According to members of The Guardian, the world is now home to 147 "unicorns" - companies with private valuations of at least $1 billion. This is a 277% increase, since 2014, that has also been accompanied by talk of a startup bubble. Many prominent venture capitalists have echoed this sentiment, including Benchmark Capital's Bill Gurley and Union Square Venture's Fred Wilson.
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Dear World, LinkedIn Is Not Facebook
People don't understand LinkedIn (LNKD). In fact, there's a fundamental disconnect between the networking platform's objectives and consumer expectations. In a world of purely rational individuals, LinkedIn clearly provides its members maximum utility (i.e. job offers). And while these offers differ, I can't think of an online platform that yields a better ROI for time spent online.
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Facebook Files For Troubling Patent, Receives Regulatory Approval
For those in the "know," FinTech (or financial Technology) is arguably the most admired startup sector in America. Next to cyber security and SaaS platforms, FinTech firms are revolutionizing the investment process. Companies like Wealthfront and Robinhood allow middle and lower class Americans access to services that have long been reserved for Wall Street's elite.
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"T" Stands For Twitter
Every Silicon Valley techie knows that Google (GOOGL) Co-Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a holding company, named "Alphabet," to oversee Google's many growing business lines (many of which don't align with Google's core operations). While some investors and tech analysts speculate that Alphabet's conception is meant to address potential (current and future) antitrust issues.
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Twitter Never Fails To Fail
For those familiar with Bethany McLean's The Smartest Guys In The Room, the forthcoming comparison will make sense; for those unfamiliar with her book, regarding Enron's executive leadership, the following analogy may fall on deaf ears. In any case, allow me to preface all further Enron remarks by first decrying the company's actions. While its employees were, for the most part, incredibly intelligent, Enron epitomizes all that was, and still is, wrong with corporate America.
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Original Content Is King
Everyone has access to a Netflix (NFLX) account. Whether you're piggybacking off your parents (who wouldn't?), grandpa (guilty), or even, perhaps (sadly), your ex-girlfriend, every human has unfettered access to an account. There's no denying it: everyone loves Netflix. Don't believe us? Just reference Google's (GOOGL) traffic results and you'll realize that, during peak Internet times, Netflix accounts for 37% of bandwidth usage.
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You're Missing Out On $100,000s
Wealthfront, the Silicon Valley’s premier automated investing service, recently announced its decision to lower the minimum initial deposit requirement from $5,000 to $500, thereby giving younger individuals the ability to invest in an incredible product. For those unfamiliar with Wealthfront, it is a “robo-advisor” service that automatically allocates deposits into a diversified ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) portfolio.
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