Highlights http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/ Highlights Midgard Components Framework - de.linkm.newsticker U.S. Venture Capitalists investing less U.S. Venture Capitalists investing less http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/u-s--venture-capitalists-investing-less.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/u-s--venture-capitalists-investing-less.html Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:55:11 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Third quarter venture capital flowing to startups totaled $7.1 billion, a 9 percent decline from the same period in 2007. Third quarter venture capital flowing to startups totaled $7.1 billion, a 9 percent decline from the same period in 2007. This was the largest decrease since the spring of 2003, when the industry was still recovering from losses sustained in the dot-com bust. Entrepreneurs, who in the past, have been able to tap credit cards and home equity loans to bootstrap a start-up now find banks are imposing more restrictions on credit lines. full article - Associated Press Third quarter venture capital flowing to startups totaled $7.1 billion, a 9 percent decline from the same period in 2007. This was the largest decrease since the spring of 2003, when the industry was still recovering from losses sustained in the dot-com bust.

Entrepreneurs, who in the past, have been able to tap credit cards and home equity loans to bootstrap a start-up now find banks are imposing more restrictions on credit lines.

full article - Associated Press

]]> Indian Start-Ups Become More Attractive to Venture Firms Indian Start-Ups Become More Attractive to Venture Firms http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/indian-start-ups-become-more-attractive-to-venture-firms.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/indian-start-ups-become-more-attractive-to-venture-firms.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:18:43 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) India has been the hot new place for United States venture investors for a couple of years now, attracting billions of dollars in venture capital. Are there enough promising companies to use all that cash? India has been the hot new place for United States venture investors for a couple of years now, attracting billions of dollars in venture capital. Are there enough promising companies to use all that cash? For the most part, the companies seeking venture financing in India have been middle- to late-stage companies, not true start-ups like those that get financed in the United States. There are simply not enough start-ups to absorb the capital, so investors have focused on older companies. That is slowly changing, Mr. Saxena said, as “a little trickle of start-up money is coming in. from New York Times India has been the hot new place for United States venture investors for a couple of years now, attracting billions of dollars in venture capital. Are there enough promising companies to use all that cash?

For the most part, the companies seeking venture financing in India have been middle- to late-stage companies, not true start-ups like those that get financed in the United States. There are simply not enough start-ups to absorb the capital, so investors have focused on older companies. That is slowly changing, Mr. Saxena said, as “a little trickle of start-up money is coming in.

from
New York Times

]]> A Brief History of Business Incubation in the U.S. A Brief History of Business Incubation in the U.S. http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/a-brief-history-of-business-incubation-in-the-u-s-.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/a-brief-history-of-business-incubation-in-the-u-s-.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:36:15 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) In our first year, one of our tenants was a chicken company which had about 400,000 chickens in 80,000 square feet of space. We were out on the road a lot of the time, trying to interest investors and attract companies to the center, and in a joking way, because of all the chickens, we started calling it 'the incubator." Business Incubation: A Brief History While there have always been shared spaces, services and management in the real estate market, business incubators as we now know them in the United States came into being in the late 1970's. The industry began in the industrial northeast, where the "rust-belt" economic conditions of the late 1970s and early 1980s prompted not only a renewed entrepreneurial spirit, but an emphasis on economic development and job creation. This emphasis resulted in three simultaneous movements. The first was the attempt to use old, abandoned factory buildings in distressed areas of the Midwest and Northeast by subdividing them for small firms; the second was begun as an experiment funded by the National Science Foundation to foster entrepreneurship and innovation at major universities. The third movement arose from the initiatives of several successful entrepreneurs or groups of investors who sought to transfer their own new venture experiences to new companies in an environment conductive to successful technological innovation and commercialization. -- Thomas Ressler, Business Incubators Economic Development in Local Government Business Incubation: A Brief History
While there have always been shared spaces, services and management in the real estate market, business incubators as we now know them in the United States came into being in the late 1970's.

The industry began in the industrial northeast, where the "rust-belt" economic conditions of the late 1970s and early 1980s prompted not only a renewed entrepreneurial spirit, but an emphasis on economic development and job creation.

This emphasis resulted in three simultaneous movements.

The first was the attempt to use old, abandoned factory buildings in distressed areas of the Midwest and Northeast by subdividing them for small firms; the second was begun as an experiment funded by the National Science Foundation to foster entrepreneurship and innovation at major universities.

