Archive for August, 2008



无线广告——精准营销准确监测带来新的机会 Mobile advertising: Better measurement leads to new opportunities

Friday 29 August 2008 @ 10:53 am

This is the first of a series of posts on Mobile Advertising, coordinated by mobile freelancer Matthäus Krzykowski. At our Mobilebeat conference we identified Mobile Advertising as one of the hot segments in the industry. In private conversations, we learned about more and money pouring into the segment and decided to check it out further. For the first post we’ve asked Russell Buckley to give us an overview on Mobile Advertising.
Buckley is the Managing Director, Europe for AdMob Inc (an award winner at MobileBeat ), Global Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association and blogger at MobHappy.com. He’s spent nearly 10 years working on mobile marketing, overseeing thousands of campaigns for both large and small advertisers. Russell is also a regular speaker on mobile at conferences throughout the world and has published many articles, as well as a white paper on location based marketing.

Marketers have dabbled in mobile marketing for nearly 10 years now. Early experiments included “text and win” type of competitions, location-based coupons and outbound SMS campaigns, but at best, the results were variable and at worst, unimpressive.
Then, about 3 years ago, almost un-noticed, consumers started to access the web on their mobile phones in significant numbers. Today, consumers visit billions of mobile web pages every month in the US and throughout the world. This opened up an opportunity for a new phase of mobile advertising, as banner campaigns were possible and soon everyone from mobile content owners to big brands, including Ford, Jaguar, EA, Coca-Cola, BBC and Adidas, were getting impressive results and returning with more campaigns and more dollars.
While this has been happening, many of the traditional barriers to entry have fallen down, making mobile advertising easier to implement than ever before. One such barrier cited by new advertisers in mobile, including even those experienced in buying digital media, is that they find it difficult to work out how to effectively plan and buy a mobile web campaign. In practice, the basics are pretty simple, once you understand the principles and the value chain.

The industry landscape
Broadly speaking there are two main players in mobile that marketers need to know about, which we highlighted in orange in the following value chain diagram we created.


First, there are the mobile carriers who provide the voice and data plans to consumers and who often have their own mobile web portals. These portals are sometimes made available to advertisers and if this type of media interests you, you need to check with individual carriers in the markets you work in. Currently, there is little consolidation, which means that separate arrangements need to be made with each carrier and in each market.
Ad networks are the other way primary method of booking a campaign. Ad networks work with mobile web publishers to create a consolidated marketplace of ad inventory, giving advertisers access to many millions of mobile web pages – sometimes even on a multi-market basis. My company, AdMob, for instance has 4.6 billion mobile web pages available every month on a global basis and offers a platform that makes it easy for advertisers to target and reach consumers in real-time. The number makes Admob the biggest ad network with closest competitor Buzzcity reaching 1.7. billion web pages. Please note the other selected advertising networks in the diagram.
The other piece of good news is that most major carriers and ad networks have implemented the standard banner sizes and specifications recommended by the Mobile Marketing Association industry trade group. This simplifies the production of mobile advertising, as well as reducing the costs involved.
The effect of better analytics
The other major barrier often mentioned by advertisers is that traditionally it has been difficult to measure and track results of campaigns. It took players in the mobile industry time to develop robust technology to track campaigns accurately and it wasn’t an area that carriers looked like solving – although there are signs that this is changing now in certain markets. There are a number of analytics companies now, broadly split into paid-for services (like Amethon) and free ones like those offered by AdMob and Bango. These tools are free and don’t require that advertisers work with either company in order to be used, which means that mobile advertising is becoming increasingly accountable and measurable.
Analytics packages allow the two major players in the value chain – mobile publishers and advertisers – to more effectively measure what’s happening in real-time and with minimum set up and installation. Mobile web publishers can start to understand just what consumers are doing on their sites in the same way they do in the PC web environment.
But it’s advertisers who are expected to really benefit from these new tools. Mobile has always provided richer data than traditional media, in terms of measuring results and interactions. But, as described, these new analytics products take measurement to a level further. There’s enough hype in mobile, so I don’t propose to add to it, but these new tools give us a view into the sophistication and potential power of mobile as an advertising medium in the future. One thing is for sure; it brings to the end of an era closer when potential advertisers used the excuse of being unable to measure results as a reason not to experiment in mobile.




中移动谋划Web2.0平台 开始内测mspaces.net

Wednesday 27 August 2008 @ 9:15 am

[ 随着移动互联网的发展和壮大,移动互联网与传统互联网的融合成为一个必然趋势,而运营商在这个趋势中的准备和举措将决定运营商在未来产业链中的地位和角色 ]

除了飞信、手机邮箱等互联网业务之外,中国移动的互联网版图中将再添一员。

昨天,《第一财经日报》记者从中国移动内部获悉,从8月19日开始,中国移动开始内测其基于互联网平台和手机平台的Web2.0产品mspaces.net。与之前的飞信相比,mspaces.net的互联网特征更为明显,中国移动的互联网战略也更加清晰。

记者登陆该网站发现,mspaces.net与Google推出的iGoolge页面以及雅虎的个人门户非常类似,包括RSS订阅及模块添加等多种Web2.0应用。

除了大众功能之外,mspaces.net提供容量高达10G的“私密空间”服务,用户可以从中获得博客、相册、文件存储、电话本及短信、彩信等功能。通过电话本功能,用户可以向其中的成员发短信和彩信,而在短信/彩信中,则提供备份短信功能。

与飞信类似的是,mspaces.net仍然充分体现出传统互联网和移动互联网相融合的特征,mspaces.net支持邮箱注册和手机注册,但目前只支持诺基亚、摩托罗拉和基于Borqs平台的手机。

据记者了解,mspaces.net是中国移动建设并试验移动微技(widsets)平台的一部分。今年4月,中国移动、软银和沃达丰在北京签署协议,共同创建“联合创新实验室”,以推动新的移动技术、应用和服务的开发。

三家公司期望此举将有助于加速移动互联网服务的商用化进程,作为该项目的一个重要组成部分,联合创新实验室初期将启动移动微技平台的开发,从而鼓励互联网应用开发者,开发更好的基于移动运营商独特能力的创新应用。

