- The Money Behind The Money
February 25, 2010
Jeetu's shared memory
Readonly access to Jeetu's volatile memory that was temporarily populated with items he reads.
February 26, 2010
Shared Items – February 26, 2010
February 25, 2010
The Money Behind The Money
February 24, 2010
February 23, 2010
9 dead, 70 hurt in major fire at Bangalore’s Carlton Towers (via The Times of India)
February 22, 2010
Shared Items – February 22, 2010
Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell Device is Revealed
February 19, 2010
Shared Items – February 19, 2010
Connected Life Sucks
February 18, 2010
Older Posts »
Shared Items – February 26, 2010
The Money Behind The Money
Posted at Thinking About Thinking
by larrycheng
Where does the money come from that private equity (venture capital, growth equity and buyout) firms invest? It might indirectly come from you. Key constituents include the likes of government employees, employees of large corporations, trade organizations (e.g. teachers) and wealthy families. Here’s the quick synopsis:
Wealthy Families / Foundations. The original investors in venture capital firms were wealthy families. The Phipps family was behind Bessemer. The Rockefeller family was behind Venrock. These wealthy families often invest out of vehicles like family offices or foundations. From those roots, many wealthy families have played impactful roles in backing some of the best names in private equity. As the asset class has became more known and attractive, the sources of capital grew to include more institutional sources. But, behind every institution are regular people.
Endowments. One of the most aggressive investors in venture capital has historically been school endowments. When you make that annual class gift to your college, if you designate it for the endowment, some of your gift just might be put into various venture capital and buyout firms. Typically, universities are charged to protect your endowment gift, so they invest it, and use the returns generated from the investment to fund various school initiatives. Major universities like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, etc. have been big proponents of investing some of that endowment principal into private equity firms.
Pension Funds. Another prominent investor in venture capital has been corporate and public pension plans. Pension plans (of the defined benefit variety) are just another type of retirement plan used by state governments, labor/trade unions, and large corporations. As you work at a company or state government and thereby accrue pension benefits, the company or organization funds a pension account based on actuarial models tied to its potential pension payout obligations. A portion of these funds are often allocated to the private equity asset class. Major states investing in this asset class include New York, New Jersey, California, Oregon, etc. Major corporations like AT&T, General Motors, etc. have also been active investors.
Fund of Funds. Many foundations, endowments, and pension funds lack the capacity or resources to evaluate and monitor different private equity firms. Hence, the fund of funds industry has sprung up to pool capital from these sources into funds and then invest on their behalf. Unlike the other sources of capital, fund of funds have to raise their capital from third party sources, just like the firms that they invest in.
So, if you follow the money through, your child’s college financial aid package or your pension plan – might be tied to a couple engineers working on some project in Silicon Valley or tied to the big buyout you read about in the Wall Street Journal.
Filed under: Growth Equity, Venture Capital 
Posted at Thinking About Thinking
by larrycheng
Where does the money come from that private equity (venture capital, growth equity and buyout) firms invest? It might indirectly come from you. Key constituents include the likes of government employees, employees of large corporations, trade organizations (e.g. teachers) and wealthy families. Here’s the quick synopsis:
Wealthy Families / Foundations. The original investors in venture capital firms were wealthy families. The Phipps family was behind Bessemer. The Rockefeller family was behind Venrock. These wealthy families often invest out of vehicles like family offices or foundations. From those roots, many wealthy families have played impactful roles in backing some of the best names in private equity. As the asset class has became more known and attractive, the sources of capital grew to include more institutional sources. But, behind every institution are regular people.
Endowments. One of the most aggressive investors in venture capital has historically been school endowments. When you make that annual class gift to your college, if you designate it for the endowment, some of your gift just might be put into various venture capital and buyout firms. Typically, universities are charged to protect your endowment gift, so they invest it, and use the returns generated from the investment to fund various school initiatives. Major universities like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, etc. have been big proponents of investing some of that endowment principal into private equity firms.
Pension Funds. Another prominent investor in venture capital has been corporate and public pension plans. Pension plans (of the defined benefit variety) are just another type of retirement plan used by state governments, labor/trade unions, and large corporations. As you work at a company or state government and thereby accrue pension benefits, the company or organization funds a pension account based on actuarial models tied to its potential pension payout obligations. A portion of these funds are often allocated to the private equity asset class. Major states investing in this asset class include New York, New Jersey, California, Oregon, etc. Major corporations like AT&T, General Motors, etc. have also been active investors.
Fund of Funds. Many foundations, endowments, and pension funds lack the capacity or resources to evaluate and monitor different private equity firms. Hence, the fund of funds industry has sprung up to pool capital from these sources into funds and then invest on their behalf. Unlike the other sources of capital, fund of funds have to raise their capital from third party sources, just like the firms that they invest in.
So, if you follow the money through, your child’s college financial aid package or your pension plan – might be tied to a couple engineers working on some project in Silicon Valley or tied to the big buyout you read about in the Wall Street Journal.
