Tag Archives: venture capital

Crowdfunding Back On Track — As Milk Train, Not TGV

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Antone Johnson • 0 Comments

The version of the JOBS Act initially approved by a bipartisan majority in the House was a bold experiment in targeted radical deregulation of financial markets that would have come on the heels of one of the worst economic disasters in American history — itself attributable to deregulation with inadequate oversight — while the asthmatic U.S. economic recovery continues to wheeze and stumble through the smoldering wreckage of once-mighty financial institutions.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, economics, entrepreneurship, law, public policy, startups

WSJ – Five Intellectual Property Mistakes Startups Should Avoid

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Antone Johnson • 0 Comments

IP ownership gets complicated thanks to the natural fluidity of startups as business enterprises: A developer may start out with a side project, bring some of that knowledge to bear on a consulting engagement, and ultimately found or join a related startup.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: entrepreneurship, law, startups

The Great Crowdfunding Train Wreck of 2013

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Antone Johnson • 6 Comments

What sort of business operators can we predict will be disproportionately drawn to using a funding mechanism that is designed from the ground up to leverage a large number of middle-class individual investors with minimal bargaining power under circumstances involving minimal disclosure, toothless corporate governance and little-to-no liability to shareholders?… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, law, public policy, startups, venture capital

Keep It Under Your Hat: Valuation Caps and the $650 Million Sale of MySpace for $125 Million

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Antone Johnson • 1 Comment

Valuation caps can shape the fundamentals of an exit, redistribute value among stakeholders, or even kill a deal altogether. Never missing an opportunity for a good war story, I’d like to revisit one high-profile transaction, the $650 million acquisition of MySpace by Fox Interactive Media in 2005.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, digital media, entrepreneurship, liquidity events, social media, startups, venture capital, Web 2.0

Convertible Note Financing 101 for Startups

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Antone Johnson • 5 Comments

A key advisory role of startup lawyers in my opinion is to level the playing field by bringing our own perspectives to bear, having gone through the twists and turns with many clients over the years. Knowledge is power.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, law, startups, venture capital

Silicon Valley After the Dot-Com Crash: An Insider Perspective

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Antone Johnson • 2 Comments

After the last ops and engineering staff were laid off, I remember wandering through the cavernous, deserted NOC, strewn with assorted equipment that was left to be carted off to auction, looking up at the huge projection screens that forlornly flickered “No Signal.” It felt downright post-apocalyptic, with huge diesel generators out back standing ready to provide backup power to a NOC and data center that no longer needed it.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: digital media, economics, Silicon Valley, social media, startups, venture capital, Web 2.0