而在此之前,诺基亚已经开始充分关注和重视移动互联网市场,并于2007年正式发布Web2.0平台“维信”(widsets)。

通过维信,网站可以通过诺基亚提供的开放接口,将内容转变为适合在手机阅读的RSS种子,放在“维信”网站上供用户订阅、下载和观看。据了解,目前“维信”在国内的用户数已超400万。

中国移动内部人士对记者表示,国际化以及互联网战略是中国移动非常坚定和明确的两大方向。

2007年6月,中国移动总裁王建宙正式表态,中国移动将进军互联网。在移动看来,互联网市场的潜力巨大:2006年互联网只占到整个通信收入的2%,而到2012年或者是更早的时间内,互联网将占到电信运营收入的20%。

随着移动互联网的发展和壮大,移动互联网与传统互联网的融合成为一个必然趋势,而运营商在这个趋势中的准备和举措将决定运营商在未来产业链中的地位和角色,这不仅是中国移动考虑的问题,也是沃达丰等国际顶级运营商共同考虑的问题。

今年年初,中国移动正式成立了独立的互联网子公司,新公司名称暂定“移动互联”,目前中国移动的飞信、实名社区、有线无线广告以及139邮箱等成熟的互联网业务,均将被注入“移动互联”。

王建宙曾表示,中国移动进入互联网领域面临的最大挑战在于缺乏人才,如果中国移动以目前的管理模式运作互联网,即使通过资本的力量完成收购,也注定是失败的。

“尽管我国互联网发展很快,但是我国的互联网企业都很小,中国有1亿多的网民,那么大的市场和容量,应该有大型的互联网公司产生。”他说。




2007年美国VC 100榜单

Tuesday 26 August 2008 @ 9:10 am

如果你是一家正在寻求风险投资的初创公司,那么不妨看看这份榜单,其中有部分公司已进入中国。

“创业者无疑是2007年最大的赢家,连续4个季度都从投资人手中获得了超过70亿美元(每季度)的风险投资,这是2001年以来从未有过的盛景。根据普华永道和美国风险投资衆-会向《Entrepreneur》杂志独家提供的分析报告:2007年,全美的风险投资家在3,813比投资交易中共投资294亿美元,创造了自2001年以来的市场最高点。投资总额比2006年增加了10.8%,投资交易数量则增加了5%.种子期和早期的企业在2007年也获得了更多的投资,比2007年增长了21%,融资总额达到了63亿美元,平均每家公司获得了450万美元的投资。同时第一次融资的企业数量也达到了6年来的新高,这是由于风险投资家增加了对很多领域的公司的首次投资,去年共投资1,267家公司,总额为72亿美元。

2007年的投资的增长主要归因于清洁技术和生命科学领域投资的上升,互联网垂直领域的投资也出现了强劲的增长。在过去的几年里,活跃的并购市场和风险投资支持的企业IPO市场让投资者备受鼓舞,因此,2007年风险投资家乐意和新老创业企业分享胜利,这也是投资增长另外一个診-因。不过,风险投资家们的口袋里还有很多钱,在2008年,你会发现,有着绝佳创意和坚实商业计划的创业者依然能获得他们的青睐。

文字版:

“Maryland Technology Development Corp.

位于:哥伦比亚(马里兰州)
2007年早期投资数量:19家
网站:www.marylandtedco.org

德丰杰
Draper Fisher Jurvetson

位于:曼隆帕克(加利福尼亚硅谷地区中心城市)
2007年早期投资数量:16家
网站:www.dfj.com
德丰杰1999年进入中国,对种子公司、初创公司以及成熟、已綷-盈利的公司进行投资。目前在北京、上海均设有办事处,其投资的空中网、分众传媒、百度、龙旗等企业已綷-上市,重点关注TMT、新媒体和其它新兴产业,如清洁能源、医疗等行业。

Ben Franklin Technology Partners Southeastern PA

位于:费城
2007年早期投资数量:15家
网站:www.benfranklin.org

Innovation Works Inc.

位于:匹兹堡
2007年早期投资数量:15家
网站:www.innovationworks.org

NEA
New Enterprise Associates

位于:巴尔的摩
2007年早期投资数量:14家
网站:www.nea.com
NEA2005年进入中国,参与投资了红孩子、BlueApple、连连科技、立通无线、百合网、蓝港在线、天视科技、中信制药以及縗-赛生物科技、中芯国际等公司。

Ben Franklin Technology Partners Northeastern PA

位于:伯利恒
2007年早期投资数量:13家
网站:www.nep.benfranklin.org

First Round Capital
位于:康斯霍肯城
2007年早期投资数量:13家
网站:www.firstround.com

Mohr Davidow Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:12家
网站:www.mdv.com
其合伙人Rob Chaplinsky于今年6月来到中国,考察投资环境和方向。

KPCB
Kleiner Perkins Caufiled & Byers

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:12家
网站:www.kpcb.com
KPCB曾綷-投资过Google、AOL、亚马逊、网景、康柏电脑、EA和赛门铁克等国际知名的IT公司,在未正式进入中国市场以前,就投资过启明星辰和高德软件。2007年,KPCB借力华盈创投进入中国。其他的中国投资案例还包括红孩子、絓-西天人、UAA等。
Domain Associates LLC

位于:普林斯顿
2007年早期投资数量:10家
网站:www.domainvc.com

General Catalyst Partners

位于:剑桥(马萨诸塞州)
2007年早期投资数量:10家
网站:www.generalcatalyst.com
还未正式进入中国,但是已经对土豆网等公司进行了投资。

英特尔投资
Intel Capital

位于:圣克繺-繺-
2007年早期投资数量:10家
网站:www.intel.com/capital
1998年投资搜狐,英特尔投资进入中国市场。10年来,在中国相继投资了电讯盈科(PCCW)、亚信、双威通讯、德信无线、UT斯达康、珠海炬力等60多家公司。

Village Ventures

位于:威廉斯镇(马萨诸塞州)
2007年早期投资数量:10家
网站:www.villageventure.com

Interwest Partners

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:9家
网站:www.interwest.com
未正式进入中国,2006年参与对中微(AMEC)的投资。

Labrador Ventures

位于:帕罗奥多
2007年早期投资数量:9家
网站:www.labrador.com

Polaris Ventures Partners

位于:沃尔瑟姆
2007年早期投资数量:9家
网站:www.polarisventures.com

SV Life Sciences Advisers

位于:波士顿
2007年早期投资数量:9
网站:www.salsa.com

vSpring Capital

位于:盐湖城
2007年早期投资数量:9家
网站:www.vspring.com
还未正式进入中国 ,
投资过中国的蓝代斯克公司。

Connecticut Innovations Inc.

