DISQUS

BloombergNews seems to have made a fortune off of focusing on information for investors. Who's to say SkyGrid won't be able to make it big by selling article ratings/reviews to those who value time more than money (especially when it's other people's money!)

Anthony:

Where do you see venture capital investments in the next quarters, as there have been no IPOs in this quarter, which should play out in a negative way?

I can't wait to play Fallout 3 and I hope it is significantly like the original, which I loved back in the day. Thanks for the interview and I gave you a link in my blog post today for bringing this to light!

Good on you for pumping up the pedaling of bikes around distant locales. What we need these days is such enthusiasm for bikes Stateside! Keep up the good work, VC and otherwise, and get the word out.

This is not good news for new startups whose products rely on high-speed Internet connections to deliver their cutting edge products to the end user. I think someone needs to make this happen, as the US is falling farther and farther behind their global counterparts in broadband penetration and download speeds. Any thoughts on how best to make high-speed in the US fast and affordabe anyone?

This company also features a mega media system from Sony that features all kind of top end A/V goodies. I wonder how much it costs? I like the idea of dimming lights to save money, but I really wonder if 120 cycles per second is fast enough that the eye would not detect it. I con't like CFLs because they buzz and flicker enough to drive me to distraction. I'm more sensitive to such things than the average person, but still, a concern in a multi-thousand dollar installation!

I'm happy to see D.light Design's products coming to fruition. Anything that can be done to help the poorest of people in the darkest corners of this planet is a worthy venture. And, if some profit can be made while helping these benighted millions, all the better! Thanks for your coverage, Chris, and I'm also interested to see if someone can make a similarly cheap reflective solar oven/panel/etc. at a similar price point...

Micah:

Good stuff for those of us who are learning about making little startups into bigger ones! The tip on listening (hearing?) really struck a chord with me. I've often thought that people who are of the entrepreneurial mind don't have all the answers, even if they think they do, and would be well served by taking in expertise/thoughts from people who might hold some bit of useful knowledge. Looking forward to more of your posts!

Reducing our reliance on petrochemical-based insecticides (and fertilizers) is another step we need to take to get back on good terms with Mother Nature. Thanks for your coverage of EcoSmart's efforts to this end, Chris.

Getting lucky is half the battle. The other half, I've been told, is showing up. Put those two together and it's pure magic! Thanks for sharing your story with the A VC reading public, as knowledge like this is hard-won.

Fred: Your views and insights are priceless for those seeking to learn more about risk and the venture capitalist. Not everyone gets to experience the process first-hand and your musings allow a vicarious peek into some of the mechanisms at work when a startup is funded, or not. Thank you for sharing!

If I only had a few million of Google's money to invest, I'd like to think I would make the same choice: renewable energy. Go, Sergey, Go! And it's nice to see the DOE get involved, as we're going to have to get energy from somewhere, so why not make it from good, old Mother Earth?

Great coverage on this exciting new cleantech VC fund. Always interesting to see where the money's going, and nice to see that it's going to a Midwest group with a focus on renewable energy, which we're going to need much more of in the very new future, I suggest.

Go, Vinod, go! I like what he's doing and thing he's got a reasonable vision of things to come. Plus, he puts his money where his mouth is, unlike a lot of armchair pundits who live to criticize and put down. Shame on all of you! What are you, the naysayer, doing to fix the problem?

Ah, the brave, new world of wireless electric meters. What ever happened to the good old days when meters were little mechanical devices and the meter reader had to get out of their car and walk to the meter to read it? Now the just drive by on the street and gather your vital stats remotely in my neck-of-the-woods. No wonder we are a nation of overweight and/or out-of-shape creampuffs...

Geothermal energy will be a growing business for many years to come. With oil prices expected to go through the roof, why not just hook up an electric pump to a ground loop and use Mother Earth's natural temperature to give and take heat? Thanks for your coverage of this excellent startup!

I hope there's still some after-hours fun going on, even if CCTO has cleaned up its act a bit, what with prize money and sponsors and all. I linked to this post in my blog entry today at the Innovators-Network so more cleantech entrepreneurs can get the word out. Happy Friday!

Chris: The East and India are once again the focus of entrepreneurial expansion, as they have been in the distant past. Interesting to think that America is no longer the focus of VC funding efforts. I can see, though, that the new force in consumption will be billions of Indians and Chinese, so that's where the money's going to go. I wonder how the Chinese vegetable garden is growing these days? Full of poisonous fertilizers and lead?

Refreshing to think that these billionaires see themselves as "serving" the interests of entrepreneurs. Are we sure they aren't just serving the interests of their wallets? In any case, good reading and thanks for the reportage, Anthony.

What a boondoggle this failure is. Reminds me of the FBI effort to make a computer do all their black magic stuff, which also failed after 100 of millions of dollars of wasted tax dollars. Losing private investor's money is one thing, losing the taxpayer's money on junk ideas and projects is another. Boo hiss, I say.

A nice long post, Fred. I'm not sure why big companies lose track of what they started out to create. Maybe the juggernauts just gain too much mass and momentum to slow down the machine of M&A for no other reason than to grow and gain. Might one go so far as to point at greed as the prime motivator in unfettered acquisition?

Robert:

This is a fantastic piece! I like the moveable HVAC vents, writeable walls, and open architecture of the new Microsoft Research building. I'm also excited to see what is coming in a few weeks that got you so worked up the other day. Humans don't work best in boxes, I would propose, so being able to re-arrange one's work environment to better suit our nature is key to being productive.

Will:

Oh, Canada! I bet you might be able to get some South-of-the-Border help from your American neighbors if you want to give Canadian technology entrepreneurship a boost. Rally those Maple Leafers and see if you can convince a Yank to run the TSA gauntlet and join in the effort to bring Canada kicking and screaming into the tech game.

Best wishes,

Anthony Kuhn

Will:

Oh, Canada! I bet you might be able to get some South-of-the-Border help from your American neighbors if you want to give Canadian technology entrepreneurship a boost. Rally those Maple Leafers and see if you can convince a Yank to run the TSA gauntlet and join in the effort to bring Canada kicking and screaming into the tech game.

Best wishes,

Anthony Kuhn

Ben:

Fun is what it's all about. Might as well pack it all in without the occasional smile on your face.

Thanks for a reality check.

Anthony Kuhn