Posts Tagged ‘startups’

Lolz! SEC Says WTF to Groupon Accounting Language

Friday, July 29th, 2011

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(image credit: webtreats)

You know how (old) people are always saying that “texting and Facebook are the end of the world because kids can’t write anymore and say ‘u’ instead of ‘you,’ blah blah blah?” (like, omg, it’s nbd…)

Well, the SEC is now taking issue with the way Groupon and other start-ups are reporting their finances. Groupon, which is preparing for its IPO (i.e. selling shares of itself to the general public), is using some new – and misleading, according to a lot of financial experts and regulators – terminology to talk about how much money they are worth.

Other web and social media start-ups have done this sort of thing in the past – like talking about “eyeballs” (the number of people who view a website) instead of dollars to demonstrate a company’s value. However, some are saying Groupon is going too far, and others are saying stuff like “eyeballs” should never have been put next to traditional financial metrics in the first place.

So, do you think this is just an example of old finance not really getting the new way stuff works, or are Groupon and Zynga trying to punk us?

Sharing the Stuff That Drives Electric Cars

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

“Xatori, a Silicon Valley software start-up, aims to create a network of electric car enthusiasts who make their household power outlets and home chargers available for drivers who need to top off their battery or who find themselves out of range of the few public-charging stations currently available.”

What do you think?

Would you ever pay for a total stranger’s gas? What about letting them charge their phone in your garage?

Are electric car owners just more generous?

Who Owns Facebook?

Friday, March 4th, 2011

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i.e., Who’s profiting from your news feed addiction?

Facebook isn’t publicly-traded, which means you can’t buy stock in the company on any stock market. But it seems to have found plenty of well-heeled investors without reaching out to the great unwashed masses (i.e., us).

Foursquare Users In North Korea, Rest Of The Entire World, Checking In And Earning Badges

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

“Popular mobile check-in application Foursquare today announced that it grew 3400% in 2010. The company now stands at 6 million users.

Other interesting stats include more than 381 million total check-ins accounting for every country (including North Korea) as well as a check-in from space. California also appears to have the most fit Foursquare users, being the top state for gym check-ins.”

What do you think?

How awesome are these infographics? A check-in from space?!

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An Entrepreneur is…

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

An entrepreneur is a person who starts his or her own business or enterprise and assumes responsibility for all the risk involved. Basically, the entrepreneur is the brain behind the operation and the one in charge, but he or she is also the person held accountable for the business venture’s success or failure.

Nonprofit Seed Money is…

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Seed money is the first round of funds given to a startup company or nonprofit organization to pay for getting it off the ground. For companies, this money is the first investment they receive and while risky, can be highly profitable for the investor if the company does well.