位于:罗克希尔市(康涅狄格)
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.ctinnovations.com

HeaithCare Ventures LLC

位于:剑桥(马萨诸塞州)
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.hcven.com

Illinois Ventures LLC

位于:芝加哥
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.illinosventures.com

North Bridge Ventures Partners

位于:沃尔瑟姆(马萨诸塞州)
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.nbvp.com

Prism Ventures Partners

位于:韦斯特伍德(马萨诸塞州)
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.prismventure.com

Sigma Partners

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.sigmapartners.com

True Ventures

位于:帕罗奥多(加利福尼亚)
2007年早期投资数量:8家
网站:www.truevp.com

ARCH Ventures Partners

位于:芝加哥
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.archventure.com

Atlas Ventures Ltd.

位于:沃尔瑟姆
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.atlasventure.com
已正式进入中国,
投资了诺凡麦医药有限公司等。

DCM
Doll Capital Management

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.dcm.com
DCM于1999年开始进入中国,此后陆续投资了前程无忧、中芯国际、文思创新等多家公司。

khosla Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.khoslaventure.com

綷-纬创投公司
Matrix Partners

位于:沃尔瑟姆
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.matrixpartners.com
2006年进入中国,相继投资了全景网络、爱康网、遨游科技、家居易站、互动时空,奇虎网等项目。

New Leaf Ventures Partners LLC

位于:纽约
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.nlvpartners.com

OVP Ventures Partners

位于:柯克兰(华盛顿)
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.ovp.com

Pequot Capital Management Inc.

位于:西港(康涅狄格)
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.pequotcap.com

VantagePoint Ventures Partners

位于:桑布鲁诺(加利福尼亚)
2007年早期投资数量:7家
网站:www.vpvp.com

埃克赛尔投资公司
Accel Partners

位于:帕罗奥多
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.accel.com
2005年进入中国,投资过中国第一家SNS网站UUME,以及猫扑等企业。

Azure Capital Partners

位于:旧金山
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.zaurecap.com

Band of Angels

位于:曼隆帕克

2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.bandangels.com

CMEA Ventures

位于:旧金山
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.cmeaventures.com

Foundation Capital

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.foundationcapital.com

Highland Capital Partners LLC

位于:列克星敦(马萨诸塞州)
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.hcp.com
未正式进入中国,曾对奇虎进行投资。

IDG Ventures Boston

位于:波士顿
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.idgventureboston.com
1992年进入中国,在中国共投资了近 150 多个项目(其中一半是互联网企业),内部收益率超过 30%,包括百度、携程在内的许多当今最炙手可热的新兴公司都有 IDG 的种子投资。

光速创投
Lightspeed Ventures Partners

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.lightspeedvp.com
2006年正式进入中国,已投资银河传媒、天利半导体等近10个项目。

Madrona Ventures Group

位于:西雅图
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.madrona.com

Mission Ventures

位于:圣地亚哥(加利福尼亚)
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.missionventures.com

Shasta Ventures Management LLC

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.shastaventures.com

Trident Capital

位于:帕罗奥多
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.tridentcapital.com

Union Square Ventures

位于:纽约
2007年早期投资数量:6家
网站:www.unionsquareventures.com

Advantage Capital Partners

位于:新奥尔良
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.advantagecap.com

Artiman Ventures

位于:帕罗奥多
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.artimanventures.com

Bay Partners

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.baypartners.com
未正式进入中国,曾投资过中微。

Benchmark Capital

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.benchmark.com

Canaan Partners

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.canaan.com

DFJ Frontier

位于:圣塔芭芭繺-(加利福尼亚)
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.dfjfrontier.com

5AM Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.5amventures.com

Greylock Partners

位于:沃尔瑟姆
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.greylock.com
未正式进入中国,但通过北极光跟投,也是北极光的基金合伙人。

启明创投
Ignition Partners

位于:比利华市(华盛顿)
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.ignitionpartners.com
正式进入中国,已綷-投资过世纪佳缘,九钻珠宝、手机镜头制造商乙太光电,医药公司中美冠科、一嗨租车以及东方剑桥教育集团等20多个项目。

JumpStart Inc.

位于:克利夫兰
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.jumpstartinc.org

Menlo Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.menloventures.com

Morgenthaler Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.morgenthaler.com

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

位于:特灵顿(新泽西州)
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.njeda.com

O’Reilly Alpha Tech Ventures LLC

位于:旧金山
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.oatv.com

ProQuest Investments

位于:普林斯顿
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.proquestvc.com

红点投资
Redpoint Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.redpoint.com
进入中国,以跟投的方式在中国投资了包括中微在内的多家企业。

Tech Coast Angels Inc.

位于:洛杉矶
2007年早期投资数量:5家
网站:www.techcoastangels.com

Ann Arbor SPARK
位于:安堡(密歇根州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.annarborspark.org

Austin Ventures LP

位于:奥斯汀(得克萨斯州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.austinventures.com

贝恩资本
Bain Capital

位于:波士顿
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.baincapital.com
曾联合华为收购3Com,后来计划失败,今年有望购买下华为的手机终端业务。

Battelle Ventures

位于:普林斯顿
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.battelleventures.com

Bessemer Ventures Partners

位于:纽约
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.bessermervp.com
已进入中国,投资案例包括博客网及与华为在上海合作的FG Wireless等。

Claritas Capital LLC

位于:纳什维尔 (田纳西州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.claritascapital.com

Clearstone Ventures Partners

位于:纳什维尔
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www. clearstone.com

CommonAngels

位于:列克星敦
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.commonangels.com

DFJ Element LP

位于:繺-德诺 (宾夕法尼亚州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.dfjelement.com

DFJ Mercury

位于:休斯顿
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.dfjmercury.com

eCoast Angels

位于:朴次茅斯(新罕布什尔州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.ecoastangels.com

EI Dorado Ventures

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.eldorado.com

Emergence Capital Partners LLC

位于:圣马地奥(加利福尼亚)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.emcap.com

Felicis Ventures

位于:旧金山
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.felicisvc.com

Forward Ventures

位于:圣地亚哥
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.forwardventures.com

Frazier Healthcare and Technology Ventures

位于:西雅图
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.frazierhealthcare.com

Gabriel Capital Partners

位于:红木城 (加利福尼亚)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.gabrielvp.com

Globespan Capital Partners

位于:波士顿
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.globespan.com

Hummer Winblad Ventures Partners

位于:旧金山
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.humwin.com

Intersouth Partners

位于:达繺-谟(北卡罗莱纳州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.intersouth.com
Meakem Becker Ventures Capital

位于:希维克雷(宾夕法尼亚州)
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.mbvc.com

Milestone Ventures Partners

位于:纽约
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.milestonevp.com

Amazon.com Inc.

