and co-founder Ben Milne said Dwolla’s growth validates the power of tapping cash networks and applying new technology and APIs to help build a modern payment network.
“When you talk about cash, it’s not represented in the marketplace electronically. If you’re paying with a phone or on a website, what is the cash equivalent? There is more money moving through system through cash than credit. It’s an underserved market and it’s massive,” Milne said.
Dwolla transactions fees are capped at 25 cents per transaction, which is lower than PayPal. And users are able to send money to their social networking contacts on Twitter and Facebook. Merchants are able to accept payments without adding extra hardware and using Dwolla’s system, they don’t have to store credit information, which limits fraud. And with Dwolla’s Spots mobile payment service, users can pay for offline goods without using credit or physical cash. Dwolla also enables banks to offer users instant access to their bank accounts from mobile devices using its FiSync service. So far, 15 banks are signed on to use FiSync.
Dwolla still faces challenges in replicating Square’s success, however. It has less name recognition and it seems to have less traction with merchants by comparison. But Milne believes that as more financial institutions sign-up and give their consumers access to mobile payments from their bank accounts, usage will rise. Users are also learning about the service through word of mouth, he said.
Dwolla is showing that this cash-based approach is viable and it’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked in the mobile payments race. EWise, another payment provider, uses what it calls secure vault payments, a form of online banking epayments, to help users pay for things online and through their mobile phone. Users can log-in to their SVP at the time of check-out and quickly fund a purchase from their bank account at cheaper rates than credit card transactions.
Square, which does utilize existing credit networks, took 10 months to hit $1 million in daily transactions and is now up to $4 million in transactions a day. Dwolla was able to reach the $1 million mark in about seven months. It has about 30,000 users on its network.
CEO and co-founder Ben Milne said Dwolla’s growth validates the power of tapping cash networks and applying new technology and APIs to help build a modern payment network.
“When you talk about cash, it’s not represented in the marketplace electronically. If you’re paying with a phone or on a website, what is the cash equivalent? There is more money moving through system through cash than credit. It’s an underserved market and it’s massive,” Milne said.
Dwolla transactions fees are capped at 25 cents per transaction, which is lower than PayPal. And users are able to send money to their social networking contacts on Twitter and Facebook. Merchants are able to accept payments without adding extra hardware and using Dwolla’s system, they don’t have to store credit information, which limits fraud. And with Dwolla’s Spots mobile payment service, users can pay for offline goods without using credit or physical cash. Dwolla also enables banks to offer users instant access to their bank accounts from mobile devices using its FiSync service. So far, 15 banks are signed on to use FiSync.
Dwolla still faces challenges in replicating Square’s success, however. It has less name recognition and it seems to have less traction with merchants by comparison. But Milne believes that as more financial institutions sign-up and give their consumers access to mobile payments from their bank accounts, usage will rise. Users are also learning about the service through word of mouth, he said.
Dwolla is showing that this cash-based approach is viable and it’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked in the mobile payments race. EWise, another payment provider, uses what it calls secure vault payments, a form of online banking epayments, to help users pay for things online and through their mobile phone. Users can log-in to their SVP at the time of check-out and quickly fund a purchase from their bank account at cheaper rates than credit card transactions.
2011/06/09
Future trends: mobile is everywhere
John Connor predicts
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/06/mobile-trends.html
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/06/mobile-trends.html
2011/05/24
New forms of startups financing.
Why use Series Seed Documents instead of capped convertible debt?
This seems to be the real issue. In my opinion, the reason that capped convertible debt is the current market leader is that entrepreneurs have been conditioned over time to believe that convertible debt is (a) faster (b) cheaper and (c) better for them than equity investment. This is EXACTLY why I created the Series Seed Documents. With Series Seed:
· Costs should be roughly the same (if not cheaper) than using industry standard debt documents. There are a number of different convertible debt documents out there and there will likely be some back and forth whereas these are standard documents.
· Same point for speed. If parties agree to Series Seed Documents, should be faster than debt documents since there is some negotiation with debt documents from sophisticated investors.
· Series Seed Documents are transparent: no hidden gotchas can get served up in definitive documents. You can review them right now if you want.
· Equity documents give investors more clear definition around rights, more stability and less potential squabbling in the next round.
· Equity gives investors the opportunity to get long term capital gains tax treatment if early exit.
· With minor manipulation, Series Seed enables multiple board structures without tortured and non-functioning agreements (a real problem for convertible debt documents); and
· Entrepreneurs get price certainty instead of the lower of two different prices as with capped debt.
In sum, Series Seed creates a level playing field between capped debt and equity documents in terms of speed and cost. When one studies the (admittedly highly technical) benefits of Series Seed vs. price debt, Series Seed is a better solution.
There has been a robust debate on this topic with folks like Fred Wilson, Paul Graham and Seth Levine all chiming in. To clarify, there is no question that as an entrepreneur you would prefer uncapped convertible debt to equity. As Josh and many others point out, this is typically not a fair deal for the investors and many investors won’t do it, or will only do it for people that they are blindly in love with. Also, Seth raises some interesting points about ecosystem health, though most entrepreneurs I know aren’t too concerned about killing the golden goose. Once a price cap has been introduced, however, Series Seed Documents are a better solution to getting the first round complete for both entrepreneurs and investors.
This seems to be the real issue. In my opinion, the reason that capped convertible debt is the current market leader is that entrepreneurs have been conditioned over time to believe that convertible debt is (a) faster (b) cheaper and (c) better for them than equity investment. This is EXACTLY why I created the Series Seed Documents. With Series Seed:
· Costs should be roughly the same (if not cheaper) than using industry standard debt documents. There are a number of different convertible debt documents out there and there will likely be some back and forth whereas these are standard documents.
· Same point for speed. If parties agree to Series Seed Documents, should be faster than debt documents since there is some negotiation with debt documents from sophisticated investors.
· Series Seed Documents are transparent: no hidden gotchas can get served up in definitive documents. You can review them right now if you want.
· Equity documents give investors more clear definition around rights, more stability and less potential squabbling in the next round.
· Equity gives investors the opportunity to get long term capital gains tax treatment if early exit.
· With minor manipulation, Series Seed enables multiple board structures without tortured and non-functioning agreements (a real problem for convertible debt documents); and
· Entrepreneurs get price certainty instead of the lower of two different prices as with capped debt.
In sum, Series Seed creates a level playing field between capped debt and equity documents in terms of speed and cost. When one studies the (admittedly highly technical) benefits of Series Seed vs. price debt, Series Seed is a better solution.
There has been a robust debate on this topic with folks like Fred Wilson, Paul Graham and Seth Levine all chiming in. To clarify, there is no question that as an entrepreneur you would prefer uncapped convertible debt to equity. As Josh and many others point out, this is typically not a fair deal for the investors and many investors won’t do it, or will only do it for people that they are blindly in love with. Also, Seth raises some interesting points about ecosystem health, though most entrepreneurs I know aren’t too concerned about killing the golden goose. Once a price cap has been introduced, however, Series Seed Documents are a better solution to getting the first round complete for both entrepreneurs and investors.
2011/05/09
Startups Valuation secrets
The valuations of today’s private tech leaders – Facebook, Zynga, Groupon and possibly Twitter – are such that I believe upwards of 50-75% of the terminal values of these companies will be captured by the folks who did the real work and took the real risks, those who quit their jobs and begged, borrowed and cajoled friends, families and angel investors to take a chance on their far-fetched idea.
Here is the important, and game-changing, point: in order to participate in the great wealth creation taking place in this and future technology cycles, you will have to be a founder, an early employee or a private investor. The so-called easy money will be earned before a company goes public. This is a radical shift from earlier technology cycles.
The second factor contributing to the far high valuations accruing to private companies today is the speed at which companies can now exploit the global marketplace. When I was at idealab in the 1990s, none of our start-ups attempted to address international markets in the first few years of their existence. In fact, for many of those companies, international markets didn’t become a serious focus until after they went public. How times have changed.
Today it is possible to pursue an international growth strategy almost as quickly as a domestic one. The cost of running a global business has dramatically shrunk, and while costs of going overseas have plummeted, the revenue opportunities have increased manifold.
Just consider where three of the largest economies were 10 years ago, and where they are today. India was a $500 billion economy in 2000. Today it is a $1.4 trillion one. Brazil was a $600 billion economy ten years ago, compared to $2 trillion in 2010. The growth of China’s economy in the last decade is breathtaking, from $1.2 trillion to $5.7 trillion in just 10 years. Combined, these three economies have added $6.8 trillion to world GDP since 2000.
Public investors are aware of these economic figures, and they are rewarding companies addressing the global marketplace sooner in their lifecycle. Groupon has taken note. It is just four years old and already operates in 35 countries. Given its international ambitions, it is likely that within two years Groupon will have upwards of 20,000 employees outside of the U.S. A potential $25 billion IPO valuation awaits it for going global faster than its peers.
What makes the change I have just described so fascinating is that so many of the traditional limited partners to venture capital funds have withdrawn from the asset class in the last few years, understandable perhaps after 10 years of poor returns. But just as the game has shifted to rewarding private investors over public shareholders like never before, limited partners have decided to look elsewhere for exceptional returns.
I believe that is a mistake.
Going forward, those who participate in building new companies and providing the start-up capital to fuel the growth of those businesses, will be handsomely rewarded like never before.
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/05/startup-valuation.html
Here is the important, and game-changing, point: in order to participate in the great wealth creation taking place in this and future technology cycles, you will have to be a founder, an early employee or a private investor. The so-called easy money will be earned before a company goes public. This is a radical shift from earlier technology cycles.
The second factor contributing to the far high valuations accruing to private companies today is the speed at which companies can now exploit the global marketplace. When I was at idealab in the 1990s, none of our start-ups attempted to address international markets in the first few years of their existence. In fact, for many of those companies, international markets didn’t become a serious focus until after they went public. How times have changed.
Today it is possible to pursue an international growth strategy almost as quickly as a domestic one. The cost of running a global business has dramatically shrunk, and while costs of going overseas have plummeted, the revenue opportunities have increased manifold.
Just consider where three of the largest economies were 10 years ago, and where they are today. India was a $500 billion economy in 2000. Today it is a $1.4 trillion one. Brazil was a $600 billion economy ten years ago, compared to $2 trillion in 2010. The growth of China’s economy in the last decade is breathtaking, from $1.2 trillion to $5.7 trillion in just 10 years. Combined, these three economies have added $6.8 trillion to world GDP since 2000.
Public investors are aware of these economic figures, and they are rewarding companies addressing the global marketplace sooner in their lifecycle. Groupon has taken note. It is just four years old and already operates in 35 countries. Given its international ambitions, it is likely that within two years Groupon will have upwards of 20,000 employees outside of the U.S. A potential $25 billion IPO valuation awaits it for going global faster than its peers.
What makes the change I have just described so fascinating is that so many of the traditional limited partners to venture capital funds have withdrawn from the asset class in the last few years, understandable perhaps after 10 years of poor returns. But just as the game has shifted to rewarding private investors over public shareholders like never before, limited partners have decided to look elsewhere for exceptional returns.
I believe that is a mistake.
Going forward, those who participate in building new companies and providing the start-up capital to fuel the growth of those businesses, will be handsomely rewarded like never before.
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/05/startup-valuation.html
2011/04/30
VCs has the largest quarter since 2001
Venture capital funds in the U.S. raised $7.7 billion in the first quarter of 2011, nearly doubling the $3.9 billion raised in the same period last year and the highest first-quarter total since 2001. At the same time, only 25 funds closed this past quarter--not just a dip from the same time last year but actually the lowest count of first-quarter closings since 2003.
http://vator.tv/news/2011-04-11-private-equity-and-venture-capital-up-and-up
It leads to increasing activity of venture incubators
http://vator.tv/news/2011-04-01-super-angels-create-incubator-for-incubators
http://vator.tv/news/2011-04-11-private-equity-and-venture-capital-up-and-up
It leads to increasing activity of venture incubators
http://vator.tv/news/2011-04-01-super-angels-create-incubator-for-incubators
2011/04/20
Why social media is so attractive for investors?
WallMart buys Kosmix for $300 mln. http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/04/walmart-buys-social-media-startup.html
It's a great example of "parking", a crucial VC skill that VCs don't like to talk about.
What is parking? It's finding a good acquisition for a startup that didn't do as well as you expected.
Venture capital is described as a "hits business" and that's true enough: a few exits produces the majority of the returns. 80% of VC profits comes from 2% of deals, a top European VC told us.
But that's only part of the story. A rule of thumb is that to be considered a good performer, a VC fund has to return three times its capital. But in many a VC fund, while 2X will come from the big hits, the third piece will come from smaller "long tail" exits, which individually might not make a big difference to the fund, but when added up can make or break it.
So "parking well" is a very important VC skill. And it comes down to the VC to park a company that hasn't been performing as well as expected, because most often they're the ones who have the industry relationships and the M&A experience, not the entrepreneurs.
VCs don't like to talk about parking because they'd much rather talk about helping startups grow into huge blockbusters than mitigating losses on underperforming investments.
And Kleiner Perkins is known in the industry for being great at parking.
In a talk at Stanford, when talking about how VCs need to be good at finding exits for their companies, straight-talking VC Mark Suster phrased it thus: "Are you Kleiner? Can you get $400 million for ngmoco when it probably wasn't worth it?," adding jokingly: "Oh, maybe it was worth it."