Filed under: Growth Equity, Venture Capital
9 dead, 70 hurt in major fire at Bangalore’s Carlton Towers (via The Times of India)
Posted at timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Many people jumped out of the building and suffered injuries as fire broke out at Carlton towers in Bangalore. (TOI Photo)
BANGALORE: Nine persons were killed
— three of them jumping to death in panic — after a major fire broke
out in Carlton Towers, a multi-storeyed commercial complex, here today.
Three persons died due to fatal injuries after jumping from the top
floors of the eight-storeyed building while six lost their lives due to severe
burns and asphyxiation, sources at nearby Manipal Hospital said. The fire was
brought under control and the building evacuated nearly two hours after it broke
out at around 4.30 pm.
At least 70 people were injured. Of them, 22
persons are critical in the Intensive Care Unit while some were being treated in
the casualty ward, the sources said.
Scores of persons fainted after
inhaling the smoke and had to be rushed to nearby hospital for first aid, a
senior fire official said.
“The fire began in a lift service cable
in the second floor and spread through the duct with smoke engulfing the
remaining floors,” Erappa, fire chief officer said. “More than the fire it was
the smoke that caused panic”, he said.
As a thick blanket of smoke
engulfed the building, several persons scampered out of their offices, broke
window panes in desperation and jumped out.
Scores of panic stricken
people screamed for help and 15 fire tenders which rushed to the spot, managed
to rescue some of them.
“We have received around 50-60 patients.
Some of the persons are seriously ill. We are evaluating the patients’ health,”
Manipal hospital COO Nagendra Swamy said.
One girl clad in a blue
salwar kameez landed on the roof of the portico after jumping from the sixth
floor and then slipped to the ground. Her condition was not immediately known.
One woman even tried to use her saree as a rope to get out.
Passersby also rushed to help those trapped. The fire that occurred
at the start of the peak hour caused a huge traffic jam on a two kms stretch.
Hundreds of people gathered on the busy street hindering the free
movement of fire brigade vehicles and fire personnel. Police said a few people
jumped out of the building and suffered minor injuries.
A large
number of people were stuck in the building. A user trapped in the building
tweeted (username:
Kiran Jonnalagadda)
about the incident:
“Carlton Towers is burning and six
of us are trapped inside. The fire’s above but there’s smoke everywhere. Saw
people jump to their death.”
“Don’t call me folks, you
can’t help. Will keep posting.”
“Our rescue ladder. It’ll
only reach the fourth floor. We’re on the
fifth.”
“Massive crowd outside. This must have choked
traffic for kilometers around.”
Many users write in about the
massive crowd near the place, which is causing traffic blockage. Tweetizens are
also posting latest pictures of the happenings in the building.
The
Twitteratti doing their bit by telling people the actual on-goings to avoid
false rumours.
People are also warning the others to not to come on
that road to avoid the chaos; one user enquires, “We are 20 minutes from
Carlton Towers Bangalore. Which is on fire. Hope Things are not as bad as it
seems to me”
Posted at timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Many people jumped out of the building and suffered injuries as fire broke out at Carlton towers in Bangalore. (TOI Photo)
BANGALORE: Nine persons were killed
— three of them jumping to death in panic — after a major fire broke
out in Carlton Towers, a multi-storeyed commercial complex, here today.
— three of them jumping to death in panic — after a major fire broke
out in Carlton Towers, a multi-storeyed commercial complex, here today.
Three persons died due to fatal injuries after jumping from the top
floors of the eight-storeyed building while six lost their lives due to severe
burns and asphyxiation, sources at nearby Manipal Hospital said. The fire was
brought under control and the building evacuated nearly two hours after it broke
out at around 4.30 pm.
At least 70 people were injured. Of them, 22
persons are critical in the Intensive Care Unit while some were being treated in
the casualty ward, the sources said.
Scores of persons fainted after
inhaling the smoke and had to be rushed to nearby hospital for first aid, a
senior fire official said.
“The fire began in a lift service cable
in the second floor and spread through the duct with smoke engulfing the
remaining floors,” Erappa, fire chief officer said. “More than the fire it was
the smoke that caused panic”, he said.
As a thick blanket of smoke
engulfed the building, several persons scampered out of their offices, broke
window panes in desperation and jumped out.
Scores of panic stricken
people screamed for help and 15 fire tenders which rushed to the spot, managed
to rescue some of them.
“We have received around 50-60 patients.
Some of the persons are seriously ill. We are evaluating the patients’ health,”
Manipal hospital COO Nagendra Swamy said.
One girl clad in a blue
salwar kameez landed on the roof of the portico after jumping from the sixth
floor and then slipped to the ground. Her condition was not immediately known.
One woman even tried to use her saree as a rope to get out.
Passersby also rushed to help those trapped. The fire that occurred
at the start of the peak hour caused a huge traffic jam on a two kms stretch.
Hundreds of people gathered on the busy street hindering the free
movement of fire brigade vehicles and fire personnel. Police said a few people
jumped out of the building and suffered minor injuries.
A large
number of people were stuck in the building. A user trapped in the building
tweeted (username:
Kiran Jonnalagadda)
about the incident:
“Carlton Towers is burning and six
of us are trapped inside. The fire’s above but there’s smoke everywhere. Saw
people jump to their death.”