位于:西雅图
2007年早期投资数量:3家
2004年,通过收购卓越网进入中国市场。

Charles River Ventures

位于:沃尔瑟姆
2007年早期投资数量:3家
网站:www.crv.com
未正式进入中国,2006年其团队曾到中国考察,投资了网友天下和遨游。

OCA Ventures Partners

位于:芝加哥
2007年早期投资数量:4家
网站:www.ocaventures.com

高盛
Goldman,Sachs&Co.

位于:纽约
2007年早期投资数量:3家
1994年在北京和上海设立代表处,正式进入中国内地市场,承揽了包括中国移动、中国石油等很多中国大型企业海外上市项目。

Mayfield Fund

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:3家
网站:www.mayfield.com
2003年进入中国市场,与金沙絓-创投建立了合作关系,着重投资于半导体、互联网和无线领域。投资了百合网、学易等多家公司。

红杉资本
Sequoia Capital

位于:曼隆帕克
2007年早期投资数量:3家
网站:www. sequoiacap.com
2005年进入中国,投资了51.com、奇虎、乡村基、康盛创想等多个项目。

更多内容请访问
www.enterpreneur.com/vc100/index.html




黑天鹅:如何应对不可预知的未来

Monday 25 August 2008 @ 4:11 pm

【好书推荐】

对于VC投资来讲,最好的回报是不是发生在黑天鹅身上呢?

对于创业者来讲,最适合的商业模式也许并不是你一直坚信的那个方向。

 

=================================================================

精彩摘录

ü 对待历史问题,人类思维会犯三个毛病:假想的理解、反省的偏差、高估事实性信息的价值。(第6页)

ü 历史和社会不会爬行,只会跳跃。它们从一个断层跃上另一个断层,中间只有很少的摇摆。(第8页)

ü 错误地把对过去的一次天真观察当成某种确定的东西或者代表未来的东西,是我们无法把握黑天鹅现象的唯一原因。(第34页)

ü 正面的黑天鹅事件需要时间来显现它们的影响,而负面的黑天鹅事件发生得非常迅速——毁灭比缔造要容易和迅速得多。(第36页)

ü 有时大量信息会变得毫无意义,而少量信息却具有非凡的意义。(第44页)

ü 现代世界是极端斯坦,被不经常发生及非常不经常发生的事件左右。它会在无数白天鹅之后抛出一只黑天鹅。(第47页)

ü 你需要对正面黑天鹅现象发生的概率有些视而不见,才能获得创业的成功。(第70页)

ü 我们冒险通常不是出于自信,而是出于无知和对不确定性的无视。(第91页)

ü 一旦形成一个观点,我们就很难改变,所以那些推迟形成观点的人更有利。(第115页)

ü 如果你用线性方式解释过去,你只能朝一个趋势继续。但未来对过去的偏离有无数种可能。(第153页)

ü 有些真理只有孩子能看到,成年人和非哲学家被现实生活的琐碎所囿,不得不操心“严肃的事情”,于是为了一些看上去更重要的问题抛弃了洞察力。

ü 我永远不可能知道未知,因为从定义上讲,它是未知的。但是,我总是可以猜测它会怎样影响我,并且我应该基于这一点做出自己的决策。(第171页)

ü 我们很容易忘记我们活着本身就是极大的运气,一个可能性微小的事件,一个极大的偶然。(第243页)




日本中学生“着迷”手机上网

Monday 25 August 2008 @ 12:01 pm

据日本《世界日报》近日报道,日本实施的一项有关信息化社会与青少年意识的调查显示:日本不少中学生沉迷于使用手机上网,其中高中女生以每天手机上网时间超过2小时位居榜首,其他学生每天手机上网也达到70分钟至90分钟。

调查表明:三成以上的中学生每天用手机发送电子邮件21次以上。中学生每天利用手机访问信息网站的次数平均为11次。.有55.7%的高中女生和49.4%的初中女生每天用手机上网是在“看朋友的留言”,另有48.3%的高中女生是在“更新自己的主页、访博客、写日记等”。.

另一方面,半数以上的家庭对子女的手机使用费有所限制,而过问孩子“手机使用时间和场合”以及“通话和发邮件的对象”的家庭仅有10%,1/3 的家庭表示对子女使用手机不加干涉。有40%的家长担心子女访问有害网站。




到底该融多少钱How Much Money Should I Raise?

Monday 25 August 2008 @ 9:50 am

Oie_money_tree A good rule of thumb is to have a financial plan with 18+ months of runway after you raise a round.  That is long enough that you can avoid worrying about raising money for a year while you just focus on running the business.  Any shorter and you’ll find you are back in the market looking for more money after 6 months and are facing a "flat round" in terms of valuation because you really haven’t had time to achieve much.  Note, in some industries (mobile is a good example) you want to have 24+ months of runway (because carrier deals take so long).  However if you raise more then 24 months of money in an industry where things move fast and don’t cost much, then you’re likely just going to watch interest accrue at the stunning rate of 2% in your bank account while kicking yourself in the butt for "giving away" equity at such a low valuation.  That said, raising too little money is a bigger risk for founders because those bridge loans extended by VCs make payday loans and pawn shops look cheap.

Another issue on deciding how much money to raise is related to investor capacity.  Typically angels work for amounts up to about $2MM and then beyond that you need to look for other sources.  Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of financial plans that call for a total investment of $4-6MM which is an odd-ball number for many VCs. 

Why?

