Greek Complexity

More Exits For Asian E-commerce Firms, But Valuations Still Small

Excerpt: "There has been a growing rate of exits happening for Asian e-commerce companies, but valuations remain small on average. Most are under the $50 million mark, according to CB Insights’ latest report."

More here: http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/11/more-exits-for-asian-e-commerce-firms-but-valuations-still-small/

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[Note to self] Advice for Dumb VCs

Wow, this guy is angry. But he makes sense too. Here's one non-Dumb VC he quotes in his post:

"The entrepreneurs who made me the most money are the ones that never called me back."

Counter-intuitive? Not really, once you read this post.

via founder of Bonobos Andy Dunn: Dear Dumb VC

Naren Gupta: For a CEO, Passion, Courage Trump Experience

http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2013/03/22/naren-gupta-for-a-ceo-passion-courage-trump-experience/

Naren Gupta of Nexus Venture Partners opines on the characteristics and behaviours that make for a good CEO and when an entrepreneur might decide to step down and bring in a CEO from the outside.

Why are terms of investments or acquisitions often not disclosed?

Here are some reasons why: http://www.linkedin.com/e/-86igng-hh88okw6-47/nua/s1445610994/http%3A%2F%2Fgoo%2Egl%2FN7U7i/XCnT/5744416305931382784/EML_nus_share-F1-2/?hs=false&tok=18PjV4Wwjgl5M1&trackinfo=updateId%2C5744416305931382784

In our part of the world, a few more reasons for not disclosing the terms of a sale include:

1. Cultural preference for keeping one's cards close to one's chest, not just in business but in life in general. The nail that sticks out, etc
2. A tendency for many entrepreneurs to see selling out as, well, selling out
3. Not wanting the neighbours, not to mention the taxman, to be aware of the details

Data really is scarce on the ground in Asia, much more so than in the US. The consequence of this, of course, is that people not in the know end up making poor estimates and assumptions, some downright stupid. When those assumptions start to spread in the market, it gets very hard for the original parties to correct the now prevalent misapprehensions.

The CEO’s Weekly Checklist

What should CEOs of young businesses do every week? Here's a great list. Not only for tech companies.

Excerpt: "As a first time CEO, there were times when I would sit at my desk and think, “What should I be doing today?” This feeling was especially strong after every financing round closed. After our seed round, we had defined the product and the engineers were coding it. I didn’t code."

More here: http://scott.a16z.com/2012/05/14/the-ceos-weekly-checklist/

Here is how Zopnow delivers orders in 3 hours in Bangalore

Excerpt: "As logistics continues to be a challenge to major ecommerce players, a tiny startup in Bangalore is promising intra city delivery in 3 hours. Zopnow, the grocery retailer has managed the feat. The online store, facilitates delivery of almost 95% orders within three hours!"

More here: http://www.nextbigwhat.com/zonow-express-delivery-297/

This is an auto-generated post from my reading list courtesy IFTTT. See http://ifttt.com

Schlep Blindness

Excerpt: "There are great startup ideas lying around unexploited right under our noses. One reason we don't see them is a phenomenon I call schlep blindness. Schlep was originally a Yiddish word but has passed into general use in the US. It means a tedious, unpleasant task."

More here: http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html

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Peter Thiel's 3 Rules for Starting a Business

Third rule: make sure ownership, possession and control are aligned. "Bonuses and cash salaries produce opportunities for misalignment. Salary caps are very important. A categorical rule of thumb that Founders Fund has developed is that no CEO should be paid more than $150,000 per year."

More: http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/peter-thiel-3-rules-for-starting-a-business.html

Governments should clear the decks and let entrepreneurs drive their own destinies

Excerpt: "Over the last ten years I have worked with something like 35 different government agencies in the UK, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. All are trying to support early stage business through economic intervention of some kind. I am struck by the fact that arguably the most successful country at entrepreneurship in the world — the United States — offers very little public support to entrepreneurs. It just clears the way for them to get on and do the job themselves."

More here: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/2013/04/16/why-governments-should-clear-the-air-with-less-entrepreneurial-initiatives/

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Why I Sold Zappos

Excerpt: "Tony Hsieh built his online shoe retailer into an e-commerce powerhouse. But with credit tightening and investors eyeing the exits, Hsieh was forced to ask: Was selling Zappos really the only way to save it? The first time Amazon.com tried to buy Zappos, we said no without even thinking."

More here: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100601/why-i-sold-zappos.html

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