Posted by Tattletech on Sep 1, 2010 in
Conferences,
Entrepreneurs,
M & A,
New things 
In the great circus world of start ups and entrepreneurs, there are rituals that they all go through — VC conferences times 100, getting to know the glorified bankers VCs that dole out the cash and getting into Techcrunch as a watermark of long
term success (although my unknowing secret boyfriend Hugh MacLeod @gapingvoid would beg to differ and we agree with him says this about that.) Maybe there are a few more, but this is about something good in this crazy world — WhiteBull Summits.
We like this conference cause they are the perfect hybrid of old school VIP networking with that new car smell – which is Money. Yup, they wanna focus on the Exits – in fact, this 1st conference is about the Pathways to Exit, a topic that most of these other events don’t even touch on. They are not about 3 minutes elevator soundbytes or frat boy type networking, they are about sit down, talk, discuss, debate and learn. I know — learning, it’s so scandalous today, but in the end WhiteBull wants to create an environment that fosters conversation.
The speakers are varied – corporate, entrepreneurs with successful track records, venture guys that want to talk about the Exit and who are not focused on puffing up themselves with war stories of how they got “pitched”. Attendees are across the board from the same group above plus tech start ups starting out or have revenue and are on the path to the exit.
Plus its sunny and warm in Barcelona where the conference is being held and who doesn’t want to head that way in September. The conference organizers are also offering FOR FREE for start ups if you register to attend, a workshop called BullPen10 for start ups to sharpen their presentation skills that is mentored by some super savvy industry folks. BullPen10 is described as an intense Texas-style session, how much fun is that?
The media attending the event is also top-shelf — from TheNextWoman to Reuters and the European correspondents from some leading business newspapers including WSJ. Follow them on Twitter @whitebullsummit and the hashtag is #Whitebull10
Get smart, sign up, spend the money and go.
Tags: venture capital, White Bull Summits
Between all the mega events like CES and the upcoming MWC in Barcelona on Feb. 15-18, and the one day learn a little, drink a little events, there was something missing. The VC/entrepreneur ecosystem was lacking a venue that provided a bit of networking with C-level execs, corporates and the venture community outside of the early stage start-up scene. Now, that gap has been filled by WhiteBull with a series of White Bull Summits. The idea was to create a series of CEO cocktail and networking events throughout Europe and culminate with a two-day summit that didn’t break the bank. Now, in 2010, we are on our way. With a focus on the Exit Ecosystem, White Bulll and its leader, Farley Duvall, plan to make it happen.
Tattletech: For events like the White Bull Summits, what do you see as the value of bringing in the biggest players? (UBS,Google, MS) Are they there to get deals or just out of their sense of corporate duty?
Farley Duvall: My gut says that there are two questions there. Let me give you two answers: My observations while working with some of the larger global players is they have a lot of ground to cover and not enough people to handle the job. I see the events produced by White Bull as an opportunity to bring together relevant people from across Europe – putting 300 people in the same room for three days with similar interests, with the potential to do deals. Sometimes good deals need to find them. If corporate development people are all in one room for three days, some really interesting opportunities might find them.
To the other, I think the global giants should have some sense of noblesse oblige to give back to the industry by supporting events that help all constituents.
TT: You were formerly the man behind the successful Red Herring Europe events, what makes you think you can do the same on your own with White Bull?
FD: Over the years I’ve been organizing events I’ve been blessed, not just with professional contacts but with really getting to know personally a lot of people in the industry. I’ve learned from what I’ve seen and heard and done. And I’ve developed a vision for an event that I believe this industry wants and deserves….There’s always room for another good event.
In any case, it’s not about me, it’s about the people that will gather together. With so many talented people in one room for three days, how can we miss?
TT: Why do you think bringing people physically together for events like these is helpful in the arena of emerging technology?
I am a great supporter of technology. I see definite advantages and benefits from the latest developments in teleconferencing, social networking and other communication technologies. However, when it comes to entrepreneurs and investors, being able to gage characteristics like passion, character and integrity, nothing beats looking someone in the eyes and shaking their hand.
Putting a lot of great minds in the same room at the same time creates a ripple effect: unintended consequences, chance meetings and serendipity. These are things that you might not be able to quantify, but the fact is that these chance meetings can produce unanticipated results and sometimes incredible opportunities.