Well, if there are two investors splitting the deal (all VCs like to have at least one other professional investor at the table) then you’re talking about $2-3MM each that they’ll be able to invest.  If a VC partner can sit on (tops) 8 boards and all the deals were like this, we’re talking about less than $20MM invested per partner.  If the fund has 4 partners and is investing out of a $250MM fund (pretty typical), then you can see the issue (either the partner has to sit on 24 boards or doesn’t get all the fund invested in the requisite 3-4 years).  Basically they need (on average) to put $8MM in each company.  So if you’re pitching a VC a deal that only allows $2MM, it’s…well….odd and has a much higher threshold to get done (because you’d be "using" up one of their precious board slots).  Why is a board slot "precious?"  Well, it’s really the *only* asset a VC has (and to avoid a rash of comments saying "money" is also an asset, remember, the money in a VC fund is from someone else…the VCs only asset is time).

Now before you head off to change the plan to need $16MM over the life of the company, you have to first make sure that the market opportunity really justifies it.  The conundrum outlined above is one that frustrates a lot of entrepreneurs.  VCs keep rejecting them saying something like, "your business is too small (for me)."  It doesn’t mean it’s a bad business.  [Note: some VCs are smart about how they respond to this.]  So what’s an entrepreneur to do?  Well, one thing to do is to focus on "small" VCs, i.e. firms that are investing out of a $100MM or less fund.  Another is to go for strategic investors or "super angels" or even go the consulting route. 

It is interesting to see how investors are dealing with this "donut hole" between angels and traditional VCs.  It’s becoming a more frequent dilemma (as the cost of building things decreases).  A new crop of funds along the lines of Y Combinator, Kleiner’s iFund and Bay Partner’s AppFactory has cropped up to address this need.  I haven’t worked directly with any of these guys, so I don’t know if they walk the walk, but they certainly talk the talk.  I think more funds are going to forced to do something similar if they want to stay relevant (or go find some other industry to invest in that is capital intensive). 




如何和不认识的VC联系

Monday 25 August 2008 @ 9:49 am

几点建议:

1. 调研他的公司和他曾经投过的deal

2. 用他易于回复的方式和他联系(如一封合适的email)

3. 用一个奇特的吸引他注意的方式来联系.

4. 在第一次联系中把他们关心的问题都说清楚

5. 明白融资是需要不断付出努力的,而不是一次即可成功

……

Q:  Everyone tells me the way to approach a venture capitalist I don’t know is through a friendly introduction from someone who already knows that VC. But what happens if I don’t have the connections to get that introduction? Am I screwed?

A:  (Chris) Every entrepreneur who has raised venture capital has heard it a thousand times—the best way to approach a venture capitalist is via a warm introduction. Venture capitalists invest in people as much as they do in technology or business ideas, and having some connection (even if it’s indirect) is immensely helpful to the VC in determining if that entrepreneur is someone he wants to invest in. The logic also continues that VCs are generally bombarded by requests for meetings, so a warm introduction helps an entrepreneur’s request float to the top of the list.

Unfortunately, as you’ve pointed out, sometime you don’t have the luxury of relying only on warm introductions. That doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t be successful in approaching a VC on your own, but I think there are ways to improve your chance of success.

Here’s my advice to entrepreneurs on what to do and what not to do when approaching a venture capitalist cold.

Do… Research the VC, his/her firm and their investments. If you’re asking a venture capitalist to take the time to read your business plan or take have a call with you, then you owe it to him to take the time to understand who he is and what kinds of investments his firm makes. It’s a waste of everyone’s time if you cold call a VC for funding for, say, an artificial heart valve startup when that venture firm’s web site makes it clear they only invest in software companies. By researching investments that the venture firm has made that are relevant to your opportunity (and by mentioning that research when appropriate), you show the VC that you’re serious, thoughtful and have done your homework. Successful fundraising usually isn’t a game of large numbers (i.e. the number of VCs you send your executive summary to); it’s about being smart about who you reach out to, understanding and articulating why you’re reaching out to them in particular, and having the appropriate follow through.

Do… Reach out to the VC in a way that makes it easy for a VC to respond to your approach. Out of the three primary options—USPS mail, phone and email—I think email is by far the best way to make the initial approach. VCs are notorious for their hectic travel schedules, packed calendars and odd working hours. The cold email approach saves you time and makes it easy for the VC to quickly assess whether your opportunity is one that merits pursuing. Regardless of how you decide to approach VCs, make sure they provide all of your contact info (including email and phone number) so they can re-connect with you in whatever way is best for them. Believe it or not, I have actually received business plans (via USPS) where the only contact information provided was a postal address. I can tell you firsthand that the more options you give a VC for reaching back to you, the more likely you are to actually hear back from him.

Do… Be specific in your approach about why you’re approaching that VC and what you’d like to accomplish. I think it sets the interaction off on the wrong foot when I get an email or a phone call from someone and I have to prompt them during the dialogue to get to the heart of why they reached out to me. Conversely, I really respect it when someone cuts straight to the chase and tells me what they’re looking for and why they think I’m the right person for them to reach out to. It not only tells me the entrepreneur knows what he wants and is confident enough to just ask for it, but it also gives me a sense of where that entrepreneur is coming from, whether he’s done his homework and whether his interpretation of the situation matches my interpretation.

Do… Provide the VC with enough information during the initial approach to allow him to qualify that you and your opportunity are interesting. While “dark and mysterious” may work in the dating world, being coy or secretive in the initial approach to a VC usually backfires on the entrepreneur. I’ve been on the receiving end of emails and voicemails that say nothing more than “I have a really exciting idea for a company and would like to arrange a meeting with you at your office next Tuesday.” While I think most VCs like to be accessible and will generally try to return all credible messages they receive, in most cases an attempt on the entrepreneur’s part to create a sense of intrigue will backfire and cost him or her credibility. If you do leave a message or send an email, give the VC enough information for him to determine whether it’s of interest to him.

Do… Recognize that successful fundraising is usually a series of small steps rather than one large step. Most entrepreneurs wouldn’t expect a venture capitalist to read a business plan and immediately write a check to the entrepreneur. Similarly, it’s unlikely to expect that you can pick up the phone, cold call a VC and immediately have that VC spend a couple hours on the phone going through your entire presentation. Nor should you expect that you can cold email a VC and get him to have lunch with you without his having pre-qualified that your opportunity is interesting. Your primary goal when you first cold approach a VC is simply to determine whether he has any interest in your opportunity. That’s your only ask during the initial approach: “Does this sound like something that might be of interest to you or one of your partners?” And all you have to do is provide just enough information for the VC to be able to respond. Assuming there’s an expression of interest, you can proceed with the dance called fundraising.

