AAA October 2013 – Page 6

Month: October 2013

The Clean Deal: Mining’s rich vein of clean-tech

The smart metals required by electric vehicles, second generation wind turbines and other clean technologies cannot be downloaded from the iTunes Store. Dysprosium and neodymium have to be extracted from the earths’ crust by mining companies.  You may have already known this. My teenage green-minded god-daughter did not.  Berating me for my work with the… Continue reading The Clean Deal: Mining’s rich vein of clean-tech

Board best practices

Corporate investors who wish to have more information about their investments have two choices: board member or board observer.  The authority and duties of board members are created primarily by corporate law, but the rights and duties of board observers are created by contract.  Many corporate investors choose to have a board observer rather than… Continue reading Board best practices

Early stage insights

The importance of early-stage investments should not be underappreciated. For example, as recently observed in the last quarterly Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index®  “approximately 49% of all job creation in the U.S. since the year 2000 has come in the areas of early and expansion stage businesses with early stage* investments experiencing a rise… Continue reading Early stage insights

Lessons from Ryanair, Aer Lingus

The UK Competition Commission [CC] recently published its report requiring Ryanair to sell-down its 29.82% stake in its competitor Aer Lingus. While acquisitions of minority shareholdings generally do not raise competition concerns, the CC’s decision and the current European Commission consultation on reviewing minority shareholdings indicate that antitrust review of minority shareholdings may become more… Continue reading Lessons from Ryanair, Aer Lingus

Down To Experience

Cloud computing.  Social media.  Smartphone apps.  By now, these will all be recognisable terms.  Part of the fabric of every day life.  Yet go back 15 years – perhaps even just half that time – and, for the majority of people, such phrases would mean very little.  Probably nothing at all. In a relatively short… Continue reading Down To Experience

Strategy debate moves to economic profit

A report by consultancy firm McKinsey out this month, is a boon for those who believe corporate venturing and open innovation can transform company fortunes, as it suggests companies which wish to deliver market beating value need to be quick to seize business opportunities.

Riken to raise $50m fund

Riken Innovation Capital, the investment unit of Japan scientific research organisation Riken, has already made a first close of $25m on a total fundraising target of $50 by the year’s end. The investment unit has already formed a partnership with Scotland, notably Scottish Enterprise, the country’s economic development agency, which will give the corporate venturing… Continue reading Riken to raise $50m fund

Alibaba leads $50m series C for Quixey

In its search for services that drive sales and services to its core e-commerce business, China-based Alibaba has led a series C round worth $50m in Quixey, a US-based search engine for software applications. Since its inception, Alibaba has developed and is now acquiring businesses in consumer e-commerce, online payment, business-to-business marketplaces and cloud computing, reaching Internet users in more than 240 countries and regions.

New York apple of Alibaba’s eye in new IPO talks

China e-commerce trading site, Alibaba, has had to change tactics and reconsider a listing for its much awaited IPO in the US, rather than closer to home in Hong Kong, it has been reported. News of the US listing consideration followed the Hong Kong stock exchange’s unwillingness to support the company’s ‘unusual management structure. Alibaba’s… Continue reading New York apple of Alibaba’s eye in new IPO talks