The point here isn't to diss mobile gaming company ngmoco (your writer enjoyed many wasted hours on Rolando, one of their hit games), but it pivoted several times in search of a business model and when the acquisition happened, many eyebrows were raised at both the price and the acquirer, DeNA, a big Japanese gaming company that had done practically no US acquisitions to date.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/whrrl-pelago-kleiner-perkins-2011-4?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=10%20Things%20In%20Tech%20You%20Need%20To%20Know&utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28sai%29%3A%2010%20Things%20You%20Need%20To%20Know%20This%20Morning#ixzz1K4SUq8VY
It's a great example of "parking", a crucial VC skill that VCs don't like to talk about.
What is parking? It's finding a good acquisition for a startup that didn't do as well as you expected.
Venture capital is described as a "hits business" and that's true enough: a few exits produces the majority of the returns. 80% of VC profits comes from 2% of deals, a top European VC told us.
But that's only part of the story. A rule of thumb is that to be considered a good performer, a VC fund has to return three times its capital. But in many a VC fund, while 2X will come from the big hits, the third piece will come from smaller "long tail" exits, which individually might not make a big difference to the fund, but when added up can make or break it.
So "parking well" is a very important VC skill. And it comes down to the VC to park a company that hasn't been performing as well as expected, because most often they're the ones who have the industry relationships and the M&A experience, not the entrepreneurs.
VCs don't like to talk about parking because they'd much rather talk about helping startups grow into huge blockbusters than mitigating losses on underperforming investments.
And Kleiner Perkins is known in the industry for being great at parking.
In a talk at Stanford, when talking about how VCs need to be good at finding exits for their companies, straight-talking VC Mark Suster phrased it thus: "Are you Kleiner? Can you get $400 million for ngmoco when it probably wasn't worth it?," adding jokingly: "Oh, maybe it was worth it."
The point here isn't to diss mobile gaming company ngmoco (your writer enjoyed many wasted hours on Rolando, one of their hit games), but it pivoted several times in search of a business model and when the acquisition happened, many eyebrows were raised at both the price and the acquirer, DeNA, a big Japanese gaming company that had done practically no US acquisitions to date.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/whrrl-pelago-kleiner-perkins-2011-4?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=10%20Things%20In%20Tech%20You%20Need%20To%20Know&utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28sai%29%3A%2010%20Things%20You%20Need%20To%20Know%20This%20Morning#ixzz1K4SUq8VY
2011/04/07
More exits in venture market
During the quarter, 109 venture-backed companies were acquired. Of the 45 deals where the acquisition price was disclosed, the total purchase prices added up to $5.9 billion.
http://ierarhia.blogspot.com/2011/04/vc-go-ipo.html
http://ierarhia.blogspot.com/2011/04/vc-go-ipo.html
2011/03/31
Google vs Facebook
What scares Google about Twitter and Facebook is that people are using them to share links, "like" web pages, and favorite tweets. People are using Twitter and Facebook to say what they think are the most important things on the Internet.
Because Twitter and Facebook are black boxes Google can't crawl, it no longer has access to anything close to 100% of the best meta-data available for sorting and organizing the Internet.
If Google had that data – and if it its users felt they needed to set up Google accounts – it would be able to offer better, more personalized search. It would be able to recommend content and Web pages to its users without asking them to search.
Google doesn't have that data and at from it's very highest levels on down, the company is worried that its search will slowly become a less important tool for navigating the Internet.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/political-infighting-overlapping-projects-slowing-googles-facebook-killer-2010-12#ixzz1IBd3wRbJ
Google's new +1 service is not just about Google taking on Facebook. It's also a great way for Google to make its search results relevant again.
Researcher Vivek Wadwha is largely to blame (or credit) for calling attention to Google's increasingly spammy search results. His post for TechCrunch on New Year's Day entitled "Why We Desperately Need A New (And Better) Google" got people talking, and may have been one big reason why Google changed its search algorithms last month to penalize content farms like Demand Media.
Last night at a dinner for journalists sponsored by alternative search engine Blekko, Wadwha was at it again: he insisted that Google's search results still suck, that the changes didn't help, and that any search engine that relies entirely on algorithms will always be gamed by scammers looking to divert more of the search firehose their way -- there's just too much money at stake.
Because Twitter and Facebook are black boxes Google can't crawl, it no longer has access to anything close to 100% of the best meta-data available for sorting and organizing the Internet.
If Google had that data – and if it its users felt they needed to set up Google accounts – it would be able to offer better, more personalized search. It would be able to recommend content and Web pages to its users without asking them to search.
Google doesn't have that data and at from it's very highest levels on down, the company is worried that its search will slowly become a less important tool for navigating the Internet.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/political-infighting-overlapping-projects-slowing-googles-facebook-killer-2010-12#ixzz1IBd3wRbJ
Google's new +1 service is not just about Google taking on Facebook. It's also a great way for Google to make its search results relevant again.
Researcher Vivek Wadwha is largely to blame (or credit) for calling attention to Google's increasingly spammy search results. His post for TechCrunch on New Year's Day entitled "Why We Desperately Need A New (And Better) Google" got people talking, and may have been one big reason why Google changed its search algorithms last month to penalize content farms like Demand Media.
Last night at a dinner for journalists sponsored by alternative search engine Blekko, Wadwha was at it again: he insisted that Google's search results still suck, that the changes didn't help, and that any search engine that relies entirely on algorithms will always be gamed by scammers looking to divert more of the search firehose their way -- there's just too much money at stake.
2011/03/29
Tips for rasing capital
Last year, venture capitalists and angels who co-invested with them placed $7 billion into seed and early-stage deals, an 11 percent increase from 2009, according to the most recent PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association MoneyTree report. From the conversations I'm having in the investor community, this year is promising to be even better.
Is this a limited window of opportunity, or more? It's hard to know just yet. But as the stock market edges ever higher and the wealthier feel healthier, there's a good chance that American startups will also get their moment in the sun.
To help you get a jump-start with fundraising, I've gathered tips from active early-stage investors and entrepreneurs who managed to beat the odds by raising capital during and after the Great Recession. Herewith, in no particular order:
1. Meet angels via the entrepreneurs they've funded. Referrals carry weight, but for those without a long list of angel contacts, getting access to angels via entrepreneurs they've already funded can be equally powerful. "While most angel groups don't post a list of members, they do publicize the companies they've funded on their websites," says Richard Sudek, a member of Tech Coast Angels, a group in southern California whose members invested about $6.2 million in 2010. "It's a targeted way to get access to investors and acquire intelligence on the personality of the angel group, all in one pop," Sudek says.
2. Avoid approaching investors in July, August, and December. "The high-net-worth individuals [who] make up the angel universe tend to take extended vacations in the summer and the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's," says Jennifer Naylor, an angel investor with Golden Seeds in New York. Pitching at a screening in slow months can result in delayed response from investors or even lack of interest at lightly attended screenings. The group invested $8.7 million in 2010.
3. Let investors help you refine your pitch. "Don't enter the process blind," says Jamie Rhodes, an investor in Austin with Central Texas Angel Network, which invested $5.5 million in 2010. "Our executive director works with entrepreneurs [who] have been selected to pitch, coaching them to improve their presentations and helping them anticipate questions." Other groups, such as Tech Coast Angels, allow entrepreneurs to sit in on screenings to get a better understanding of the process.
4. Skip the jargon. "Most early angels will not have domain expertise in your industry or technology. Keep your presentation jargon-free," says Anita Brearton, who chairs Golden Seeds' Boston branch.
5. Be coachable. "Angels aren't focused only on ROI," says Tech Coast Angels' Sudek. "Most have a strong desire to mentor and help build companies.
A few links to fundrasing sites.
Causes, the startup that helps users leverage Facebook and other social sites to raise money for charity, has closed funding round led by NEA with participation from Founders Fund, Marc Benioff, Dustin Moskovitz, Ron Conway, Keith Rabois, and Karl Jacob. Scott Sandell of NEA will join as an observer on the Causes board. Causes CEO Joe Green says that the company will be using the money to build out its team, including some senior hires.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/24/social-fundraising-site-fundly-raises-2-million-of-its-own/
H360 Capital’s investments will primarily focus on tech entrepreneurs and businesses in their early-stage of development
March 29, 2011 – Hezekiah Griggs III today announced the formation and launch of venture capital firm, H360 Capital. The firm draws on Griggs’ extensive experience as a successful entrepreneur and networking prowess to create a new, early-stage focused venture capital firm designed to support the needs of today’s entrepreneurs. H360’s first fund will be announced in a forthcoming release.
“I’ve long known, that Innovation is the cornerstone to any thriving economy, culture, or environment,” said Griggs. “My partners and I are collectively concerned about the diversity of thought, and the entrepreneurship climate that exists today. However, there is no greater time than now, to fulfill the promise of technology’s burgeoning presence in our lives, and how it will help shape the future of how we live.”
H360 Capital’s philosophical approach to venture capital investing is simple; the firm seeks to invest in entrepreneurs at the earliest stage possible. “We realize that the most critical point of a venture is when it begins to turn its ideas into operating ventures,” commented Griggs. “In order to fulfill that vision, we will change the relationship-based component to venture capitalism, into idea-based investing.” Griggs and his Partners will serve in various capacities to assist in the development of portfolio companies, and at times take board seats to ensure the success of the ventures.
Is this a limited window of opportunity, or more? It's hard to know just yet. But as the stock market edges ever higher and the wealthier feel healthier, there's a good chance that American startups will also get their moment in the sun.
To help you get a jump-start with fundraising, I've gathered tips from active early-stage investors and entrepreneurs who managed to beat the odds by raising capital during and after the Great Recession. Herewith, in no particular order:
1. Meet angels via the entrepreneurs they've funded. Referrals carry weight, but for those without a long list of angel contacts, getting access to angels via entrepreneurs they've already funded can be equally powerful. "While most angel groups don't post a list of members, they do publicize the companies they've funded on their websites," says Richard Sudek, a member of Tech Coast Angels, a group in southern California whose members invested about $6.2 million in 2010. "It's a targeted way to get access to investors and acquire intelligence on the personality of the angel group, all in one pop," Sudek says.
2. Avoid approaching investors in July, August, and December. "The high-net-worth individuals [who] make up the angel universe tend to take extended vacations in the summer and the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's," says Jennifer Naylor, an angel investor with Golden Seeds in New York. Pitching at a screening in slow months can result in delayed response from investors or even lack of interest at lightly attended screenings. The group invested $8.7 million in 2010.
3. Let investors help you refine your pitch. "Don't enter the process blind," says Jamie Rhodes, an investor in Austin with Central Texas Angel Network, which invested $5.5 million in 2010. "Our executive director works with entrepreneurs [who] have been selected to pitch, coaching them to improve their presentations and helping them anticipate questions." Other groups, such as Tech Coast Angels, allow entrepreneurs to sit in on screenings to get a better understanding of the process.
4. Skip the jargon. "Most early angels will not have domain expertise in your industry or technology. Keep your presentation jargon-free," says Anita Brearton, who chairs Golden Seeds' Boston branch.
5. Be coachable. "Angels aren't focused only on ROI," says Tech Coast Angels' Sudek. "Most have a strong desire to mentor and help build companies.
A few links to fundrasing sites.
Causes, the startup that helps users leverage Facebook and other social sites to raise money for charity, has closed funding round led by NEA with participation from Founders Fund, Marc Benioff, Dustin Moskovitz, Ron Conway, Keith Rabois, and Karl Jacob. Scott Sandell of NEA will join as an observer on the Causes board. Causes CEO Joe Green says that the company will be using the money to build out its team, including some senior hires.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/24/social-fundraising-site-fundly-raises-2-million-of-its-own/
H360 Capital’s investments will primarily focus on tech entrepreneurs and businesses in their early-stage of development
March 29, 2011 – Hezekiah Griggs III today announced the formation and launch of venture capital firm, H360 Capital. The firm draws on Griggs’ extensive experience as a successful entrepreneur and networking prowess to create a new, early-stage focused venture capital firm designed to support the needs of today’s entrepreneurs. H360’s first fund will be announced in a forthcoming release.
“I’ve long known, that Innovation is the cornerstone to any thriving economy, culture, or environment,” said Griggs. “My partners and I are collectively concerned about the diversity of thought, and the entrepreneurship climate that exists today. However, there is no greater time than now, to fulfill the promise of technology’s burgeoning presence in our lives, and how it will help shape the future of how we live.”
H360 Capital’s philosophical approach to venture capital investing is simple; the firm seeks to invest in entrepreneurs at the earliest stage possible. “We realize that the most critical point of a venture is when it begins to turn its ideas into operating ventures,” commented Griggs. “In order to fulfill that vision, we will change the relationship-based component to venture capitalism, into idea-based investing.” Griggs and his Partners will serve in various capacities to assist in the development of portfolio companies, and at times take board seats to ensure the success of the ventures.
2011/03/28
Huge investment in Social
LivingSocial is talking to investors to raise between $400 million and $500 million in additional funding, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The company got a $175 million investment from Amazon in December, but is apparently looking for more to stay within striking range of its number-one competitor, Groupon. The Journal reports it would like to get a couple big investments -- think $100 million-plus -- from some big-name "marquee" investors.