Do… Follow through when you make your outreach and be gently persistent. I’m amazed at the number of letters and emails I get in which the entrepreneur concludes by saying “I’ll call you next week to follow up and see if you have any questions” and where I never actually get that call. If I get a credible email or letter, I generally will close the loop regardless of whether the entrepreneur calls me, but if the initial contact promises follow through, then not doing so costs the entrepreneur credibility. Likewise, I don’t think most VCs consciously try to test entrepreneurs’ persistence, but our travel schedules, busy calendars, and existing portfolio demands sometimes create a backlog. Gentle persistence in following up can be what keeps you at the top of their minds.

Don’t… Try to make idle chitchat as a prelude to your “ask”. We’ve all had those telesales calls where an anonymous sales person tries to engage you in pleasantries about the weather, how your weekend was, or whether you think <insert sports team here> can make it all the way to the Super Bowl, etc. I don’t know of many people that enjoy it. If you don’t already have some sort of a personal connection to the VC you’re calling, the first cold call isn’t the time or place to try to force that connection. If you assume that you will only get a finite amount of time from a VC in your initial approach (it’s a safe assumption), spend that time wisely on making your case why your opportunity is a great fit for that VC, not on trying to make witty banter.

Don’t… Name drop, try to create a false sense of urgency, or raise a lot of hype unless you can back it up. Venture capitalists exchange emails, have phone calls, and meet with lots and lots of people. Most can smell when you’re trying to bull-shit them, and the only thing this does is make them more wary.




3G力促移动增值业务百花齐放――2008年上半年中国移动增值业务市场盘点与趋势分析

Sunday 24 August 2008 @ 8:09 pm

中国移动通信增值业务市场经历了一个曲折的发展历程后开始日趋理性,2007年以来,移动通信增值业务的发展由爆发式增长进入平稳快速发展阶段。据统计,2008年上半年,中国移动增值服务市场规模达672.76亿元,同比增长30%。其中短信市场规模以65.34%的比例位居第一,彩铃和WAP分别以18.07%和8.61%的份额居其次。

1、移动增值业务增长速度迅速,占据市场份额不断增大

从2008年上半年整个增值业务市场的规模来看,业务收入进入平稳快速增长阶段,上半年市场规模同比增长32.7%。其中,移动通信增值业务市场规模仍然占据最大市场份额,占据电信增值业务比重保持在67%以上。

图1 2008年1-6月中国移动通信增值业务市场规模

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

图2 2004-2007年中国移动通信增值业务市场规模及占比变化情况

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

2、移动增值热点业务飞速增长,少数业务仍占据绝对优势

中国移动通信增值业务在业务种类上增长十分迅速,目前已经发展到上百种业务类型,包括交易、信息、数据库和娱乐四大类。目前,主力收入型业务包括:短信息、WAP、彩铃、彩信等,均已呈现出快速增长的势头,此外,手机游戏、手机电视、移动支付、移动IM、移动电邮、位置服务、二维码等新业务新应用层出不穷,呈现出繁荣发展的景象,移动增值业务多元化的格局已经逐渐形成。

随着手机支付业务的成熟以及产业链的完善,2008年第一季度,手机支付业务迎来了发展的一个高峰,在第二季度,由于赈灾募捐通道的打开,手机支付有了一个爆炸性的增长,在手机捐款中,手机支付的便利性和即时性优点得到了极大展现。

图3 2008年上半年中国手机支付业务收入分布情况

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

目前移动增值服务市场的增长还是集中在少数的增值业务,2008年上半年,各类细分移动通信增值业务产品市场中,移动增值业务上,短信息仍然占据最大比重,达到65.34%。其次是彩铃业务,其收入占全部移动通信增值业务收入的18.07%。可见,中国移动增值业务市场的业务发展格局仍是集中在少数业务上。

图3 2008年上半年中国移动通信增值业务细分产品市场收入分布情况

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

从产业发展阶段来看,中国移动增值市场已发展到一个相对成熟的阶段,移动增值业务对整体通信产业收入贡献度将越来越高,随着3G时代的来临,移动信息传递速度的大幅度提升,基于大容量数据传输的增值业务将得到更大的推动和发展。

3、移动增值业务区域集中度高,各地区发展仍不平衡

移动通信增值业务发展的区域集中度很高,市场受经济发展水平、用户消费习惯、技术先进程度及人均GDP等因素的影响明显。在两万多家增值业务市场经营者从分布状况看,特点比较明显,在业务收入、投资规模、经营企业的选址都向经济发达发展地区集中。在北京、广东和上海三地集中了全国50%以上的增信电信业务经营者,西部十省的增值电信业务经营者仅占全国的10%。跨地区移动信息服务经营者82.1%以上集中在北京、广东和上海三地,而西部十省得不到3.8%。

4、移动增值市场竞争加剧,SP利润减少谋求转型

截至2008年6月底,“12321举报受理中心”共收到举报信息482098起,其中有关垃圾短信的举报43万多起,占举报总量的91%。其中欺诈类占39.17%;商业广告宣传占36.28%;违法出售票据证件和出售违禁品分别占到11.45%和8.37%。针对垃圾短信的治理,运营商无一例外采取了高惩罚措施,对于目前参差不齐的SP行业展开的整治, 并没有减弱的迹象。

2008年上半年,SP整体利润持续下滑,移动增值服务提供市场目前正处于一个市场环境整顿和产业回归理性的重要阶段。与此同时,移动运营商和互联网服务提供商却加大了对移动增值市场的渗透。从2007年起,网通、中国联通和中国移动相继推出了灵通、超信以及飞信业务,从未来的发展趋势来看, 运营商介入移动即时通信是必然趋势,而随着互联网服务提供商向无线领域的进发,移动互联网领域也将产生新的企业竞争和兼并的浪潮。SP面临的压力和生存状况空前严重,如果不能适应产业环境及产业结构的变化,积极尽快寻找新的业务增长点,将会被市场淘汰。电信增值服务商最明智的方向是整合内容提供商(CP)的力量,在内容的制作和传播方面下功夫。虽然2008年3月,光线传媒与华友世纪正式宣布和并终止,但是加强与产业链关系的整合以谋求发展的转型趋势将带给SP新的发展机会。