“Don’t call me folks, you
can’t help. Will keep posting.”
“Our rescue ladder. It’ll
only reach the fourth floor. We’re on the
fifth.”
“Massive crowd outside. This must have choked
traffic for kilometers around.”
Many users write in about the
massive crowd near the place, which is causing traffic blockage. Tweetizens are
also posting latest pictures of the happenings in the building.
The
Twitteratti doing their bit by telling people the actual on-goings to avoid
false rumours.
People are also warning the others to not to come on
that road to avoid the chaos; one user enquires, “We are 20 minutes from
Carlton Towers Bangalore. Which is on fire. Hope Things are not as bad as it
seems to me”
Shared Items – February 22, 2010
- Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell Device is Revealed
February 22, 2010
- Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell Device is Revealed
February 22, 2010
Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell Device is Revealed
Posted at www.fastcompany.com
Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell Device is Revealed
BY Ariel SchwartzSun Feb 21, 2010
If you keep track of green technology companies, you may have heard rumblings about Bloom Energy, a secretive company that has raised nearly $400 million from investors like Kleiner Perkins for its supposedly game-changing fuel cell device. Now the 8 year-old company is finally emerging from the shadows with the Bloom Box, a $700,000 to $800,000 machine that 60 Minutes calls “a little power plant-in-a-box”. So what exactly is the Bloom Box?
The box consists of a stack of ceramic disks coated with green and black “inks” . The disks are separated by cheap metal plates. Methane (or other hydrocarbons) and oxygen is fed in, the whole thing is heated up to 1,000 Celsius, and electricity comes out. Bloom estimates that a box filled with 64 ceramic disks can produce enough juice to power a Starbucks.
As of right now, Bloom isn’t angling for the residential market–the box is far too expensive. But major companies like eBay, Google, Staples, and FedEx have already started using the boxes. So far, the Bloom Box has been a success–eBay has already saved $100,000 in electricity costs since its 5 boxes were installed nine months ago. EBay even claims that the boxes generate more power than the 3,000 solar panels at its headquarters.
Of course, fuel cells aren’t new. They have just been too expensive to be viable until now, and Bloom still has to prove that its box can produce energy at a cheaper rate than other power sources. The box also produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct–a potential downside depending on how much it generates.
Bloom Energy founder K.R. Sridhar estimates that a Bloom Box for the residential market could be out in 5 to 10 years for under $3,000. That’s a big improvement from the $800,000 box of today, but only time will tell if Sridhar is being overly optimistic. And in the coming years, big name competitors will probably catch up to Bloom with cost-efficient boxes of their own. Will the Bloom Box and fuel cell devices like it eventually replace the power grid? Probably not, but they have the chance to one day at least partially free homeowners from the grid–along with solar panels, wind turbines, and other alternative energy sources.
Check out the 60 Minutes segment on the Bloom Box below for more info.
Posted at www.fastcompany.com
Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell Device is Revealed
BY Ariel SchwartzSun Feb 21, 2010
If you keep track of green technology companies, you may have heard rumblings about Bloom Energy, a secretive company that has raised nearly $400 million from investors like Kleiner Perkins for its supposedly game-changing fuel cell device. Now the 8 year-old company is finally emerging from the shadows with the Bloom Box, a $700,000 to $800,000 machine that 60 Minutes calls “a little power plant-in-a-box”. So what exactly is the Bloom Box?
The box consists of a stack of ceramic disks coated with green and black “inks” . The disks are separated by cheap metal plates. Methane (or other hydrocarbons) and oxygen is fed in, the whole thing is heated up to 1,000 Celsius, and electricity comes out. Bloom estimates that a box filled with 64 ceramic disks can produce enough juice to power a Starbucks.
As of right now, Bloom isn’t angling for the residential market–the box is far too expensive. But major companies like eBay, Google, Staples, and FedEx have already started using the boxes. So far, the Bloom Box has been a success–eBay has already saved $100,000 in electricity costs since its 5 boxes were installed nine months ago. EBay even claims that the boxes generate more power than the 3,000 solar panels at its headquarters.
Of course, fuel cells aren’t new. They have just been too expensive to be viable until now, and Bloom still has to prove that its box can produce energy at a cheaper rate than other power sources. The box also produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct–a potential downside depending on how much it generates.
Bloom Energy founder K.R. Sridhar estimates that a Bloom Box for the residential market could be out in 5 to 10 years for under $3,000. That’s a big improvement from the $800,000 box of today, but only time will tell if Sridhar is being overly optimistic. And in the coming years, big name competitors will probably catch up to Bloom with cost-efficient boxes of their own. Will the Bloom Box and fuel cell devices like it eventually replace the power grid? Probably not, but they have the chance to one day at least partially free homeowners from the grid–along with solar panels, wind turbines, and other alternative energy sources.
Check out the 60 Minutes segment on the Bloom Box below for more info.
Shared Items – February 19, 2010
- Connected Life Sucks
February 19, 2010
- Connected Life Sucks
February 19, 2010
Connected Life Sucks
Posted at www.newzonfire.com
Posted at www.newzonfire.com
Jeetu Mirchandani