The company got a $175 million investment from Amazon in December, but is apparently looking for more to stay within striking range of its number-one competitor, Groupon. The Journal reports it would like to get a couple big investments -- think $100 million-plus -- from some big-name "marquee" investors.
2011/03/27
New economic order
Leading forecast expert Edward Mushinsky predicts super-bubble http://vsocial.livejournal.com/130800.html
due to new order in financial system.
Here are seven commonsense principles of global economic governance that they might agree on. (I discuss them in more detail in my new book, The Globalization Paradox.)
1. Markets must be deeply embedded in systems of governance. The idea that markets are self-regulating received a mortal blow in the recent financial crisis and should be buried once and for all. Markets require other social institutions to support them. They rely on courts, legal frameworks, and regulators to set and enforce rules. They depend on the stabilizing functions that central banks and countercyclical fiscal policy provide. They need the political buy-in that redistributive taxation, safety nets, and social insurance help generate. And all of this is true of global markets as well.
2. For the foreseeable future, democratic governance is likely to be organized largely within national political communities. The nation state lives, if not entirely well, and remains essentially the only game in town. The quest for global governance is a fool’s errand. National governments are unlikely to cede significant control to transnational institutions, and harmonizing rules would not benefit societies with diverse needs and preferences. The European Union may be the sole exception to this axiom, though its current crisis tends to prove the point.
Too often we waste international cooperation on overly ambitious goals, ultimately producing weak results that are the lowest common denominator among major states. When international cooperation does “succeed,” it spawns rules that are either toothless or reflect the preferences of only the more powerful states. The Basle rules on capital requirements and the World Trade Organization’s rules on subsidies, intellectual property, and investment measures typify this kind of overreaching. We can enhance the efficiency and legitimacy of globalization by supporting rather than crippling democratic procedures at home.
3. Pluralist prosperity. Acknowledging that the core institutional infrastructure of the global economy must be built at the national level frees countries to develop the institutions that suit them best. The United States, Europe, and Japan have produced comparable amounts of wealth over the long term. Yet their labor markets, corporate governance, antitrust rules, social protection, and financial systems differ considerably, with a succession of these “models” – a different one each decade – anointed the great success to be emulated.
The most successful societies of the future will leave room for experimentation and allow for further evolution of institutions. A global economy that recognizes the need for and value of institutional diversity would foster rather than stifle such experimentation and evolution.
4. Countries have the right to protect their own regulations and institutions. The previous principles may seem innocuous. But they carry powerful implications that clash with the received wisdom of globalization’s advocates. One such implication is the right of individual countries to safeguard their domestic institutional choices. Recognition of institutional diversity would be meaningless if countries did not have the instruments available to shape and maintain – in a word, “protect” – their own institutions.
We should therefore accept that countries may uphold national rules – tax policies, financial regulations, labor standards, or consumer health and safety rules – and may do so by raising barriers at the border if necessary, when trade demonstrably threatens domestic practices enjoying broad popular support. If globalization’s boosters are right, the clamor for protection will fail for lack of evidence or support. If wrong, there will be a safety valve in place to ensure that contending values – the benefits of open economies versus the gains from upholding domestic regulations – both receive a proper hearing in public debates.
5. Countries have no right to impose their institutions on others. Using restrictions on cross-border trade or finance to uphold values and regulations at home must be distinguished from using them to impose these values and regulations on other countries. Globalization’s rules should not force Americans or Europeans to consume goods that are produced in ways that most citizens in those countries find unacceptable. But nor should they allow the US or the EU to use trade sanctions or other pressure to alter foreign countries’ labor-market rules, environmental policies, or financial regulations. Countries have a right to difference, not to imposed convergence.
6. International economic arrangements must establish rules for managing interaction among national institutions. Relying on nation states to provide the essential governance functions of the world economy does not mean that we should abandon international rules. The Bretton Woods regime, after all, had clear rules, though they were limited in scope and depth. A completely decentralized free-for-all would benefit no one.
What we need are traffic rules for the global economy that help vehicles of varying size, shape, and speed navigate around each other, rather than imposing an identical car or a uniform speed limit. We should strive to attain maximum globalization consistent with the maintenance of space for diversity in national institutional arrangements.
7. Non-democratic countries cannot count on the same rights and privileges in the international economic order as democracies. What gives the previous principles their appeal and legitimacy is that they are based on democratic deliberation – where it really occurs, within national states. When states are not democratic, this scaffolding collapses. We can no longer presume that its institutional arrangements reflect its citizens’ preferences. So non-democracies need to play by different, less permissive rules.
These are the principles that the architects of the next global economic order must accept. Most importantly, they must comprehend the ultimate paradox that each of these principles highlights: globalization works best when it is not pushed too far.
Dani Rodrik is Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the author of One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions, and
due to new order in financial system.
Here are seven commonsense principles of global economic governance that they might agree on. (I discuss them in more detail in my new book, The Globalization Paradox.)
1. Markets must be deeply embedded in systems of governance. The idea that markets are self-regulating received a mortal blow in the recent financial crisis and should be buried once and for all. Markets require other social institutions to support them. They rely on courts, legal frameworks, and regulators to set and enforce rules. They depend on the stabilizing functions that central banks and countercyclical fiscal policy provide. They need the political buy-in that redistributive taxation, safety nets, and social insurance help generate. And all of this is true of global markets as well.
2. For the foreseeable future, democratic governance is likely to be organized largely within national political communities. The nation state lives, if not entirely well, and remains essentially the only game in town. The quest for global governance is a fool’s errand. National governments are unlikely to cede significant control to transnational institutions, and harmonizing rules would not benefit societies with diverse needs and preferences. The European Union may be the sole exception to this axiom, though its current crisis tends to prove the point.
Too often we waste international cooperation on overly ambitious goals, ultimately producing weak results that are the lowest common denominator among major states. When international cooperation does “succeed,” it spawns rules that are either toothless or reflect the preferences of only the more powerful states. The Basle rules on capital requirements and the World Trade Organization’s rules on subsidies, intellectual property, and investment measures typify this kind of overreaching. We can enhance the efficiency and legitimacy of globalization by supporting rather than crippling democratic procedures at home.
3. Pluralist prosperity. Acknowledging that the core institutional infrastructure of the global economy must be built at the national level frees countries to develop the institutions that suit them best. The United States, Europe, and Japan have produced comparable amounts of wealth over the long term. Yet their labor markets, corporate governance, antitrust rules, social protection, and financial systems differ considerably, with a succession of these “models” – a different one each decade – anointed the great success to be emulated.
The most successful societies of the future will leave room for experimentation and allow for further evolution of institutions. A global economy that recognizes the need for and value of institutional diversity would foster rather than stifle such experimentation and evolution.
4. Countries have the right to protect their own regulations and institutions. The previous principles may seem innocuous. But they carry powerful implications that clash with the received wisdom of globalization’s advocates. One such implication is the right of individual countries to safeguard their domestic institutional choices. Recognition of institutional diversity would be meaningless if countries did not have the instruments available to shape and maintain – in a word, “protect” – their own institutions.
We should therefore accept that countries may uphold national rules – tax policies, financial regulations, labor standards, or consumer health and safety rules – and may do so by raising barriers at the border if necessary, when trade demonstrably threatens domestic practices enjoying broad popular support. If globalization’s boosters are right, the clamor for protection will fail for lack of evidence or support. If wrong, there will be a safety valve in place to ensure that contending values – the benefits of open economies versus the gains from upholding domestic regulations – both receive a proper hearing in public debates.
5. Countries have no right to impose their institutions on others. Using restrictions on cross-border trade or finance to uphold values and regulations at home must be distinguished from using them to impose these values and regulations on other countries. Globalization’s rules should not force Americans or Europeans to consume goods that are produced in ways that most citizens in those countries find unacceptable. But nor should they allow the US or the EU to use trade sanctions or other pressure to alter foreign countries’ labor-market rules, environmental policies, or financial regulations. Countries have a right to difference, not to imposed convergence.
6. International economic arrangements must establish rules for managing interaction among national institutions. Relying on nation states to provide the essential governance functions of the world economy does not mean that we should abandon international rules. The Bretton Woods regime, after all, had clear rules, though they were limited in scope and depth. A completely decentralized free-for-all would benefit no one.
What we need are traffic rules for the global economy that help vehicles of varying size, shape, and speed navigate around each other, rather than imposing an identical car or a uniform speed limit. We should strive to attain maximum globalization consistent with the maintenance of space for diversity in national institutional arrangements.
7. Non-democratic countries cannot count on the same rights and privileges in the international economic order as democracies. What gives the previous principles their appeal and legitimacy is that they are based on democratic deliberation – where it really occurs, within national states. When states are not democratic, this scaffolding collapses. We can no longer presume that its institutional arrangements reflect its citizens’ preferences. So non-democracies need to play by different, less permissive rules.
These are the principles that the architects of the next global economic order must accept. Most importantly, they must comprehend the ultimate paradox that each of these principles highlights: globalization works best when it is not pushed too far.
Dani Rodrik is Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the author of One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions, and
2011/03/24
New Bubble Happens When We Come to the End of QE2?
Corporate profits are among the most mean-reverting of all statistics. And this makes sense unless capitalism is broke. High profits entice competitors to come in and take market share by selling for less.
If corporate profits went back (mean-reverted) to their longer-term average, P/E ratios would be close to 24 at today's prices. Corporations have some room to absorb some price increases, but at the expense of the bottom line.
2011/03/17
Number 1 wearable computer
According to Andreessen, Jawbone's headsets are a first step to "wearable computers."
Jawbone themselves describe themselves as mostly a software company now. Venture capitalists are afraid of companies that make hardware because they traditionally require high capital expenditures, but manufacturing can be cheaply outsourced to China; even more importantly, Andreessen said, we're moving to an era where most of the value in gadgets is in the software, not the hardware.
Today smartphones are really full purpose computers we keep in our pockets. Apple calls the smartphone and tablet era the "post-PC era", but perhaps a better name would be the "truly personal computing era": we have these computers we hold closely and that are truly personal. "Wearable" computers might be the next step, and Jawbone is a bet on that possibility.
Jawbone themselves describe themselves as mostly a software company now. Venture capitalists are afraid of companies that make hardware because they traditionally require high capital expenditures, but manufacturing can be cheaply outsourced to China; even more importantly, Andreessen said, we're moving to an era where most of the value in gadgets is in the software, not the hardware.
Today smartphones are really full purpose computers we keep in our pockets. Apple calls the smartphone and tablet era the "post-PC era", but perhaps a better name would be the "truly personal computing era": we have these computers we hold closely and that are truly personal. "Wearable" computers might be the next step, and Jawbone is a bet on that possibility.
2011/03/15
The best way to illustrate the innovativeness of business models.
How to illustrate the innovativeness of several models http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-visualize-business-model.html
- continued by predicted “Ten Technologies That Will Rock 2010.”
http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/02/seven-technologies-that-will-rock-2011/
- continued by predicted “Ten Technologies That Will Rock 2010.”
http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/02/seven-technologies-that-will-rock-2011/
2011/03/12
SecondMarket.com whopping startups venture market
In its startups shares trading platform, SecondMarket CEO Mr. Silbert said he hoped to create a more transparent structure for the market.
Before any shares are traded, he says it will contact every company for approval. It will also give businesses the power to define the parameters for its trades.
For example, a company can determine the type of investors that are eligible and the structure of the auction process. Meanwhile, for investors, SecondMarket will aggregate publicly available data, including filings, and encourage companies to submit additional financial information.
SecondMarket, a leading platform to buy and sell private company shares and other illiquid assets, is set to unveil Friday its new look and social marketplace, designed to broaden the world of secondary market trading to any private company and the world's investors. "We're expanding the universe of companies that are discoverable to over 12,000," said Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of SecondMarket, in an interview. Currently, there are 50,000 members on SecondMarket, the vast majority of whom are buyers of stock.
Heretofore, SecondMarket had listed 500 companies, with the bulk of trading and interest coming from the likes of Facebook, Zynga, Groupon, to name a few. Indeed, 40% of last year's $400 million in private company trading came from trading in Facebook shares alone. With Facebook potentially hitting the public markets in 2012, SecondMarket is hoping to tee up a whole new crop of trading opportunities.
"What's interesting is that over the past 18 months, we've received inquiries from sellers in 1000 companies," Barry added. To this end, SecondMarket has developed a platform to allow demand to be created for those companies. "The idea is crowd-source which companies people want to buy and sell stock in... We're now giving the crowd the opportunity to identify the companies to invest in."
In order to aggregate demand and enable the crowd to identify which companies they're interested in, SecondMarket has tapped into the social sphere by creating a platform upon which members can create a profile for themselves, a watch list of companies, as well as a trusted network of colleagues to learn from and share activity in companies. "If you look at the way people invest in companies, it's social," Barry explained. "We're helping faciltate offline relationships online."
SecondMarket plans to capture information about the most-watched companies and aggregate the price at which buyers are willing to pay. If they have enough demand, they will aproach a company and suggest that they create a market for their stock. "There wont’ be a need to create a market unless there’s sufficient demand," said Barry.
The UI (user interface) is pretty sweet and simple. I was one of the 100 beta testers who got to check it out. Once registered, you're automatically following SecondMaket, but you can choose from the thousands of companies listed.