2008年下半年中国移动通信增值市场发展趋势

基于对中国移动增值业务市场现状、特点、市场格局以及未来市场发展影响因素的研究,赛迪顾问预测出2008年下半年中国移动通信增值业务市场发展的趋势。

1、2008年中国移动通信增值业务市场规模预测

电信增值业务市场趋于成熟,随着2008年电信重组的进行,原来的固网运营商也将拿到全业务经营的牌照,下一步,基于移动网络的移动增值业务将会被大力拓展,为奥运量身定做的增值业务将会带来新的增长,中国移动增值业务市场未来几年还将呈现快速增长的态势,新一轮的中国电信业的产业转型格局也将在未来几年形成。

图4 2008年中国移动通信增值业务市场总体规模预测

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

图5  2008年中国短信市场规模预测

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

图6  2008年中国WAP市场规模预测

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

图7  2008年中国彩铃市场规模预测

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

图8  2008年中国彩信市场规模预测

数据来源:赛迪顾问  2008,07

2、移动通信增值业务日益丰富,多元化发展趋势明显

从2008年起,中国电信运营商将全面启动3G业务,中国打造的TD-SCDMA经过三年的规模试验网也将最终走向商用,从核心网到移动接入层面,3G的商用必将为电信增值业务创造一个广阔施展平台。3G网络启动将有力的改善用户对增值业务的使用感受,尤其对于高带宽消耗业务来说,解决了业务发展的重要瓶颈,给移动增值业务市场打开了百花齐放的局面。

目前新的移动增值业务层出不穷,移动即时通信、手机游戏、手机音乐、手机电视、手机导航、移动搜索、手机营销、手机炒股、移动支付等一经推出,市场规模飞速扩大,发展潜力巨大,多元化格局成为未来发展方向。以手机搜索为例,移动搜索总体来看,还处于发展的初级阶段,但是中国移动搜索市场很可能因为3G的部署,GPS手机的普及而达到繁荣,随着3G时代的到来,移动互联网的丰富和用户习惯的形成,移动搜索市场将快速增长,成为运营商和SP、CP新的收入来源。

3、移动增值业务内容由娱乐型向功能型转移

服务内容上,目前增值业务内容同质化严重,SP应密切关注市场需求的信息服务,秉承“所需即机遇”的宗旨。娱乐为王已经不再适应现今的发展,根据调查显示,60%以上用户最感兴趣的是服务类信息业务。可见今后增值业务的发展趋势将由“娱乐”向“服务”倾斜。

3G业务的开通必将促使电信增值业务市场格局出现很大的变化。要想在3G时代站稳脚跟的新业务必须要内容丰富,除了图片和铃声下载、占卜、原音歌曲下载、娱乐、股市行情、手机邮件等基础服务外,还要以用户体验为基础,结合中国独特的历史文化和用户的心理需求,创造出容社会性、艺术性和人文关怀等文化要素于一身的增值业务。

4、SP面临转型难关,转型为CP是大势所趋

对于移动增值服务提供商来说,3G时代的增值业务市场处于十字路口的选择阶段,面对全业务运营商和互联网服务提供商对移动增值业务的渗透,SP必须面临合作模式以及发展模式方面的转型。如果SP在信息化、业务创新等方面具有充足的资源,可以弥补运营商在某个方面的不足,才能具有较强的议价能力,在运营商对SP的优胜劣汰中脱颖而出,才能度过越来越严峻的转型难关。

从中国移动运营商向“半开放”模式转型的发展方向来看,SP转型为CP是大势所趋。不过,由于中国的SP主要是短信SP(占全部SP的一半左右),而这些短信SP的内容同质性过强,而且往往是对其他ICP或SP内容的简单复制,这就使得中国SP在向CP转型过程中将面临很大的困难,这也就是近期不少SP被并购的根本原因。只有那些有行业背景的SP(如有唱片公司背景的音乐SP),由于本身拥有其他SP所没有或很少的内容/应用资源,才会取得转型的成功。




开源”操作系统助力智能手机市场发展――2008年上半年度中国智能手机市场大盘点

Sunday 24 August 2008 @ 8:04 pm

        2008年7月,中国最大的ICT咨询研究机构—赛迪顾问股份有限公司(CCID Consulting,股票代码:HK8235)发布的数据显示:2008年上半年度中国市场共销售智能手机1567.1万台,比去年上半年度上涨32.1%,实现销售收入377.4亿元,同比增长25.7%。

“开源”操作系统已成主流

随着Symbian平台的开放,操作系统的开源趋势已不可逆转。2008年6月24日,诺基亚宣布斥资2.64亿欧元收购Symbian公司52%的剩余股份,从而成为Symbian的全资控股公司,并将Symbian的S60平台与索尼爱立信、摩托罗拉的UIQ平台和NTT DOCOMO的MOAP平台相融合,共同创建一个开放移动软件平台,这意味着Symbian在未来将成为“开源”操作系统。目前,中国智能手机市场存在Symbian、Windows Mobile、Linux三大操作系统,据赛迪顾问统计数据显示,2008年上半年,由Symbian、Linux、以及一些手机厂商自主研发基于Linux的自有操作系统构成的“开源”阵营的市场份额已经超过九成。另一方面,互联网巨头Google联合34家包括芯片制造商、手机制造商、运营商在内的企业共同开发的Android“开源”系统即将在年底问世,可见开放性已经成为不可逆转的发展趋势。

图1  2008年上半年度中国智能手机操作系统市场结构

数据来源:赛迪顾问 2008,07

“开源”操作系统将进一步推动智能手机的发展。第一,操作系统的开放可以使芯片厂商更加合理的针对软件设计硬件,利用软件的优势发挥硬件最大的功效;第二,操作系统的开放有助于第三方软件企业进行更为有针对性的软件开发,提供更为丰富的第三方应用程序;第三,操作系统的开放将降低手机厂商的生产成本,促进消费者的购买。因此,无论是终端厂商、芯片厂商,还是运营商都将目标锁定在“开源”操作系统,而这对智能手机的发展大有裨益。

