Working with Friends
Last week I wrote about the value of repeat relationships in the venture capital and private equity business. I used the example of a portfolio company that recently raised capital from a firm we have worked with on a repeat-basis. I intentionally left out the investor’s name as well as the companies knowing that this […]
Soccer, Fail Whales and APIs
I played a good bit of soccer as a kid and even more in college. I mostly played defensive positions. One of the things I most appreciate about the game is that the smallest of errors can have game-changing impact. As a defensive player, an errant pass in the mid-field or a moment out of […]
When Platforms Collide; Mobile and Payments
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post that covered my areas of investment interest for 2010. Three of the areas I find most interesting are the mobile ecosystem and the payments sector and the theme of “platform” business models. You can find that post here. The natural question I’ve since been asked is: “What […]
Areas I’m most likely to invest in during 2010
I have always been fairly thematic in my investment approach. For me, the process starts with identifying big markets that are either 1) emerging (and will therefore be created over the next several years) or 2) undergoing some structural shift that will enable new entrants to grab market share from incumbents. I have seen Companies succeed in […]
Why cash is such a tough competitor; last cash markets
I’ve been spending a bunch of time recently thinking about last cash markets – markets that are still dominated by cash payment – and how electronic payment can penetrate these markets. Some of these markets (vending, taxis, paid parking) are huge (measured in billions). The lack of connectivity with the point of acceptance is a huge issue for […]
Foursquare + Square = Killer Small Business Social CRM
Parker Smith wrote a piece that got me thinking. In Foursquare: Democratizing the Loyalty Program, he posits that Foursquare could be the loyalty program provider to small businesses. I think he’s right. Then I noticed these identical product benefits touted by the companies themselves, Foursquare and Jack Dorsey’s Square: For example, foursquare can tell you […]
Reactions to AmEx’s Acquisition of Revolution Money
Karen Webster of Market Platform Dynamics asked me to share some quick reactions on the announced acquisition of Revolution Money by AmEx this morning. As a result, my thoughts are cross-posted on PYMNTS.com. Karen asked me to address the following questions/issues: What was your initial reaction to the news? My initial reaction was that AmEx move to purchase […]
Payments: A Day on the Inside
Image by monty.metzger via Flickr Earlier this week, I participated in a truly special event, the Lydian Roundtable. Lydian is a gathering of the best and brightest in the electronic payment industry and is hosted by my friends at Market Platform Dynamics, David Evans and Karen Webster. Every year, they bring together 50 to 100 […]
IP Commerce – A Payments Platform With More
IP Commerce is a Denver based company that, for the last four years or so, has focussed on providing tools for various parties to provide payments and the services that go around that. Payment processing is obviously a very sensitive area, the costs to those who get it wrong are significant – both in terms […]