As SecondMarket expands, there is concern that it is helping to fuel an already overheated market and opening the doors to less viable business. Although Zynga, Facebook and Groupon are churning out significant annual revenue, it’s unlikely that the 12,000 businesses in SecondMarket’s expanded universe (the majority of which are technology companies) can boast the same. SecondMarket’s investors must be accredited — meaning they have at least $1 million in assets or an annual salary $200,000 — but Peter Falvey, a managing director at Morgan Keegan, said there’s still not enough information available to help them make prudent decisions.
“It’s hard enough to get information on Facebook,” he said. “I’m an accredited, I have an M.B.A. in finance, how do I know what these things should be valued at?”
Leadind startups rating expert Edward Mushinsky predict startups trading boost
on http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/marketplace-for-private-internet.html
Before any shares are traded, he says it will contact every company for approval. It will also give businesses the power to define the parameters for its trades.
For example, a company can determine the type of investors that are eligible and the structure of the auction process. Meanwhile, for investors, SecondMarket will aggregate publicly available data, including filings, and encourage companies to submit additional financial information.
SecondMarket, a leading platform to buy and sell private company shares and other illiquid assets, is set to unveil Friday its new look and social marketplace, designed to broaden the world of secondary market trading to any private company and the world's investors. "We're expanding the universe of companies that are discoverable to over 12,000," said Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of SecondMarket, in an interview. Currently, there are 50,000 members on SecondMarket, the vast majority of whom are buyers of stock.
Heretofore, SecondMarket had listed 500 companies, with the bulk of trading and interest coming from the likes of Facebook, Zynga, Groupon, to name a few. Indeed, 40% of last year's $400 million in private company trading came from trading in Facebook shares alone. With Facebook potentially hitting the public markets in 2012, SecondMarket is hoping to tee up a whole new crop of trading opportunities.
"What's interesting is that over the past 18 months, we've received inquiries from sellers in 1000 companies," Barry added. To this end, SecondMarket has developed a platform to allow demand to be created for those companies. "The idea is crowd-source which companies people want to buy and sell stock in... We're now giving the crowd the opportunity to identify the companies to invest in."
In order to aggregate demand and enable the crowd to identify which companies they're interested in, SecondMarket has tapped into the social sphere by creating a platform upon which members can create a profile for themselves, a watch list of companies, as well as a trusted network of colleagues to learn from and share activity in companies. "If you look at the way people invest in companies, it's social," Barry explained. "We're helping faciltate offline relationships online."
SecondMarket plans to capture information about the most-watched companies and aggregate the price at which buyers are willing to pay. If they have enough demand, they will aproach a company and suggest that they create a market for their stock. "There wont’ be a need to create a market unless there’s sufficient demand," said Barry.
The UI (user interface) is pretty sweet and simple. I was one of the 100 beta testers who got to check it out. Once registered, you're automatically following SecondMaket, but you can choose from the thousands of companies listed.
As SecondMarket expands, there is concern that it is helping to fuel an already overheated market and opening the doors to less viable business. Although Zynga, Facebook and Groupon are churning out significant annual revenue, it’s unlikely that the 12,000 businesses in SecondMarket’s expanded universe (the majority of which are technology companies) can boast the same. SecondMarket’s investors must be accredited — meaning they have at least $1 million in assets or an annual salary $200,000 — but Peter Falvey, a managing director at Morgan Keegan, said there’s still not enough information available to help them make prudent decisions.
“It’s hard enough to get information on Facebook,” he said. “I’m an accredited, I have an M.B.A. in finance, how do I know what these things should be valued at?”
Leadind startups rating expert Edward Mushinsky predict startups trading boost
on http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/marketplace-for-private-internet.html
2011/03/05
New 1 billion ideas
Video with Jay Jamison Venture Partner, BlueRun Ventures
http://vator.tv/news/2011-03-02-the-next-billion-dollar-idea-part-1-of-5
He's clearly betting on mobile as the billion dollar space with several recent investments in mobile ventures such as Foodspotting. Deals, mobile, location, photo sharing are all paving the way for billion dollar opportunities.
Other investment 1 billion deal see on
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/biggest-investment-2011.html
http://vator.tv/news/2011-03-02-the-next-billion-dollar-idea-part-1-of-5
He's clearly betting on mobile as the billion dollar space with several recent investments in mobile ventures such as Foodspotting. Deals, mobile, location, photo sharing are all paving the way for billion dollar opportunities.
Other investment 1 billion deal see on
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/biggest-investment-2011.html
2011/03/04
online - shopping rules
Rasing online - shopping in developed countries, not succeed in developing countries, the growth process is just beginning, so that the limit for startups in this area does not exist, says a leading innovative marketing expert Edward Mushinsky
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/where-is-limit-of-growth-online-shops.html
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/03/where-is-limit-of-growth-online-shops.html
2011/02/23
4 C innovative models of e-commerce
Convergence is disrupting the way businesses need to think about incenting its employees. For instance, an electronics retailer might have once given bonuses to employees who could sell the most appliances at the store. But if consumers want choice and prefer to purchase an item online, then an employee should also be incented to encourage the sale wherever it happens.
Other disruptive models of social commerce http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-innovative-models-of-e-commerce.html
Other disruptive models of social commerce http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-innovative-models-of-e-commerce.html
2011/02/21
Revolutionary technologies
How to distinguish a breakthrough, revolutionary technologies to thousands of new technologies emerging every year in the world? Charlene Li, Groundswell best-selling author and Open Leadership and co-founder of consulting company Altimeter Group, answers this question. Revolutionary technologies: provide people using their new, not previously available expertise, bring in new business that were absent before the business model, in principle, change the whole ecosystem evolving around the chain of value added (the developers and implementers, clients and suppliers, partners and subcontractors, products and services, as well as ways and means of bringing them to consumers, dealers and brokers, investors).
Learn more - in http://vsocial.livejournal.com/122170.html
Learn more - in http://vsocial.livejournal.com/122170.html
2011/02/17
Venture capital industry bounces back
Short-Term Loan Startup Wonga Raises Monster $117 Million
Europe does have a thriving startup scene, improving every day. But it's also undeniable that it's nowhere near the level of the United States in terms of capital, talent or ambition.
A great column in The Telegraph by angel investor Richard Titus intelligently points out the few key things that European VCs need to improve on.
Here's the key points:
Lack of entrepreneurial focus. Top Silicon Valley VCs understand, and most European VCs don't, that the raw material from which startups are made is entrepreneurs. In the US VCs valorize the entrepreneur not just to invest in them but as a source of information and dealflow.
Overemphasis on profits. Most of the huge tech companies, particularly on the consumer web, got that way by disregarding profits early on in favor of growth. Titus remembers VCs on the boards of companies he'd invested in actually telling them to "dial down the growth" to make some profits. If you're a startup and growing like gangbusters, that's ridiculous. You should hang on to that growth and do everything to feed it.
Lack of M&A expertise. A somewhat dirty semi-secret of the venture business is that a big part of the returns is not driven by the big winners but by the middling outcomes. Once it becomes obvious that a startup can't achieve a billion dollar outcome, a big skill of the VC is to find a way to, in VC speak, "park the asset" -- meaning find a buyer at a good price. The problem is that the big tech companies with the cash to buy those assets are almost all in Silicon Valley, and European VCs don't seem to have relationships there.
Not enough follow-ons. There's lots of money in Europe for sexy early stage investing, and relatively safe late-stage investing, but not enough for those crucial follow-on rounds that help startups kick up the growth. European VCs are smaller and less numerous than their American counterparts, so they find it harder to do follow-on rounds, and European startups' growth remains stunted.
Not enough operating experience. The vast majority of European VCs are bankers or former bankers. There are plenty of bankers in VC in the US as well, but the proportion of partners with operating experience is much higher. What's more, the "Entrepreneur-in-Residence" role is virtually unknown in Europe, but these guys can really help portfolio startups.
Also shocking: the column relays the well-known story of Lastminute.com co-founder Marta Lane Cox, of whom VCs asked, "So what happens when you get pregnant?"
This is all sadly, sadly true. But things are getting better, however. In the past few years, entrepreneur-driven venture firms like the Skype founders' Atomico Ventures and founder-friendly superangel funds in France have changed the game.
http://www.businessinsider.com/european-vcs-suck-2011-2
On this page you can argue: it is.
However Future Europe Rating Association posed by Edward Mushinsky, will become a catalyst for venture capital industry in Europe.
Europe does have a thriving startup scene, improving every day. But it's also undeniable that it's nowhere near the level of the United States in terms of capital, talent or ambition.
A great column in The Telegraph by angel investor Richard Titus intelligently points out the few key things that European VCs need to improve on.
Here's the key points:
Lack of entrepreneurial focus. Top Silicon Valley VCs understand, and most European VCs don't, that the raw material from which startups are made is entrepreneurs. In the US VCs valorize the entrepreneur not just to invest in them but as a source of information and dealflow.
Overemphasis on profits. Most of the huge tech companies, particularly on the consumer web, got that way by disregarding profits early on in favor of growth. Titus remembers VCs on the boards of companies he'd invested in actually telling them to "dial down the growth" to make some profits. If you're a startup and growing like gangbusters, that's ridiculous. You should hang on to that growth and do everything to feed it.
Lack of M&A expertise. A somewhat dirty semi-secret of the venture business is that a big part of the returns is not driven by the big winners but by the middling outcomes. Once it becomes obvious that a startup can't achieve a billion dollar outcome, a big skill of the VC is to find a way to, in VC speak, "park the asset" -- meaning find a buyer at a good price. The problem is that the big tech companies with the cash to buy those assets are almost all in Silicon Valley, and European VCs don't seem to have relationships there.
Not enough follow-ons. There's lots of money in Europe for sexy early stage investing, and relatively safe late-stage investing, but not enough for those crucial follow-on rounds that help startups kick up the growth. European VCs are smaller and less numerous than their American counterparts, so they find it harder to do follow-on rounds, and European startups' growth remains stunted.
Not enough operating experience. The vast majority of European VCs are bankers or former bankers. There are plenty of bankers in VC in the US as well, but the proportion of partners with operating experience is much higher. What's more, the "Entrepreneur-in-Residence" role is virtually unknown in Europe, but these guys can really help portfolio startups.
Also shocking: the column relays the well-known story of Lastminute.com co-founder Marta Lane Cox, of whom VCs asked, "So what happens when you get pregnant?"
This is all sadly, sadly true. But things are getting better, however. In the past few years, entrepreneur-driven venture firms like the Skype founders' Atomico Ventures and founder-friendly superangel funds in France have changed the game.
http://www.businessinsider.com/european-vcs-suck-2011-2
On this page you can argue: it is.
However Future Europe Rating Association posed by Edward Mushinsky, will become a catalyst for venture capital industry in Europe.
2011/02/16
Sponsorship of the revolutions in social networks
The U.S. State Department to open in 2011 in the microblog Twitter in Russian. As stated on Tuesday, February 15, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it will become part of a deliberate policy
U.S. and its companies serious about the promotion via the internet revolution. When the Egyptian authorities have closed their citizens access to Facebook and Twitter, and then to the Internet, Google has even launched a special service that allows people of Egypt to send messages to Twitter using voice calls from your mobile.
How the bloggers have made a revolution in Tunisia - see post of digital marketing expert Edward Mushinsky
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/113592.html
U.S. and its companies serious about the promotion via the internet revolution. When the Egyptian authorities have closed their citizens access to Facebook and Twitter, and then to the Internet, Google has even launched a special service that allows people of Egypt to send messages to Twitter using voice calls from your mobile.
How the bloggers have made a revolution in Tunisia - see post of digital marketing expert Edward Mushinsky
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/113592.html
2011/02/15
System of Systems - the future of network convergence
This has not yet working.
But in the video is presented as if everything is real.
Here it is, the famous marketing from IBM!
But in the video is presented as if everything is real.
Here it is, the famous marketing from IBM!
Wikileaks will open this bank secrets
Truth about Bank of America
http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/02/wikileaks-secrets-about-bank-of-america.html
http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/02/wikileaks-secrets-about-bank-of-america.html
2011/02/14
Nokia fall
Today's big news is that Nokia has picked Windows as its smartphone operating system. It's abandoning its ambitions to build a standalone platform.
http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-microsoft-7-2011-2
Other insiders news from Nokia CEO S. Elop
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/02/nokia-burning-platform.html
and
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/120138.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-microsoft-7-2011-2
Other insiders news from Nokia CEO S. Elop
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/02/nokia-burning-platform.html
and
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/120138.html
2011/02/10
How to attract investments
How to attract investors.
Begin work with the investor should be to bring in order and structuring teams background, assets and customer base.
For example, the union of a customer relationship management with the telephone exchange will allow better quality monitor this channel of communication with customers - the customer can be identified by the incoming call, the call center and automatically transferred to the same employee responsible for work along this direction. The employee will be ready to talk, because all the data needed to talk, it will be displayed on the screen.This is possible by combining disparate customer data in one database, suitable for storage, processing and analysis of customer data. Synchronization of the database with directories of services, contracting, billing and invoices will help point your business to the real needs of customers - and they will appreciate. A loyal customers will help your business become more attractive for investors and attract new partners to you.
Expert - it is a guarantee for the investor.