诺基亚统领智能手机市场

在完成了对Symbian的收购之后,诺基亚在智能手机市场的领先优势更加明显。首先从现有销售规模上看,2008年上半年诺基亚占据了中国智能手机市场份额的68.5%,凭借N系列手机的畅销,其智能手机销量达到1071.2万台,同比增长43.8%。其次从未来发展上看,诺基亚已经处于绝对领先的地位。2007年诺基亚提出了向互联网公司转型的战略,购买Symbian、完成在操作系统领域的布局是其转型的关键一步。如果Symbian成为接入移动互联网的主要软件架构,那么诺基亚不仅会控制未来的移动互联网市场,而且会增强与运营商利润分配过程中的议价能力。

图2  2008年上半年度中国智能手机市场总体品牌结构

数据来源:赛迪顾问 2008,07

从品牌结构看,诺基亚和摩托罗拉依然占据着85%的市场份额;夏新、多普达、三星、索尼爱立信分别排名三至六位,销量与同期相比均有增长;酷派、神达、联想等国内厂商则根据自身的技术优势,凭借在双模双待、导航等细分市场的优势跻身前十。

国产智能手机厂商有望借TD翻身

赛迪顾问数据表明,2008年上半年尽管国产厂商在智能手机销量前十厂商的排名中占据六席,但是总体份额仅占10.5%。由于智能手机具备强大的影音娱乐功能和移动商务功能,这就要求手机厂商能够基于基带芯片和操作系统进行有效的功能开发以及差异化设计,在研发方面的投入不足使得国产厂商一直面临巨大的挑战。

随着TD商用的步步临近,国产手机厂商面临着全新的历史契机。TD是中国政府全力支持的3G标准,国内企业先入为主,在技术专利和产品研发等多个方面一直都处于领先地位,在推动TD产业化过程中得到不少来自政府的优惠扶持政策。从中国移动两次TD终端招标的结果看,以中兴为代表的国内厂商获得了超过半数TD智能手机的采购量。中国移动正在以“义不容辞 责无旁贷”的态度发展TD产业,TD终端也将大规模进入消费市场,国产智能手机厂商如能在初期优势的基础上进一步提高产品质量、提升品牌影响力,必将在与国外巨头的竞争中占据有利位置。

下半年智能手机市场增长或将放缓

虽然2008年上半年中国智能手机市场同比实现增长,但自一月份以来由于通货膨胀导致消费者购买能力的下降,销量放缓现象已经显现。赛迪顾问预计,2008年下半年中国智能手机市场将维持这一疲软局面,主要原因在于:一方面、受宏观经济形势影响;另一方面、3G数据业务还远未形成规模,近期还无法带动终端销售。




VC十大拒绝接口与应对措施

Wednesday 20 August 2008 @ 3:03 pm

Top 10 VC Objections (And How To Overcome Them)

比如,市场太小,团队太差,阶段太早,规模太小。。。。。。

都可以找到相应的应对措施

 

Someone asked a question about this on TheFunded and here’s (my expanded) response.  First, let me say that the reason VCs come across as entirely pessimistic is because most companies that come in to pitch in reality don’t measure up to their claims.  Their objections are an imperfect process for testing the claims.  It’s tough on both sides.  So anyway, here is my list of the top 10 VC objections and some tips on how to overcome them:

10. We think your market is too small (or will take forever to mature). Dealing with this feedback from a VC has mostly to do with understanding the constraints of venture capital.  You can either broaden what you consider your target market, explain why you see the market as bigger than they do or go talk to a VC with a smaller fund.
9. You are too early stage. This could be real feedback or it could be a platitude.  VCs usually develop a comfort zone with a particular stage of company, but all but the most adventurous shy away from companies where the product is not yet in the market.  Most VCs like to see some revenue and depending upon the industry they maybe want to see close to $1MM in revenue for early stage deals.  Respond to this one is tough, because you are where you are.  Best thing to do if confronted with this is find out where their comfort zone is and potentially come back when you reach that (I’ve actually seen that result in funding).
8. The valuation is too high. This usually means the VC thinks your company is okay and they might consider investing if you were giving it away at a couple million pre. It also can be used as a platitude. Sometimes it’s a reference to companies that have raised a lot of money and have to do a flat or down round because they’re running behind plan/expectations.
7. You are too late stage. This is really a variant of #8.  Any early stage VC would love to own 20% of your late-stage business.  This typically happens in Series B rounds or Series A rounds where the CEO/founders have an existing track record of success.
6. Google/Microsoft/Yahoo/AOL is already (or about to or could) do this. This is a push back on competitive landscape and your relative positioning.  The key to thwarting this objection is to have more market knowledge than the VC you’re talking to (which is an uphill battle given the information flow they get).  You have to do your homework.
5. We think your projections are unrealistic (or alternatively: you have no business model).  If you haven’t spent enough time preparing your financial model, you can get caught flat-footed.  Best thing to do on a financial model is to be very conservative.  You want the VC commenting, "Oh, I think you’ll get customers faster than that."  There are also a lot of comparables out there so no need to reinvent the wheel.
4. We’d like to see more market traction before moving forward. This is typically a blow-off or a legitimate variant of #9.  A close cousin of this one is when the VC says, "we’re interested, but we need to know who else is interested to know if we’re really interested."  If you get that response, you’re wasting your time…just get up a leave.
3. Company is a "feature" or "product" but not a business. This is really a variant of #10.  Best thing to do is to try and step back and take a broader view of the opportunity and what it could be.   
2. You have to ask yourself…what about India and China? I’ve only gotten this objection once.  It’s a dumb question so it’s hard to give advice on how to respond.  Maybe just make a reference to snoman.
1. B- or C-level team. Actually, Most VCs won’t tell you this and instead you get one of the other platitudes.  That makes it one of the hardest objections to respond to.  I think the best way to overcome this is not to say that you have an A-level team (if in fact you don’t) but rather to say something along the lines of, "here’s our staffing plan for success…"

Overall, the best policy is honesty and candor. In fact, your best bet is to address these objections before they come up. And if, for example, a VC asks if the market may be too small you can respond, "you are probably right, but here’s what would have to be true if that were not the case…"  You want to turn it away from a "in-order-for-me-to-be-right-you-have-to-be-wrong" conversation.




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