TT: What makes you think that 2010 is the year of Exits?
FD: It’s no secret that the IPO market has practically disappeared over the last few years. Even acquisitions are few and far between. The venture model depends on companies getting funded, and eventually achieving a liquidity event. After a few years of drought, White Bull is not necessarily predicting that this will change, but we feel it is a critical year to start priming the pump and discussing the what the exit market will look like. If we can somehow be a catalyst then that benefits everyone. The main thing is that at White Bull we think exits or the exit market may be the most important component to a global economic recovery and a return to a stable growth-oriented industry.
TT: You are an American ex-pat living in Switzerland which occupies a weird third cousin role to the EU. As a foreigner, what are the biggest advantages to living in Europe but living outside the EU?
FD: The short answer: TAXES. The long answer: Let me avoid the political discussion of the EU versus Switzerland. There are advantages of being in the largest unified market in the world. There are also advantages to being in a small country like Switzerland; the fact that Google, Yahoo and McDonald’s have all established their European headquarters here demonstrates that it is a very business friendly nation.
TT: Tell us about the first White Bull CEO Cocktail in Amsterdam. What would complete victory look like there, the Dutch paying for their drinks?
FD: So, Jennifer, Amsterdam is the first leg of our European tour. We’re a new event and it’s important for us to begin to galvanize tech and VC communities throughout Europe. What we really want to achieve with this first event is, as Steve Jobs says, to create raving fans and evangelists for White Bull, and if we could actually get the Dutch to pay for their drinks, I think we’ve hit a home run!
TT: In 2009 you got married on the threshhold of middle age to the talented and beautiful Mainer, Elizabeth Perry, how has marriage changed your view on things?
FD: Uhhhhhhhhh. Middle age? Well, obviously, it’s only made my life 1,000 percent better … and she completes me. But seriously, Tom Cruise aside, our talents are very complementary and it’s great to have a partner who can do the things that I have no ability to do.
– JLH
Tags: Google, White Bull Summits
We love optimism. We especially love it when start ups that aren’t making money get bought by big companies with deep pockets that want to be something else. We like it when we hear stories like Dopplr being acquired by Nokia because it keeps the dream alive, the dream of creating a business that people like but doesn’t make any money. Beautiful. I keep thinking of Laura on the Little House on the Prairie and wondering what Pa would say if she came home from school one day and pitched him her idea of a social networking site where kids out on the prairie could have a place to talk about all their chores and trips they would take together in the covered wagon. My, we’ve come a long way. – JLH
Tags: Dopplr, Little House on the Prairie, Nokia
Posted by Tattletech on Oct 2, 2008 in
Conferences,
Emerging tech,
Entrepreneurs,
M & A,
Red Herring,
Social Networking,
Technology,
Telecoms,
The Markets,
Venture,
What makes good news This agenda is amazing – the speakers, the topics. We are so excited to get access to all of these technarati in one room for three days. For starters, we have three key notes that I am sure will have you bucked into your seats – Tim Draper, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Travis Katz, Managing Director, Fox International Media and Rob Glaser, Chief Executive Officer, RealNetworks. Last time we say Tim speak he broke into a song, maybe this time, we will get a little dance to go along with it – always pushing the envelope, he is one never to miss.
On the wireless panel we have Shashank Jain, Head of Business Incubation & Development, Nokia Emerging where I know we will be able to hear about the next wave of innovation which is we think, going to take us to the next mobile level.
On the global outlook which we know will be interesting in these current Market (see how cool that word is!) conditions we have Wolfgang Hanrieder, Managing Director, Carlyle Group, Bastian Luecken, Partner, Texas Pacific Group, Dominic Lester, Global Head of EMEA Technology, UBS Investment Bank and Annika Falkengren, Chief Executive Officer, SEB. Now that one we are not missing.
Not only that but there are 24 emerging tech, some unlaunched companies that will reveal the next big thing. This is where the future lies.