Today, a team from a technological idea without even who to turn to for advice - how to pack the project, that he interested in venture capital investor, how to build a business model and business plan. As a rule, people who are trying to move in the field of technological entrepreneurship do not have enough business experience. The presence of such experience is often at odds with experience in technology - for his achievements should be thrown to engage in technology and do business.
Institute of business expertise will ensure availability of services to promote projects from technology to the company, the product, to a successful exit for the investor. Such expertise can provide an open community of experts. The need for this now feels, in my opinion, all market participants. And we are in its strategy to take on the role of initiator of this project.
Video about How to attract investors
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/119765.html
Begin work with the investor should be to bring in order and structuring teams background, assets and customer base.
For example, the union of a customer relationship management with the telephone exchange will allow better quality monitor this channel of communication with customers - the customer can be identified by the incoming call, the call center and automatically transferred to the same employee responsible for work along this direction. The employee will be ready to talk, because all the data needed to talk, it will be displayed on the screen.This is possible by combining disparate customer data in one database, suitable for storage, processing and analysis of customer data. Synchronization of the database with directories of services, contracting, billing and invoices will help point your business to the real needs of customers - and they will appreciate. A loyal customers will help your business become more attractive for investors and attract new partners to you.
Expert - it is a guarantee for the investor.
Today, a team from a technological idea without even who to turn to for advice - how to pack the project, that he interested in venture capital investor, how to build a business model and business plan. As a rule, people who are trying to move in the field of technological entrepreneurship do not have enough business experience. The presence of such experience is often at odds with experience in technology - for his achievements should be thrown to engage in technology and do business.
Institute of business expertise will ensure availability of services to promote projects from technology to the company, the product, to a successful exit for the investor. Such expertise can provide an open community of experts. The need for this now feels, in my opinion, all market participants. And we are in its strategy to take on the role of initiator of this project.
Video about How to attract investors
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/119765.html
2011/02/06
Future rating forms of social organization and business-models
One of the most important discoveries of the "virtual age" is that the images can be completely autonomous from whatever it was "reality." Including the state. You can open a website on the internet and call it "official representative" of any made-up country - and the quality of technical and artistic execution, he can not only does not differ from the government websites of real states, but to exceed them. To date, this possibility is hampered by a distribution of geographical domain of the first level between the real country, but it's likely only a matter of time. In the near future can not exclude the fact that many transnational groups to adapt their projects to a "not global" world perception of the majority of mankind simply positioned as a virtual, but it is the sovereign states.
Unlike these, actively created virtual states of the States real is that the latter "virtualized" forced, by inertia, under the authority of historical circumstances. But when the criterion of reality itself becomes a stream of images (ð 1-4) - then the boundary between real and virtual states disappears completely. Practically, this means a global revolution - when the battle with the government or the power is relevant only for those who delegate it to someone outside his own world.
Despite the partial "virtualization" of management and economics, the center of gravity lies in the modern states of the old reality, where they form a compact mass, bounded on all sides by geographic boundaries. However, in the context of globalization the importance of this material compactness is lost. Can already imagine the emergence of the state, the center of gravity lies in the virtual world. Such a state does not form a common territory and common citizens, are closely related to each other in space communications. Material enclaves such State may be scattered across the globe: land, businesses, offices, military bases, space stations, etc. Legally, most of these objects may lie in the normal states, and most of the "virtual citizens" can enjoy the benefits of dual citizenship - that does not interfere with this "virtual state" in political, economic, cultural and even military sense, constitute a powerful integrity, which have considered all other world powers. From the normal state, it differs only in that its power center, the center of his public life, the source of sovereignty lies in the virtual space that is "nowhere."
Establish a virtual space with the current state grade society - it is like opening a supernova light.
Those who want to become pioneers of today do not have to swim somewhere far away enough, without leaving their computers, to organize and play in space communication relations that constitute society: economic, social, political, cultural. It does not matter which mode of initially developing these relationships. Virtual state may start as a "game" - this does not detract from the reality of relationships formed in it. Economic game, which brings the participants to real income, allowing them to have a real economic relations, it is not a "virtual practice", but a real economic system. Also socio-political game that lets you really organize the masses of people can really influence each other and the situation on the sidelines - it's not a game, and the real socio-political system. And in the field of culture in general can not make a distinction between "game" and "reality." It is important that these flows of communication - the economic, social, political, cultural - did not develop in isolation, but together: to regulate each other, react to each other, complete construction of each other. On growing over the game in this society we can say if this "play" a network of relationships for party games will become more important than relationships, connecting with the "normal" discourse. Because society - is nothing more than streams of communication.
The subject of utopia in the network society are mikrokorporatsii - creative alliances, implementing a strategic project. These alliances often do not have a central office job hierarchy and other attributes of the "real" corporations, but often that's why they operate much more efficiently first. Vladislav Inozemtsev calls them "creative corporations, Dmitry Ivanov -" virtual ", but in essence we are talking about the same phenomenon. Make these corporations intellectual workers (knowledge-workers) - without a strict division of the narrow specialization, as the range of problems they solve is quite broad. Old, cumbersome institutional pyramid, built on the hierarchical principle and davivshie creative freedom need to "coordination" on different "floors", giving way to dynamic situational structures, which appear "to the task."
Leading expert on forecasting Edward Mushinsky, 4 years ago predicted the new forms of networked business - models http://znacomstva.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html
Unlike these, actively created virtual states of the States real is that the latter "virtualized" forced, by inertia, under the authority of historical circumstances. But when the criterion of reality itself becomes a stream of images (ð 1-4) - then the boundary between real and virtual states disappears completely. Practically, this means a global revolution - when the battle with the government or the power is relevant only for those who delegate it to someone outside his own world.
Despite the partial "virtualization" of management and economics, the center of gravity lies in the modern states of the old reality, where they form a compact mass, bounded on all sides by geographic boundaries. However, in the context of globalization the importance of this material compactness is lost. Can already imagine the emergence of the state, the center of gravity lies in the virtual world. Such a state does not form a common territory and common citizens, are closely related to each other in space communications. Material enclaves such State may be scattered across the globe: land, businesses, offices, military bases, space stations, etc. Legally, most of these objects may lie in the normal states, and most of the "virtual citizens" can enjoy the benefits of dual citizenship - that does not interfere with this "virtual state" in political, economic, cultural and even military sense, constitute a powerful integrity, which have considered all other world powers. From the normal state, it differs only in that its power center, the center of his public life, the source of sovereignty lies in the virtual space that is "nowhere."
Establish a virtual space with the current state grade society - it is like opening a supernova light.
Those who want to become pioneers of today do not have to swim somewhere far away enough, without leaving their computers, to organize and play in space communication relations that constitute society: economic, social, political, cultural. It does not matter which mode of initially developing these relationships. Virtual state may start as a "game" - this does not detract from the reality of relationships formed in it. Economic game, which brings the participants to real income, allowing them to have a real economic relations, it is not a "virtual practice", but a real economic system. Also socio-political game that lets you really organize the masses of people can really influence each other and the situation on the sidelines - it's not a game, and the real socio-political system. And in the field of culture in general can not make a distinction between "game" and "reality." It is important that these flows of communication - the economic, social, political, cultural - did not develop in isolation, but together: to regulate each other, react to each other, complete construction of each other. On growing over the game in this society we can say if this "play" a network of relationships for party games will become more important than relationships, connecting with the "normal" discourse. Because society - is nothing more than streams of communication.
The subject of utopia in the network society are mikrokorporatsii - creative alliances, implementing a strategic project. These alliances often do not have a central office job hierarchy and other attributes of the "real" corporations, but often that's why they operate much more efficiently first. Vladislav Inozemtsev calls them "creative corporations, Dmitry Ivanov -" virtual ", but in essence we are talking about the same phenomenon. Make these corporations intellectual workers (knowledge-workers) - without a strict division of the narrow specialization, as the range of problems they solve is quite broad. Old, cumbersome institutional pyramid, built on the hierarchical principle and davivshie creative freedom need to "coordination" on different "floors", giving way to dynamic situational structures, which appear "to the task."
Leading expert on forecasting Edward Mushinsky, 4 years ago predicted the new forms of networked business - models http://znacomstva.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html
2011/02/04
Forecasts by Edward Mushinsky come true
Forecasts and recommendations Edward Mushinsky, a leading expert in innovative marketing, on the theme "How to increase the audience of the site for a month, and profits doubled, "
- Implement in Branchout
and Hulu Plus
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/117997.html
He wrote about this forecast of 4 years ago in his blog
http://coolgoogle.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-post_28.html
и http://rublicon.ru/columns/vsocial/385.html
- Implement in Branchout
and Hulu Plus
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/117997.html
He wrote about this forecast of 4 years ago in his blog
http://coolgoogle.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-post_28.html
и http://rublicon.ru/columns/vsocial/385.html
2011/02/01
Psychological factors in economy
Economic booms are often characterized by waves of optimism and the view that the economy is entering a new era in which the business cycle has been tamed. The idea that “this time, things are different” became pervasive during the expansion of the mid-2000s, just before the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. New financial products were thought to have protected market participants by spreading risk widely, thereby justifying the surge in mortgage lending and the phenomenal run-up in house prices. Similarly, the emergence of new information technologies fueled a wave of euphoria that drove the stock market boom of the late 1990s and the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. A similar sense of confidence developed during the Roaring Twenties, spurred by new technologies such as autos and radio, financial innovations, and improved business practices. The Japanese boom of the 1980s with its ballooning property prices also shared some of these characteristics. Each of these episodes ended with a stock market crash when overly optimistic expectations were dashed.
The proposition that confidence can influence the business cycle raises the question of how expectations are translated into actions that affect economic activity. One way that confidence can cause business cycle fluctuations is when people’s actions are influenced by what they think other people might do. For example, if customers start to fear that a bank may not be able to honor deposits, they may rush to withdraw their money before other customers do, triggering a run. The bank may fail and some people may lose their deposits. If this is repeated widely, a general loss of confidence in the financial sector can occur. Since fear is not always a rational process, even a solvent bank could suffer a run that mushrooms into a broad financial panic. Such a crisis of confidence could squeeze liquidity throughout the banking system, causing a contraction in credit that harms broad economic activity.
http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2010/el2010-35.html
So, there is new cicle of economic growt started.
If you want built an great business see http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-made-greatest-startup.html
The proposition that confidence can influence the business cycle raises the question of how expectations are translated into actions that affect economic activity. One way that confidence can cause business cycle fluctuations is when people’s actions are influenced by what they think other people might do. For example, if customers start to fear that a bank may not be able to honor deposits, they may rush to withdraw their money before other customers do, triggering a run. The bank may fail and some people may lose their deposits. If this is repeated widely, a general loss of confidence in the financial sector can occur. Since fear is not always a rational process, even a solvent bank could suffer a run that mushrooms into a broad financial panic. Such a crisis of confidence could squeeze liquidity throughout the banking system, causing a contraction in credit that harms broad economic activity.
http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2010/el2010-35.html
So, there is new cicle of economic growt started.
If you want built an great business see http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-made-greatest-startup.html
2011/01/26
Повторение тунисской революции: Египет и Албания
После свержения президента Бен Али в Тунисе все ждали, что революционная зараза на этом не остановится и пойдет дальше гулять по исламскому миру, круша аналогичные режимы в Алжире, Египте, Иордании. Но реальность, как обычно, оказалась более сложной и непредсказуемой. Главным претендентом на повторение тунисского сценария стала страна хоть и мусульманская, но не совсем восточная – Албания.
Последние кадры из албанской столицы Тираны мало чем отличаются от тунисских, разве что погода прохладнее. В полумиллионном городе на улицы вышли десятки тысяч человек, жгут машины, бьют витрины, кидаются камнями, полиция отстреливается боевыми пулями, трое демонстрантов убиты, более 150 – ранено, а иностранные посольства закрываются, опасаясь новых протестов.
http://slon.ru/blogs/samorukov/post/524520/
Египет.
Как сообщает телеканал PressTV, вечером 25 января 46-летний Г.Мубарак с женой, дочерью и большим количеством багажа вылетел на самолете в Лондон.
В то же время официального подтверждения того, что Мубарак-младший бежал в Великобританию, пока нет, как, впрочем, и информации о точном местонахождении руководителей правящей Национально-демократической партии.
Напомним, что в Египте проходят многотысячные акции протеста. Десятки тысяч демонстрантов вышли на улицы городов с требованием отставки президента Хосни Мубарака и правительства страны. Для разгона митинга полиция применила слезоточивый газ и огнестрельное оружие, в результате чего погибли три человека.
По мнению экспертов, на протесты против правительства египтян вдохновили аналогичные события в Тунисе, где президент страны вынужден был спасаться бегством.
Читать полностью: http://top.rbc.ru/society/26/01/2011/533837.shtml
Последние кадры из албанской столицы Тираны мало чем отличаются от тунисских, разве что погода прохладнее. В полумиллионном городе на улицы вышли десятки тысяч человек, жгут машины, бьют витрины, кидаются камнями, полиция отстреливается боевыми пулями, трое демонстрантов убиты, более 150 – ранено, а иностранные посольства закрываются, опасаясь новых протестов.
http://slon.ru/blogs/samorukov/post/524520/
Египет.