The third movement arose from the initiatives of several successful entrepreneurs or groups of investors who sought to transfer their own new venture experiences to new companies in an environment conductive to successful technological innovation and commercialization.

-- Thomas Ressler, Business Incubators Economic Development in Local Government

]]> Startup Blog Startup Blog http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/startup-blog.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/startup-blog.html Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:00:07 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Looking to follow a software entrepreneur? Dharmesh Shah, Chief Software Architect and Founder of HubSpot in Boston blogs for entrepreneurs On Startups. Dharmesh Shah, Chief Software Architect and Founder of
HubSpot in Boston blogs for entrepreneurs On Startups.

]]> 30 Start-up Ideas 30 Start-up Ideas http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/30-start-up-ideas.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/30-start-up-ideas.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:53:36 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Y Combinator does seed funding, the earliest stage of venture funding, in amounts no more than $20,000. Here are some ideas they might fund. Paul Graham at Y Combinator has thirty ideas of things they would consider funding, including a "Start-up for Start-ups." Paul Graham at Y Combinator has thirty ideas of things they would consider funding, including a "Start-up for Start-ups."

]]> On software developers starting a business On software developers starting a business http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/on-software-developers-starting-a-business.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/on-software-developers-starting-a-business.html Thu, 29 May 2008 21:59:03 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Havoc Pennington, former Desktop lead engineer for Red Hat, says creating a small, sustainable business is an an alternative to working as an employee or starting a venture backed start-up. Havoc Pennington, former Desktop lead engineer for Red Hat, says creating a small, sustainable business is an an alternative to working as an employee or starting a venture backed start-up in his post, Choices For Software Developers. Havoc Pennington, former Desktop lead engineer for Red Hat, says creating a small, sustainable business is an an alternative to working as an employee or starting a venture backed start-up in his post, Choices For Software Developers.

]]> http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:45:20 +0200 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Business plan howlers Business plan howlers http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/business-plan-howlers-002.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/business-plan-howlers-002.html Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:23:13 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Luke Johnson, from Risk Capital Partners, writes in the Financial Times, "I spend a lot of my time studying business plans from entrepreneurs looking for investment. Many are impressive but some are ghastly. Among the worst offences are" Aggressive confidentiality clauses and an obsession with non-disclosure agreements. Overly technical documents. read full article Aggressive confidentiality clauses and an obsession with non-disclosure agreements.

Overly technical documents.

read full article

]]> The Open Source and Venture Capital Show The Open Source and Venture Capital Show http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/the-open-source-and-venture-capital-show.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/the-open-source-and-venture-capital-show.html Fri, 25 May 2007 05:11:34 +0300 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) Venture capital investment in Open Source start-ups continues to grow as illustrated by Larry Augustin. The level of VC investment flowing into Open Source is impressive and growing. Last year $481MM was raised by 48 startups. Since 2000 Open Source startups have raised over $1.9B in financing. Here are the last three years: 2004 $298MM 36 deals 2005 $306MM 41 deals 2006 $481MM 48 deals In his blog, Larry Augustin, VA Linux founder turned venture capitalist, predicts the number of venture capital investments in Open Source will remain level or decline in 2007 and 2008. illustrated by Larry Augustin.

The level of VC investment flowing into Open Source is impressive and growing. Last year $481MM was raised by 48 startups. Since 2000 Open Source startups have raised over $1.9B in financing. Here are the last three years:

2004 $298MM 36 deals
2005 $306MM 41 deals
2006 $481MM 48 deals


In his blog, Larry Augustin, VA Linux founder turned venture capitalist,
predicts the number of venture capital investments in Open Source will remain level or decline in 2007 and 2008.

]]> Start-ups more common in Europe Start-ups more common in Europe http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/start-ups-more-common-in-europe.html http://www.linuxgreenhouse.org/highlights/start-ups-more-common-in-europe.html Fri, 23 Feb 2007 00:31:40 +0200 ten@gnome.org (Tim Ney) After the dot-com bust, the number of European start-ups in the computer and telecommunications sectors began growing again in 2003, according to the Center for European Economic Research, in Mannheim, Germany. And venture capital is pouring into start- ups, attracting some $970 million last year, the highest level since the dot-com boom in 2000. AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France: Jacques Souquet had gone through several start-ups in Seattle, but he still was not entirely prepared for starting up a high-tech company in his native France. Full article from International Herald Tribune AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France: Jacques Souquet had gone through several start-ups in Seattle, but he still was not entirely prepared for starting up a high-tech company in his native France.

Full article from International Herald Tribune

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