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Blog » Archive for June, 2007

Venture Capital for MicroFinance: Chris Brookfield (Part 8)

Uncategorized | June 28th, 2007 | No Comments

To conclude the interview, I ask about Africa. The general political instability has created an environment which makes it difficult for microfinance investments. However, you have to wonder if some socio-economic stability would not provide increased political stability? A vicious cycle exists, but can it not be concerted into more of a virtuous cycle?
SM: What […]

Israel – Deal(s) of the Month (June 2007)

Uncategorized | June 28th, 2007 | No Comments

By Danny Cohen, Guest Author
Starting this July, I will be reviewing every month one or two key venture investments that were done in Israel. The idea is try to present the local Israeli hi-tech scene through representative venture investments. Overall, June was a very active month on the Israeli scene (Examples include Optier and Exanet), […]

Google Great at Monetizing Crap

Uncategorized | June 27th, 2007 | 5 Comments

I had lunch with the co-founders of an ad network startup on Thursday. I will keep their identities anonymous, but I cannot help quoting one of them, as he put his finger on one of the biggest problems plaguing Google AdSense: It is great at monetizing crap, but offers absolutely no premium for high quality […]

SAP and Enterprise 3.0

Uncategorized | June 27th, 2007 | 2 Comments

Over numerous articles in the past, I have talked about some emerging players, which are redefining the enterprise software landscape. These players are working on cutting-edge applications, which bring vital, but non-core entities like vendors, suppliers, and even customers within the folds of the enterprise. And these applications are being delivered on-demand without the baggage […]

Cracking the Online Video Monetization Nut: Adap.tv CEO Amir Ashkenazi (Part 6)

Uncategorized | June 27th, 2007 | 4 Comments

Next Amir describes the environment and concepts behind the founding of Adapt.tv. Having the seed money himself from his previous exit, he was able to move forward aggressively to seize a piece of an emerging market. This is a key element for entrepreneurs who are able to repeatedly experience success and is right in line […]

Venture Capital for MicroFinance: Chris Brookfield (Part 7)

Uncategorized | June 27th, 2007 | 4 Comments

Chris earlier brought up Compartamos, an MFI currently operating in Mexico. It seems they have a solid customer base and a very profitable business strategy – further proof of the validity of cash-positive microfinance business models.
SM: How many loans does Compartamos have ath the moment? CB: I think they have about 600,000 customers. I have […]

Mossberg’s iPhone Review: UI

Uncategorized | June 26th, 2007 | No Comments

Walt Mossberg of WSJ and a handful of other journalists have started publishing their iPhone reviews.
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The iPhone’s most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the screen, turned out in our tests to be a nonissue, despite our deep initial skepticism. After five days of use, Walt […]

Expedia: Buyback of Shares

Uncategorized | June 26th, 2007 | 1 Comment

Expedia (NASDAQ:EXPE) is the largest online travel content company, headquartered in Bellevue, WA. The Company through its portfolio of well-recognized brands like, Expedia.com, TripAdvisor.com, Hotwire.com, Hotels.com, Expedia Corporate Travel, Classic Vacations® and a range of other US-based and international businesses that provide travel products and services to leisure and corporate travelers.
The Company is the fourth […]