Как сообщает телеканал PressTV, вечером 25 января 46-летний Г.Мубарак с женой, дочерью и большим количеством багажа вылетел на самолете в Лондон.
В то же время официального подтверждения того, что Мубарак-младший бежал в Великобританию, пока нет, как, впрочем, и информации о точном местонахождении руководителей правящей Национально-демократической партии.
Напомним, что в Египте проходят многотысячные акции протеста. Десятки тысяч демонстрантов вышли на улицы городов с требованием отставки президента Хосни Мубарака и правительства страны. Для разгона митинга полиция применила слезоточивый газ и огнестрельное оружие, в результате чего погибли три человека.
По мнению экспертов, на протесты против правительства египтян вдохновили аналогичные события в Тунисе, где президент страны вынужден был спасаться бегством.
Читать полностью: http://top.rbc.ru/society/26/01/2011/533837.shtml
2011/01/25
Forecast: how the economy responds to increased terrorist activity
The response to terrorism is a universal surveillance via the mobile internet and social networking.
Here closes the main trend of world economy - the rapid growth of ICT-sector
and the interest of governments to prevent terrorist attacks.
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/116409.html
Ответом на взрыв в Домодедово и в целом на террористическую угрозу будут тотальный
мониторинг мобильной связи, интернета и соц.сетей.
Тут смыкается главный тренд мировой экономики - опережающий рост ICT-сектора,
и интерес правительств предотвращать теракты.
Here closes the main trend of world economy - the rapid growth of ICT-sector
and the interest of governments to prevent terrorist attacks.
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/116409.html
Ответом на взрыв в Домодедово и в целом на террористическую угрозу будут тотальный
мониторинг мобильной связи, интернета и соц.сетей.
Тут смыкается главный тренд мировой экономики - опережающий рост ICT-сектора,
и интерес правительств предотвращать теракты.
2011/01/21
Минэкономики Россия признало расточительность
Поразительные цитаты из официальной Стратегии развития России http://www.economy.gov.ru/minec/activity/sections/innovations/doc20101231_016
За годы с 2003 по 2008 экспорт высокотехнологической продукции из России упал почти вдвое (с 0,45% до 0,25% от мирового экспорта) ...
"Низкими остаются и удельные показатели научной результативности. Так, в Сингапуре на одну статью в международно признанных изданиях приходится 3,6 активных исследователя, в Германии и Франции - 3,5 исследователей, в Аргентине - 5,8, в Японии – 9,2. В России этот показатель составляет 16,4 (в Китае, для сравнения, 13,2)."
"При этом «стоимость» одной российской публикации (соотношение внутренних затрат на исследования и разработки и общего числа научных публикаций) росло в 2000х гг. опережающими темпами и составляла уже в 2008 г. 848 тыс. долл. США по сравнению, например, с 221 тыс. долл. США в Польше
http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/01/russia-is-science-outsider.html
За годы с 2003 по 2008 экспорт высокотехнологической продукции из России упал почти вдвое (с 0,45% до 0,25% от мирового экспорта) ...
"Низкими остаются и удельные показатели научной результативности. Так, в Сингапуре на одну статью в международно признанных изданиях приходится 3,6 активных исследователя, в Германии и Франции - 3,5 исследователей, в Аргентине - 5,8, в Японии – 9,2. В России этот показатель составляет 16,4 (в Китае, для сравнения, 13,2)."
"При этом «стоимость» одной российской публикации (соотношение внутренних затрат на исследования и разработки и общего числа научных публикаций) росло в 2000х гг. опережающими темпами и составляла уже в 2008 г. 848 тыс. долл. США по сравнению, например, с 221 тыс. долл. США в Польше
http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/01/russia-is-science-outsider.html
Профессия будущего - eduprener - Entrepreneur of education
Еduprener - Entrepreneur of education - can create a maximum of one hour at least a separate course, although a online university and earn a teaching there. Deal with only a couple of mouse clicks. Uploading lessons, do some of them free, some - chargeable, announces webinars. Can conduct individual lessons, you can create a class at least 100 people. This is your university.
"Education of the Future - Education Without Walls, curriculum and scheduling," - says the founder of "Metaver" Dmitry Peskov said. He is a propagandist of the concept of tutors in education and I am confident that with the increase in the rate of consumption of knowledge, we need a consultant, and the focus of the educational process will shift to the mechanisms to choose the educational product. No less significant figure than the teacher, will be the one who will tell you where to find it and what course to join.
"Why today is full of companies offering help in choosing a mortgage, but not those who built to your individual educational track?" - Asks Ilya Savchuk, co-founder of "Soling". British startup Schoolofeverything engaged in settling pupils and teachers. Main idea - to search for the principle of proximity. In fact, pretty stupid to go to dance lessons in a nearby town. It is desirable that the teacher lived close and had good recommendations.
"Any added value created by the Internet refers to the distribution and personalization," - said Jose Ferreira, CEO and founder of the service Knewton
http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/01/education-of-future-education-throught.html
"Education of the Future - Education Without Walls, curriculum and scheduling," - says the founder of "Metaver" Dmitry Peskov said. He is a propagandist of the concept of tutors in education and I am confident that with the increase in the rate of consumption of knowledge, we need a consultant, and the focus of the educational process will shift to the mechanisms to choose the educational product. No less significant figure than the teacher, will be the one who will tell you where to find it and what course to join.
"Why today is full of companies offering help in choosing a mortgage, but not those who built to your individual educational track?" - Asks Ilya Savchuk, co-founder of "Soling". British startup Schoolofeverything engaged in settling pupils and teachers. Main idea - to search for the principle of proximity. In fact, pretty stupid to go to dance lessons in a nearby town. It is desirable that the teacher lived close and had good recommendations.
"Any added value created by the Internet refers to the distribution and personalization," - said Jose Ferreira, CEO and founder of the service Knewton
http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/01/education-of-future-education-throught.html
2011/01/20
Startups platforms are fastest growing niche!
Google Ventures backs LawPivot, a legal Q&A service for startups!
Q&A seems to be a hot area for startups right now, especially with the growing popularity of Q&A startup Quora. LawPivot isn’t shy about riding on Quora’s coattails, calling itself “Quora for legal”, but the LawPivot model is actually pretty different. Where Quora’s Q&A pages are open to the public, all your correspondence on LawPivot is private and confidential.
It’s pretty clear why a startup might want to use the site, but why are lawyers giving free advice? Vice president of business development and co-founder Nitin Gupta said it’s because they’re finding that the traditional ways for lawyers to network, such as speaking at conferences, are becoming less effective. Lawyers use LawPivot as a way to connect with potential clients, he said.
And that’s also where the startup might make money in the future. Like I said, the site is free for now, but Gupta said it might eventually charge both startups and lawyers. The startups might pay per month or per question, while lawyers might either pay to get into the service or for premium features.
Q&A seems to be a hot area for startups right now, especially with the growing popularity of Q&A startup Quora. LawPivot isn’t shy about riding on Quora’s coattails, calling itself “Quora for legal”, but the LawPivot model is actually pretty different. Where Quora’s Q&A pages are open to the public, all your correspondence on LawPivot is private and confidential.
It’s pretty clear why a startup might want to use the site, but why are lawyers giving free advice? Vice president of business development and co-founder Nitin Gupta said it’s because they’re finding that the traditional ways for lawyers to network, such as speaking at conferences, are becoming less effective. Lawyers use LawPivot as a way to connect with potential clients, he said.
And that’s also where the startup might make money in the future. Like I said, the site is free for now, but Gupta said it might eventually charge both startups and lawyers. The startups might pay per month or per question, while lawyers might either pay to get into the service or for premium features.
Рост венчурного рынка
В течение 2010 года на рынке венчурных инвестиций США состоялось 2792 сделок на сумму 23,7 млрд долл., что на 13% выше показателей 2009 года. Наибольшее число сделок – 37% от общего числа – пришлось на интернет-проекты. Объём инвестиций в 2010 году вырос на 14%.
В 4-м квартале 2010 г. объем венчурных инвестиций в США достиг максимума за последние 8 кварталов. При этом также максимального значения за последние 2 года достигло и число сделок, сообщается в отчете CB Insights.
В указанный период было осуществлено 735 сделок на общую сумму $6,5 млрд. По сравнению с 3-м кварталом прошлого года суммарный объем инвестиций вырос приблизительно на 12%.
Объем инвестиций в интернет-проекты вырос на 21%, в проекты "чистой" энергетики - на 7%, в проекты в области здравоохранения - на 2%. На интернет-проекты пришлось наибольшее число сделок - 37% от общего числа.
ПРогноз венчурной индустрии http://vsocial.livejournal.com/113279.html
В 4-м квартале 2010 г. объем венчурных инвестиций в США достиг максимума за последние 8 кварталов. При этом также максимального значения за последние 2 года достигло и число сделок, сообщается в отчете CB Insights.
В указанный период было осуществлено 735 сделок на общую сумму $6,5 млрд. По сравнению с 3-м кварталом прошлого года суммарный объем инвестиций вырос приблизительно на 12%.
Объем инвестиций в интернет-проекты вырос на 21%, в проекты "чистой" энергетики - на 7%, в проекты в области здравоохранения - на 2%. На интернет-проекты пришлось наибольшее число сделок - 37% от общего числа.
ПРогноз венчурной индустрии http://vsocial.livejournal.com/113279.html
2011/01/18
Десять девушек для Путина.
Сильвио Берлускони умеет ублажить как никто другой гостей своих резиденций, это давно известный и неоспоримый факт. Его версия заключается в том, что на «даче» в Аркоре он организовывал и организует «веселые забавы для друзей».
Прокуратура Милана считает, что эти забавы сопровождаются сексом с проститутками, среди которых есть и несовершеннолетние. Обо всем этом мы знали. Но до сих пор не было известно, что в последние часы 25 апреля, десяток прекрасных барышень для украшения неформального вечера, на котором почетным гостем был премьер-министр Российской Федерации Владимир Путин.
Чтобы пролить свет на этот вечер, нужно вспомнить о коротком визите Путина в Милан (ужин и ночевка). Протокол встречи между давними друзьями Путиным и Берлускони указывает на «полуофициальный» характер визита.
Ten girls for Putin. First, they hosted in Arcore, then a villa Dzhernetto, located nearby in Lezmo. The fact that Silvio Berlusconi is able to please like no other guests of their residences, it has long known and indisputable fact. His version is that the "cottage" in Arcore he organized and organizes "fun to play for friends." Milan prosecutor's office believes that these are accompanied by fun having sex with prostitutes, some of whom are minors. About all that we knew. But until now it was not known that in the last hours of April 25, during the celebration of Liberation Day in Arcore besides Ruby was at least a dozen beautiful young ladies to decorate an informal evening at which the guest of honor was the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
To shed light on this evening, you need to remember a short visit to Putin in Milan (dinner and overnight). Minutes of a meeting between old friends Putin and Berlusconi points to the "semi-official" nature of the visit.
http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2011/01/17/news/berlusconi_putin_ragazze-11311688/
Прокуратура Милана считает, что эти забавы сопровождаются сексом с проститутками, среди которых есть и несовершеннолетние. Обо всем этом мы знали. Но до сих пор не было известно, что в последние часы 25 апреля, десяток прекрасных барышень для украшения неформального вечера, на котором почетным гостем был премьер-министр Российской Федерации Владимир Путин.
Чтобы пролить свет на этот вечер, нужно вспомнить о коротком визите Путина в Милан (ужин и ночевка). Протокол встречи между давними друзьями Путиным и Берлускони указывает на «полуофициальный» характер визита.
Ten girls for Putin. First, they hosted in Arcore, then a villa Dzhernetto, located nearby in Lezmo. The fact that Silvio Berlusconi is able to please like no other guests of their residences, it has long known and indisputable fact. His version is that the "cottage" in Arcore he organized and organizes "fun to play for friends." Milan prosecutor's office believes that these are accompanied by fun having sex with prostitutes, some of whom are minors. About all that we knew. But until now it was not known that in the last hours of April 25, during the celebration of Liberation Day in Arcore besides Ruby was at least a dozen beautiful young ladies to decorate an informal evening at which the guest of honor was the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
To shed light on this evening, you need to remember a short visit to Putin in Milan (dinner and overnight). Minutes of a meeting between old friends Putin and Berlusconi points to the "semi-official" nature of the visit.
http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2011/01/17/news/berlusconi_putin_ragazze-11311688/
2011/01/17
The difference between normal country - and corrupt countries
while in Russia and other corrupt countries, the authorities oppress people, and people make the revolution
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/111980.html
in Australia, peaceful farmers save kangaroos
2011/01/14
2011 Trends Forecast
1. experts forecasts rating (http://hodorkovski.blogspot.com/2011/01/sources-of-economic-forecasts-in-rating.html )
2. technologic trends.
Tеchnology Becomеs Ubiquitous. Tеchnоlоgy advеnces will change how consumers live their lives and perform everyday tasks. In addition, businesses will be transformed as a result of global growth of the Internet, high bandwidth clоud computing, advanced analytical tools and mobile services. For example, society will produce data at an unimaginable rate; harnessing its power will be a competitive differentiator globally, eliminating the concept of data overload. Statisticians and others who crunch and analyze data will be in short supply.
3.
2011 Consumer Trends Forecast
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/111568.html
2. technologic trends.
