'venture capital' Category
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There’s only one market
February 3, 2018There’s only one market. –Oki Matsumoto CEO of Monex Group I was speaking with a startup CEO the other day about a fresh new entrant company in his space that had just raised an ICO. This first CEO’s startup was kicking it old school, i.e. they had launched long before ICOs became a thing, had […]
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Why Europe should be on Japan’s corporate innovation agendas
January 21, 2018[This post paraphrases an interview I gave last week to Japan’s ITmedia group. The original interview is here.] Over the past decade Europe has witnessed such a dramatic transformation in innovation and entrepreneurship that I submit that the region now represents one of the most compelling areas of the world for investment from Japan. This […]
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VC’s squirrels this year
January 16, 2018The Chairman of one my portfolio companies shared this with me the other day. The best jokes are those that touch closest to the truth, and this one is no exception.
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2018 predictions from insightful international investors
December 21, 2017Years ago I started publishing an annual list of technology predictions from global venture capitalists. By design, I deliberately chose VCs beyond the usual American household names, whose voices were not necessarily heard on the world stage. Last year all of the tech prognostications came from women VCs. Even (especially?) by Silicon Valley standards, this […]
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Bitcoin forecasting
December 15, 2017Would somebody please build a blockchain which immutably tracks the forecasts for the year-end bitcoin price from all these self-annointed pundits ?
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2017 Startup holiday gift guide
December 11, 2017Back by popular request, I’ve compiled a holiday gift guide featuring companies and projects in which I’ve invested or have been involved in some form. La Belle Assiette. Host your family and/or friends to a delicious dinner party prepared by a professional chef at your home with La Belle Assiette. Here are some free credit […]
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State of European Tech 2017 (spoiler: it’s male)
December 5, 2017If you haven’t had an opportunity to review Atomico’s annual report on the State of European Tech, I encourage you to take a look. The brief is loaded with valuable insight into Europe’s innovation ecosystem, a sector no longer overlooked by entrepreneurs and investors globally. Two incontrovertible conclusions leapt out at me from this analysis: […]
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A closer look at the Howey Test, and what it might mean for your ICO ambitions
November 30, 2017So you’re thinking of launching an ICO ? Although the regulatory framework governing ICOs varies by country and is still emerging, the U.S. Government has indicated that it will apply the Howey Test in determining whether your token is a security or not. If your intent is to avoid running afoul of the U.S. Federal […]
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This year I’m thankful for… Lawyers (seriously)
November 23, 2017I know this reads like a headline out of The Onion, but I’m not being sarcastic (for once!). Over recent weeks I’ve experienced working with some incredible attorneys who have gone the extra mile in challenging situations. For anyone who needs a referral to extraordinary legal minds in the VC/corporate finance/startup universe, I will be […]
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Consider unintended consequences to reduce confirmation bias
November 10, 2017The CEO of one of my previous portfolio companies and I held a vigorous debate a while back about an acquisition he wanted to make. This incident occurred a long time ago, but it lately returned to top of mind for me as I witness the hand-wringing over Facebook’s role in supporting fake Russian profiles […]
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Japanese government statement on ICOs
November 4, 2017Almost as if reinforcing the point about constructive regulation, Japan’s Financial Services Authority published a statement yesterday on ICOs. The brief statement (full statement in english here) warns interested investors of the risks of ICOs: price volatility and fraud potential. The FSA helpfully invites inquires via email. “A certain token issued in an ICO falls […]
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Japan: Bitcoin #1 now in paperback
October 28, 2017For those of you who prefer paperbacks over e-books (like me), Japan: Bitcoin #1 is now available on Amazon in paperback form in most major markets. Profits from the sale of this book are directed to rebuilding efforts in Japan’s Tohoku region. I’d like to reiterate my appreciation to the numerous people who helped make […]