Other keynotes include Ken Kannapan, President & CEO, Plantronics and Jean-Philippe Courtois, President, Microsoft International (we like him even though he works for MS)
But the panel that will keep us in the front row and get immediate coverage is the Telecoms panel and this one doesn’t look like your fathers Telecoms panel — Christian Miccio, Director, Google, Frederique Schepens, Regional VP, Belgacom, Carsten Birkschulte, Chief Executive Officer, Synchronica and Peter Trinkl, Head of Strategy & Business Development, Swisscom. Sit tight -we will give you all the details live from the event
Tags: Belgacom, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Rob Glaser, SEB, Swisscom, Timothy C. Draper
Posted by Tattletech on Sep 30, 2008 in
Conferences,
Emerging tech,
Entrepreneurs,
Good things,
Innovation,
M & A,
Red Herring,
Sexy tech guys,
Technology,
Venture,
Web 2.0 stuff,
social media Just when you think it could not get any better with the top 10 list of hot men in IPTV (we still haven’t cooled down from that list yet and we are still missing our super sexy tech guy Michael Taylor’s photo) we are running into the next top 10 – the hot men of Venture, rather ETRE 08, in Stockholm Oct 14-16. It’s less than two weeks away and already Tattletech got some skypes from folks wondering if the list will be posted – our answer to you boys is- Of course!
We have seen the registration list – and we know what some of those men look like – now we just need them to show up — so be ready for this new list – new companies, new venture and new faces, plus a couple of repeats we think – cause you know – it’s hard to kick a Dane off the list.
Reporting live from ETRE starting Oct. 14!
Image via Wikipedia
This week, there seems to have been a lot of rejection in the “bid” department. For starters, SanDisk‘s board rejected a $5.9 billion takeover offer from Samsung. The board said that the bid undervalued the firm and actually suggested that it was part of a “ploy” to undermine royalty negotiations between the companies.They used the word “ploy” – great corporate posturing isn’t it? According to StrategyEye’s dealflow, Samsung submitted a USD26 per-share offer for SanDisk back in September in an effort to strengthen its position as the world’s largest manufacturer of storage chips for cameras and portable music players over Toshiba.
And with no guns or violence, after seven months of negotiating, Electronic Arts (EA) put the brakes on its effort to buy Take-Two, a rival videogame maker, aka the fine folks that make Grand Theft Auto – yea baby! EA first submitted a $25.74 per-share hostile offer in February, valuing the firm at $2 billion. And because we want to believe that the makers of Grand Theft Auto are as cool and tough as their video game, that offer did not attract the TT shareholders. It was extended five times, but then EA let the bid expire – and now they are in private negotiations. Hold out Take Two, hold out man!
In the music world, the UK start-up 7Digital is the first digital music firm to sell the catalogs of all four of what’s left of the major labels – Sony BMG, Warner Music, EMI and Universal – free of digital rights management (DRM).
Soon it will be October which means that all of the world’s leading VCs and technarati will be gathering in Stockholm for Red Herring’s ETRE 2008. And we can’t wait – we have seen the list of speakers and the companies that are coming – if you want to be where emerging tech is – then you have to get yourself an invitation. Stay focused on the future, be positive and get in front of all the VCs you can handle.
Tags: Red Herring
We don’t know about you – but this news about AOL talking with TechCrunch concerning a potential USD30m takeover is a bit unsettling. AOL also signed an ad-serving deal on all the digital properties of US newspaper publisher Gannett. I can’t decide what is worse? And for the latter piece of the news — does this expedite the death of newspapers? Discuss.
Posted by inkgirls on Jul 14, 2008 in
IPTV World,
M & A,
New things We are really into emerging markets in the Telco sector — and this weeks news was all about those markets — from India’s Reliance Communications in its extended merger talks with South Africa’s MTN to Russian telco Comstar United buying Ural Telephone Company for $43.3m USD. To do what you ask – simple — to expand its broadband operations. Broadband – yes and we don’t mean tear down and build up – we mean improve and carry forward. But the most interesting news for us was the acquisition of Hungarian telecom services firm Linecom for an estimated $9.33m USD by NEC. We think that they just got the sale of the century.
Tags: Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications
Posted by inkgirls on Jul 8, 2008 in
M & A,
Venture,
What makes good news For those of you who are still taking hits off the Blockbuster syringe, you can rest easy knowing that they will continue to censor your videos since their minds have been taken off the $1billion purchase of Circuit City. Yes you heard that right. But the story we really like is the story about how Nokia struck gold with a very cool deal with Telenor which will offer its subscribers Nokia handsets bundled with Telenor’s music store and mobile TV. Hook up the drip .. we are ready.
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