Tеchnology Becomеs Ubiquitous. Tеchnоlоgy advеnces will change how consumers live their lives and perform everyday tasks. In addition, businesses will be transformed as a result of global growth of the Internet, high bandwidth clоud computing, advanced analytical tools and mobile services. For example, society will produce data at an unimaginable rate; harnessing its power will be a competitive differentiator globally, eliminating the concept of data overload. Statisticians and others who crunch and analyze data will be in short supply.
3.
2011 Consumer Trends Forecast
http://vsocial.livejournal.com/111568.html
2011/01/13
most relevant forecasts on venture prospects
Kurt Keilhacker (TechFund Capital):
“We are witnessing some tectonic technological shifts that are just in their infancy."
Sandy Miller (Institutional Venture Partners):
“We have returned to a health. There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel!”
Graham Burnette (Red Planet Capital) and Jeb Miller (JAFCO Ventures):
“We're seeing the availability of quality entrepreneurs and an improving exit environment combine to help reignite interest in building new companies around emerging opportunities in digital media, cloud computing, health IT and green IT.
We believe that we are in the midst of a very exciting time.”
Outlook on venture prospects 2011
“We are witnessing some tectonic technological shifts that are just in their infancy."
Sandy Miller (Institutional Venture Partners):
“We have returned to a health. There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel!”
Graham Burnette (Red Planet Capital) and Jeb Miller (JAFCO Ventures):
“We're seeing the availability of quality entrepreneurs and an improving exit environment combine to help reignite interest in building new companies around emerging opportunities in digital media, cloud computing, health IT and green IT.
We believe that we are in the midst of a very exciting time.”
Outlook on venture prospects 2011
2011/01/12
Review of investment prospects
http://futurerating.blogspot.com/2011/01/vc-prospects-outlook.html
What industries are more promising on basic and scientific points of view??
1. Bio-technology
New possibilities for step-by-step regulation of processes for cells growing and development have appeared. For correction of cells growing processes the remedies of gene's therapy, containing chemical compounds of selective effect activating or deactivating simultaneously genes and their groups in big number of cells, were begun to apply for the first time. In such a way, a controlled step-by-step fulfillment of the stated program of growing and cellular tissue or the whole organ was performed. Cultivation of artificial organs out of the human body was a good ground on which the technologies of stepwise regulation of the processes of growing and development for the biological matter by remedies of gene's therapy were developed.
Knowledge received as a result of mutual work of scientists and enthusiasts from many countries of the world was impudently used in military laboratories for perfecting the genetic weapons. Elaboration of "genetic bullets" was a back side of perfection process of gene's therapy products. It was always easier to disable and destroyed the human body than to create and bring it through. The developed genetic weapon opened the perspectives for domination on the whole Earth, besides it cost less than development of perfected products of genetic regulation for medical purposes. Because of this, work at elaboration of genetic weapons was permanently carried out in military offices using the best facilities not saving money on this, in tens of world countries. Besides the number of existing ways of making the human being dead, added tens of new, insidious and choice ones. Genetic weapon, able to influence the different levels of biological matter organization and also to disable the cells, tissues and human organs and to destroy any animal and vegetable organisms, became a reality. Its application was impeded and even prohibited by existing conventions, international agreements and contracts, which also concerned the other kinds of massive weapons. But risk of world catastrophe, as a consequence of this fact of such weapon existing, has multiple increased. Free movement of gene's therapy products plus professional knowledge of unconscionable scientists could give birth to makeshift means of genetic humiliation and extermination of human being. At the end of the decade the first cases of acts of terrorism using the "genetic bullets" and other kinds of genetic weapons were stated. Special services of the leading countries of the world and power transnational companies could use individually developed "genetic poisons" able to kill selectively the definite person, turn him to disable person or a mad one.
The cases of ruffian appliance of self-made chemical compounds, negatively influenced on genes of the human body, became more frequent. Primarily not being aiming at people killing that phenomenon was just the same that creation of computer viruses, synthesis of makeshift explosive devices, etc., but application of such chemical compounds led to people death more frequently. Access to up-to-date knowledge and technologies together with peculiarities of human psychics and in accordance with theory of chances postulates gave birth to horrible technological chimeras which were death dangerous for mankind, but satisfying the complacent ambitions of unrecognized "genies".
Practice of preventive cultivation of the most important organs and tissues in case of their damaging in extreme situations, became ordinary for top-echelon representatives and also for not big special offices, performing special missions, by which the risk of death damaging of the organism was very high. Considerable expenses for such purposes could allow only the economically developed and reach countries or international organizations, in particular such an approach was realized by United Nations for protection from acts of terrorism the statesmen and also the soldiers by providing the peacemaking missions.
The industrial selective technologies based on application of specific protein molecules (antibodies) gained wide expansion in the whole world. In such technologies selectivity principle, specific to complicated biological objects which determined selective immune response of the organism by penetration in it foreign substance, was effectively used. Antibodies produced by the organism for joining definite chemical compound, in theory could joint selectively the molecules of any substances and to do this the more effectively, the more complicated structure those substances had.
In practice, for creation of specific antibodies first a computer model of interaction this chemical compound and the models of protein molecules from existing database was developed for definite chemical compound. After preliminary variant choosing, some fitted molecular-applicants for antibody role were chosen after which it was a stage of chemical structure optimization of these protein molecules. The fact that all computative and analytical processes were carried out on the computer models but not on material objects, should not be forgotten. Power computer accompaniment made it possible to work with tens millions of variants of possible structuring for protein molecular and to choose the most optimal of them though all that process required very much time.
Works of creation the specific antibodies to different chemical compounds definitely functioning in animal or human body were parallel carrying out. By this the natural programs of creation the specific antibodies, created and developed in the process of evolution, were involved. The received results surely were reflected in the form of computer model and were accurately analyzed and detailed.
Both stated ways supplemented each other which promoted receiving quick and qualitative results. After the sought-for structural formula of protein molecule was defined, the gene engineers came to the matter with their specific methods. The ultimate purpose of their work was creation of nucleotides sequence coding the synthesis of given protein or, in another words, genes' groups able to produce the needed protein. Optimization of initial genes' group by methods of gene's engineering allowed gaining the desired results and ultimately synthesizing this protein molecule, which structure was defined in the process of computer modeling, as being the most optimal. Hereinafter mass quantity of specific protein molecules were produced by means of synthesis of protein in cells cultures.
Selective technologies were applied firstly for extraction of rare or expensive chemical compounds out of solutions of small concentration and polluted solutions of different origin. In medical sphere and pharmacy they were applied for the purpose of qualitative purification of biological solutions both in laboratory conditions and being a part of alive organisms that was a perspective innovation. One more sphere of appliance was extraction out of natural and artificial solutions of considerable quantities of chemical compounds of mass application.
Cost price for extraction of big quantities of useful substances, specific durable proteins able to regenerate their properties, were constructed. As a rule, the protein molecules were chemically mounted to inert ceramic substrate, performing constructional and protective functions.
Attention was paid by the scientists to studying the evolutionary developments of the Nature. In such a way, studying sea organisms, concentrated in themselves the separate chemical elements and compounds, made possible to decode the structure of some proteins selectively joint with these or those components, dissolved in sea water. Optimization of computer models and construction of optimal consequences of nucleotides has led to producing the artificial microorganisms, producing industrial quantities of protein molecules able to join selectively some useful components from water solutions. The first candidates to being extracted from sea water were noble and rare-earth metals. Possibility of production of radioactive elements out of natural and technological water solutions for using them in energetic and military installations was of interest. This task could hardly be realized in practice. High radioactivity reduced the effectiveness of functioning the protein molecules and led to their quick destruction owing to intense radiochemical effect on atoms of compounding elements. Application of protein molecules for enrichment and concentration of radioactive elements required producing additional repair and life-support systems of these protein molecules.
Performing of new additional functions required transition on the next level of complexity, namely the level of the simplest organism which combined in itself the technological and supporting its own existence activities.
It seemed that with the help of selective technologies it would become possible to extract from not aggressive solutions of any substances, soon. But still such alluring result would be the business of tomorrow. Reality of today was constructing protein molecules with set properties for which the scientific technological preconditions existed. Difficulties began at interdependence of nucleotides consequences which coded the synthesis of complicated protein molecules because of insufficiency of data about interactions of "gene - protein" type to operate certainly with such built blocks, as genes. That's why by constructing protein molecules of selective effect, the decoded natural nucleotides consequences coding the close analogues of constructing molecules, were taken as the basis.
Efflorescence of biochemistry, cytology, gene's engineering, catalytic chemistry and other sciences based on appliance of substances properties was predetermined by good possibilities of computer modeling, based on powerful computers and perfected software. As a nearest perspective the new integral technology, namely computer constructing of substance with set properties, was seen. The notion "substance" was to be understood both inorganic compounds and objects of organic chemistry inclusive complex and hypercomplex compounds, participating in biochemical reactions of alive organisms. The main task of such integral technology was improvement and optimization of chemical processes, production of new improved substances and reactions by means of maximal application of substance properties. Development of new chemical compounds and reactions in virtual sphere allowed to get along without hundred millions of nature experiments, saving by this the resources and time of the whole Earth, reducing the terms required for creation these or those material comforts.
The task of complete computer model development for human living cell was the most difficult among tasks, which there was necessary for humanity to solve during the whole history of scientific researches. The perfect knowledge (truth) about principles and mechanisms for human living cell functioning and organization gave for humanity the real instruments for the universe rearrangement. The complete computer model of human organism cell includes a huge evolution potential and predetermined the prospects for computer model development of higher order – the level of functioning tissues, organs and organism in the whole. The understanding of cell model evolution laws gave the possibility to work off preventively not for a while yet theoretical conception about optimization, human living cell improving, and in especial cases to design the elements for tissues optimization of functional systems and the organism in the whole.
Already the first results of metabolic reactions study for intracellular metabolism products led the researchers to conclusions about bad compatibility of coterminous in a cell substances and reactions, that made worse cell functioning in process of it's vital functions. That's why the questions of optimization for metabolic reactions and designing of improved functional intracellular components promised to become extremely in current importance in the near future.
The beginning of the decade was marked by considerable growth of applied researches by crops optimization, were being important for man. The "computer selections' " approaches, based on complete information about agricultural plants genetic texts made possible to create computer optimized genomes with high degree of accuracy. The examination of designed computer genomes occasionally at practice took more time then the processes of their optimization and designing. The terms of plant cultivation were altogether some months, and this allowed to eliminate very quickly the incorrect perilous variants and to concentrate efforts on perspective models. Even the first practical results were stunning. Twofold increase of crop yield, received due to plants genome improving by the natural genes of closely related plants by means of gene engineering approaches, became real revolution in agriculture. If add hereto such qualities of optimized plants as steadiness to negative weather factors and to agricultural pests, and also self-sustainability in mineral fertilizers supply, then become apparent, that initiate processes may lead in the near future to serious social consequences across the globe. One of these consequences, as thought, may be the economical specialization and fully formed economy structure change of many third world countries, the plant products exporters.
By the end of decade new optimized plants varieties, which have unique features, fell down as from cornucopia. The plants as experimental subject proved to be the auspicious material for realization of the very audacious intentions of scientists. The "computer selection" process for new varieties took one-two weeks of work in simple cases, and it was required some months in complex cases. The optimized genome assembly for experimental plant in laboratory environment took approximately the same time. The growing of new variety on the soil took about some months. In any case it was taken not more a year from the moment of computer model creation for optimized genome till the moment of the obtained living plants examination in accordance with planned features.
Dozen thousands experts, worked in plant optimizing industry, during a year of work could deliver the dozen thousands of new varieties to the world market of all known agricultural plants. So imposing steam of new plants varieties brought considerable uncertainty in the future of agricultural business, threatened with being without job for millions of agricultural manufactures. There was a real risk for optimized inherited material ingress into biosphere and its further fortuitous invasion into genomes of those plants and organisms, which were not assumed to be subject for any improvement. Just such anxiety became the main limiting factor for mass implementation of optimized plants. Just therefore each new variety was exposed to prolonged and careful researches. In the general case there was the situation when the science could cardinally change the plant cultivation in agriculture, but had to restrain its possibilities because of reasonable apprehensions concerning the uncontrolled of optimized genetic material spread.
Such problems appeared also in such spheres where there were used the optimized by natural genes yeasts, fungi, microorganisms. At first instance it was concerned the process, food and pharmaceutical branches of industry.
Simultaneously with improving process of already known agricultural plants in scientific establishments of many countries, there was implemented the process of designing by means of "computer selection" technologies not any more new useful plants but new species of plants, possessed of useful numerous features. These works predetermined soon serious changes in world agricultural industry. The designing of new plants species was a lot more difficult work, then the creation of new varieties because of it required mutual coordination for genetic texts fragments of different earth flora species. For usability there were developed general flowcharts "genes group (gene) - feature" for all explored plants. Dozen thousands of flowcharts were reduced to a unitary standards all information, being received by different sciences. To create the new plants species with prescribed features it was required to select the genes groups, responsible for these features, and to coordinate them inter se as well as with inherited material of base plant. The apparent simplicity of designing principle for new species practically turned into the most complicated problem for genetic engineering, cytology and programming, as however any innovative work, inasmuch as required the account of thousands earlier unknown interrelations and factors.
Different floras on our planet and million years of natural selection led to that plants occupied the ecological existence niches in wide range of temperature, humidity, illumination and chemical agents concentrations. That's why it was quite really the creation of new plants species in the near future, which could to fructify and be in progress in any climatic region of the Earth, excluding may be Antarctica and Far North.
The problem-solving process, related to animal genome optimization, developed enough interesting. If at the beginning of the century it was seemed that the main purpose of animals genome optimization was the human want satisfaction in food, clothes, medicaments, then later just a decade the problem became to look otherwise. Farm animals turning into single-purpose biological machines for manufacturing of food stuff and pharmaceuticals, which was technologically feasible and real, was lay over without day.
At bottom of this decision it was put the ethical and practical considerations. The genetics fantastic possibilities came in collision with ethics and moral of human society. Protected by healthy conservatism the mankind moral values determined the weighted and careful attitude to the revolutionary changes in any human life activity sphere. The intervention in genotype of animals, especially mammals, touched upon the fully formed system of moral values, devaluated in the eyes of community the human being himself. Moreover the considerable part of Earth population regarded the human being as the work of God.
In addition there was a known hazard of optimized hereditary material ingress into genotypes of other animals kinds with possible negative consequences. Some more annoying part of experimentations with animals was the necessity to do away with numerous failed samples, many of which could be successfully used in horror films. The numerous arguments, called for caution, formed the public opinion, which was expressed in old Russian proverb "Measure thrice and cut once".
Simultaneously the new conception arose, which in the near term could lead to problem solving for optimization of animals genome for human being wants satisfaction without prejudice to traditional moral and ethics. It was consisted in food staffs perfection. The final cause, according to new conception, was taken to be the receiving of new, had been no earlier, food stuffs, on the ground of optimized and artificial plants and microorganisms. There was set a problem before scientists to replace animal food (first of all, certainly, the meat) for plant products. At the same time it was automatically interposed a veto for new product type degradation. Such conception provided a powerful impetus for sciences, concerned with plants study. Some of maritime states had created national research programs, oriented to study and optimization of sea organisms, including fish. The optimization experiments for fish genome turned out to be that compromise between the possibilities of science and engineering, on the one hand, and moral and ethics requirements on the other. The financial capital and scientific potential, temporarily had laid aside the questions of farm livestock optimization, switched to financing and execution of study for sea organisms genetic material.
In the whole the further problem solving of human society nutrition from the position of new conception was seen through the genome optimization and improving of human organism itself, at first by natural genes and then by artificial. The human being, having an optimized genome, as it was seemed, will be satisfied with less food volume and use food with higher performance index. Later on it was presumed that categories food and energy will more and more grow apart.
The contemporary human being needs in more protein quantity for his organism construction and upkeep. The energy demands of human being organism traditionally are covered by means of fats and carbohydrates. The nutrition for the improving human being of the future will be turned to the same wants satisfaction, in other words for upkeep of his own body structure under up state and for energy receiving to ensure the metabolism. At that necessary energy may be received thanks to processing of new energy agents, new energy food stuffs, and it is possible that supply of protein will be replaced by supply of amino acids, which will be in unconjugated form in such food stuffs.
The practical application of knowledge about implementation arrangements for hereditary information promoted the solution of many medicine problems. By the end of the second decade it became possible by new medicines of individual and narrow directional effect to cure the majority of known hereditary diseases directly in human organism. There were not produced the medicine preparations for some hereditary diseases because of these diseases rare manifestations. In many cases economics had the last word, inasmuch as costs for researches and development of new medicines didn't lead to the following payback of expired costs because of sluggish demand for these medicines.
In the past decades there was obtained the extensive experience of practical correction for defective genes directly in human organism cells. The first experiments often finished by rejection of new preparations, used for correction and cure of defective genes.
2. Computer-modeled new materials
The technology of computer designing of new substances were developed in many single existing models (levels of common space of virtual modeling), used in genetics, pharmacy, catalytic chemistry and other sciences. For combination of all worked experience within the framework of one technology the computer facilities in hundred millions teraflop and standard software allowing to work with different data basis a number of which were formed on the basis of specialized and local programs, were required.
Technological decisions used by producing volume micro schemes, particularly application of catalytic and absorption matrixes for creation of materials with set properties began to be widely applied in different industry branches. The notion "materials with set properties" itself was very capacious in its content. It includes both highly purified chemical elements and compounds, and materials with complex structure, taken on their basis. Functional organic tissues, production of which by methods of molecular assembly was the matter of coming decades, were also determined by this notion. Various combinations of requirements to materials with set properties defined complexity of their space structure, chemical composition, purity of the applied chemical elements and compounds and also the technological nuances. Against a background of number of such tasks, production of "computer" substance was not very difficult task, but was not also very easy. By production of a number of materials with set properties more complicated technologies than by production of "computer" substance, were used. And on the contrary, some materials with set properties could be received quickly and in big quantities.
Scientists and technologists paid attention to improvement and development of new ceramic materials. Perspective was both getting pure ceramic powder for further baking and production of ready-made parts and half-finished material. Interest to ceramics was explained by big variety of ceramic materials (metal ceramics, glass ceramics, polymer ceramics, etc ), wide diapason of their chemical-physics properties and, correspondently, wide sphere of application. One of the leading directions was production of ceramic conductors, possessing above conductivity at room temperature.
It was possible to get such properties by means of ordering the inner structure of ceramic materials, introduction of additional calculated chemical compounds and providing the definite purity of the components, etc. Another trend was production of ceramics with set properties for their application as constructional materials in machinery-building, aviation, space machinery-building and military science. Big variety of ceramic materials having different combinations of physics-mechanical properties was required for these industry branches. Such properties were ultimate heat resistance, wear life, chemical inertness, hardness, plasticity, durability and many others. Another main customer of special ceramics was the medicine. For medicine demands the durable and biologically inert materials for implantation, teeth and bones substitutes and also the constructional materials for artificial organs compatible with mechanical and cybernetic devices were required. Methods of industrial producing the molecular hydrogen were eagerly working our by the scientists of many countries that was explained by the fact that it was risk of depletion of renewable energetic resources. The most perspective was an approach realized in nature as the first stage of photosynthesis that was decomposition of water molecules under sun energy. The most perspective on this way was creation of artificial catalysts able to decompose water molecules using the ambient energy. By the end of the decade the researches had the first successes. Studying the mechanisms of natural photo catalysts reactions, known as photosynthesis reactions, favor producing tens of structural different photosensibilizers – substances repeated the first stage of photosynthesis, namely performing water decomposition on molecular hydrogen and oxygen. Their appliance in laboratory facilities made possible to perform photocatalyst water decomposition in conditions of natural day lightening. Separate samples of photosensibilizers had high resistance and did not require the renewal during two or three weeks. High efficiency coefficient of artificial photocatalytist systems of water decomposition, calculated as relation of burn heating of received hydrogen to the value of used sun energy. In some cases this coefficient reached fifteen percent that was a very high result and allowed the transition to industrial production of molecular hydrogen.
The working out of improved photocatalysts having in general view the results of computer modeling and constructing was intensively realizing. Made on calculated principles, these chemical compounds effected decomposition of water on the basis of non existed in nature photochemical reactions. Invention of effective artificial photocatalysts for producing hydrogen out of water demanded many complicated calculations and this process was very laborious. At the end of the decade a qualitative leap in technologies of computer designing took place that led to making the whole series of effective photocatalysts. Artificial chemical compounds were represented as complex molecules with developed space structure which maximal effective influenced the detachment of hydrogen atom from water molecular. Detachment effect was based on creation around hydrogen atom the local space with calculated arrangement of electronic density and on usage of photons energy. New photocatalysts possessed the high efficiency coefficient of only some percents that was not enough, but they had also considerable advantages such as inertness to the most chemical compounds, duration, and possibility of usage the energy of low energetic photons (red light). Further development of such photocatalysts had good perspectives for production of industrial quantities of hydrogen in cold seasons and also in morning and evening hours when sun light looses its intensiveness and highenergetic component.
3. Green energy
In the process of scientific and technical achievements of the last years, the raw-material base of the world energetic altered its structure and displaced in side of molecular hydrogen application. Photocatalyst method of producing the molecular hydrogen out of water had one more important positive aspect except the known ecologic advantage (product of hydrogen combustion in oxygen was water). By application of newly received hydrogen combustible waste of sun energy saved in hydrogen molecules and accumulated and extracted into atmosphere in real time.
The appliance of such energy resources as gas, fuel, coil, peat led to extraction of heat energy accumulated for millions years ago into atmosphere that destructed the existed heat balance of the earth. In such a way, mass usage of hydrogen in energetic excluded additional heating of atmosphere as it was in case of using natural energetic carries and led only to insignificant rearrangement of sun energy in space and time.
Hydrogen application in energetic was in general justified from the point of view of ecology. But there were also some negative aspects, one of which was inevitable pollution of atmosphere with oxides of nitrogen, as a result of usage as oxidizing substance not pure oxygen but non-prepared air. For this problem solving it was required to work out additional systems of supply the hydrogen energetic installations with purified oxygen. It, in its turn, required the working out of new and development of already existed membrane technologies.
Besides it was required to work out and create many new machines, mechanisms and technologies, solve the safety problems by storage, transportation and usage of hydrogen fuel. It can not be said, that they were nor researched subjects and trends. Works on transition the transport, aviation and energetic were performed. Appearance of possibility to produce cheap hydrogen accelerated these researches and works. In short terms the scientists offered some new technologies of hydrogen storage. As the basic one the technology of hydrogen storage in intermolecular spaces of chemical compounds was taken. For this purpose both natural zeolites undergone improvement and new spongy materials of molecular assembly were used. The above mentioned materials were chemically neutral in relation to hydrogen and at the same time were some kinds of vessel obstructing the spontaneous outlet of light gas into atmosphere. Also for hydrogen storage as being chemically compound the alloys on the basis of lanthanum, titanium, nickel and some other metals were used.
The most perspective happened to be storage of hydrogen in nanotubes out of carbon, the space structure of which was modified by the compounds of lanthanum, titanium, nickel and some other metals. Such technology made possible to storage the molecular hydrogen under pressure inside the carbon nanotubes having inside parameters comparable with the ones of hydrogen molecules. By this, it was harmoniously combined both the mechanical holding of hydrogen molecules and their chemical compounding. Such an original method of gas storage allowed to accumulate the hydrogen in special collectors with density being hundreds hold less than gas density in liquid phase. Besides it turned to be not very difficult the method of gas extraction out of collectors of new generation based on ultrasonic or electromagnet influence.
Parallel occurred the development of hydrogen fuel elements, making the energy of hydrogen combustion directly into electrical energy. Samples of every-day devices with power of twenty-five kW and efficiency up to eighty-five percent appeared to be sold.
In such a way, during the only one decade of human history all perspectives for transition the world energetic on hydrogen fuel and also for mass usage in technologies of many production lines had appeared. The principle difficulties of production and storage of inflammable gases were overcome. Rework and improvement of photocatalysts, equipment and servicing infrastructure predetermined soon improvement of ecological state of the whole earth and also the improvement of existence conditions of earth civilization. The intense and at the same time interesting work guaranteed to all participants of scientific-technical progress.
Robot technique has intensively developed. High interest from the side of publicity to the first domestic robots promoted the inflow of financial and staff resources into robot technique and near branches. This led to quick perfection of the produced items, inclusive the domestic robots. Technical evolution of domestic robots was conducted in two directions. The first one of them was creation of effective and perfect housekeeper able to perform the most different household functions. Appearance of these mobile robots was identified by their functional destination and could be of various shapes.
Such mechanical helpers provided with power processor and flexible software were able to do some work about the house which was not difficult, namely vacuum- and furniture clean, gather things, dust, put out the rubbish, open and close the doors and the windows and control safety inside the house. Progenitors of such universal domestic helpers were classical robots, which were electro-mechanical devices intended for fulfilling not complicated functions (some operations).
The progenitors of the second trend in development of domestic robots were computers. Evolution of every-day computer led to appearance of secretary-robot. The particular thing of secretary-robot was the fact that in process of its functioning it did not require executed mechanisms. Secretary-robot was of intellectual weight on providing the human needs. For example, having studied the habits, tastes and preferences of the definite person it could selectively take from television, computer network, electronic libraries and other sources information the definite human was interested in and prepare it in form of a report. Besides, it could send and get correspondence, speak on the phone, talk with visitors, play with children, go shopping and make payments. General shape of this not moving device was like a personal computer shape of which was chosen according to the owner's desire. As a matter of fact, that was an evolutionary product of traditional computers equipped with numerous controllers and connected with many informational networks.
Production of micro robots was distinguished in separate trend. Their mass production was oriented on consumption by different industry branches. The most developed mini robots from micro ones worked at molecular assembling of materials with set properties. Micro robots of bigger sizes were used for controlling and repair of pipelines, reactors in energetic, chemical and pharmacological industry. The first experiments of micro robots using in medicine for investigation and surgical operations with human body were conducted. The separate trend was development and production of mini robots for military and special purposes. More than forty various types of micro robots were designed for the purpose of arming and military technique of the enemy disablement. In their number the robots with such exotic functions as screening of transmitting and receiving antennas, chocking of guns during battles, creation of decoys, delivery of corrosion catalysts to the key units of enemy's weaponry, etc.
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