Steve Lisson | Steve Lisson Austin TX Steve Lisson, Austin TX,
Steve Lisson Austin TX, Stephen N. Lisson, Austin Texas, Stephen N.
Lisson Austin Texas Sunday, December 1, 2013 Rumors of Benchmark’s
Demise Greatly Exaggerated – Steve Lisson, Stephen N. Lisson Rumors of
Benchmark’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated – Steve Lisson, Stephen N. Lisson
Steve Lisson, STEVE LISSON, AUSTIN, TX, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS
COUNTY, TEXAS, (512), 512, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE,
LISSON, Lisson, Steve Steve Lisson, STEVE LISSON, AUSTIN, TX, STEPHEN N.
LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, (512), 512, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N.
LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, Lisson, Steve Steve Lisson, STEVE LISSON, AUSTIN,
TX, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE
N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM
Rumors of Benchmark’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated For weeks, rumors have
been circulating in the VC community that Benchmark Capital’s third
fund, Benchmark III, was in trouble, hit hard by losses in e-commerce
companies like 1-800-Flowers.com.
Benchmark denies the rumors, and its limited partners say they never
received the rumored letter that the fund was in trouble. An analysis of
Benchmark’s portfolio appears to back up the firm, which despite the
rumors, may not just be surviving, but thriving. Benchmark declined to
discuss details, but the firm’s holdings as of June 30 were provided by
Steve Lisson, the editor of InsiderVC.com,
who tracks the performance of leading venture firms for high-paying
clients. At first glance, Benchmark III had its share of overvalued B2C
e-commerce firms like 1-800-Flowers.com (Nasdaq:FLWS) and Living.com. 1-800-Flowers.com
was the fund’s biggest investment, at $18.9 million, and had been
marked down to $8.1 million on June 30. The stock price has declined
about 30% since then. “There are many private scenarios just like this
public one, whereby even if the company can be kept afloat long enough
to enjoy some success and eventually make it to a liquidity event, the
venture investors will lose money,” Lisson said. But a closer look at
Benchmark III reveals a fund with several potential winners, including
Internet Data Exchange System company CoreExpress, an intelligent
optical networking play. That investment alone could return limited
partners’ money. Other potential winners include Sigma Networks, Keen.com,
Netigy and BridgeSpan. And Benchmark’s newest fund, Benchmark IV, is
already showing the markings of a winner, thanks to investments in
Loudcloud, Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen’s latest venture, and
TellMe Networks, whose valuation no doubt went up in its recent $125
million funding round. Lisson said the Benchmark rumors reflect a
misunderstanding of how venture funds operate. “There’s a reason these
are 10-year funds,” he said. “It’s called risk and illiquidity. The one
monster hit could happen three, four or five years out. You can be wrong
about 39 of 40 companies, and the market uncooperative, as long as one
is an Inktomi. That is the history of this industry: one monster hit
returning the entire fund. Singles and doubles won’t get you there.” At
two years of age, Benchmark III still has plenty of time to deliver a
big winner. In the meantime, the firm’s limited partners can enjoy the
returns from Benchmark II, a three-year-old fund that has already
distributed five times its partners capital, by Lisson’s estimate.
Benchmark II boasted big winners like Handspring (Nasdaq:HAND), Critical
Path (Nasdaq:CPTH), Red Hat (Nasdaq:RHAT), and Scient (Nasdaq:SCNT).
Yes, Scient. Benchmark had the foresight to distribute shares of the
Internet consultant to its limited partners at 200-300 times the firm’s
cost. Benchmark isn’t any different from other venture firms, most of
whom “drank the Kool-aid” of seemingly easy dot-com money, hoping the
stock market would hold up long enough to vindicate those investments.
But Lisson expects that some other firms won’t hold up as well. He
expects a shakeout in the industry similar to the one that hit the
industry from 1987-1991, when venture firms formed during the 1980s
averaged single-digit returns, and roughly 20% of new entrants couldn’t
return their partners’ capital. VCs’ own fundraising declined from $4.2
billion in 1987 to $1.3 billion in 1991. The $4 billion level of capital
coming into the industry wasn’t reached again until 1995. “This is
what’s supposed to happen in a downturn,” Lisson said. “People who
shouldn’t be in the business, who contributed to the excesses and didn’t
know what they were doing, will be forced out. It’s not like this is
the first time we’ve seen too many new entrants into the industry, or
too much money chasing too few deals.” And the ones that survive will
have a chance to prove themselves in tough times, the ultimate mark of a
winner. Lisson said a few venture firms stand out among their peers.
Matrix Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia can
normally be found at the top of the charts in each vintage year they
raise a fund, he said, proving that “something’s in the water” at those
firms. And he gives Oak high marks for consistency over a long period of
time. But even top firms have an occasional weak fund, Lisson said.
“But by the time you can make that judgment about a fund, you’ll have
raised another fund and shown some early progress,” he said. Meaning
that even if Benchmark III was a weak fund, Benchmark IV could keep the
firm in its limited partners’ good graces for some time to come. “The
moral is consistent performance over time relative to same vintage-year
peers,” Lisson said. “You’re never as good or as bad as your current
press clippings might indicate. The real test of Benchmark’s mettle will
come when we can fairly evaluate whether the firm manages through and
makes money, not just with small funds during the best times in the
industry’s history, but with larger funds in the tough times ahead as
well.” ——————————————————————————– © Copyright 2000, internet.com
Corp. All Rights Reserved. Legal Notices, Privacy Policy, Reprints.
Steve Lisson, STEVE LISSON, AUSTIN, TX, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS
COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON,
INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM
Posted by Stephen N. “Steve” Lisson, Austin, Travis County, Texas (512)
at 8:46 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels:
(512), 512, AUSTIN, LISSON, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEPHEN N. LISSON,
Steve, STEVE LISSON, STEVE N. LISSON, TEXAS, TRAVIS COUNTY, TX Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Blog Archive 2012 (1) July (1) Steve Lisson,
STEVE LISSON, AUSTIN, TX, STEPHEN N…. About Me Stephen N. “Steve”
Lisson, Austin, Travis County, Texas (512) View my complete profile
Posted by Stephen N. Lisson at 10:14 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to
TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: Austin Texas, Austin TX, Stephen N.
Lisson, Stephen N. Lisson Austin Texas, Steve Lisson, Steve Lisson
Austin TX Elite VC giants still investing – Steve Lisson, Stephen N.
Lisson, Austin, Texas Elite VC giants still investing – Steve Lisson,
Stephen N. Lisson, Austin, Travis County, TX 512 STEVE.LISSON, STEVE
LISSON, STEPHAN N. LISSON, STEPHAN LISSON, STEVE LISSON, AUSTIN, TX,
TEXAS, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE
N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM,
(512), STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER
STEVE.LISSON, STEVE LISSON, STEPHEN LISSON, STEPHAN N. LISSON, STEPHAN
LISSON, LISSON STEPHAN, AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS
COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON,
INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM,
(512), STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER,
STEVE.LISSON, STEVE LISSON, STEPHEN LISSON, STEPHAN N. LISSON, STEPHAN
LISSON, LISSON STEPHAN, AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS
COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON,
INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM,
(512), STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER, Elite VC
giants still investing San Jose Mercury News Matt Marshall May 31, 2001
Now that they’ve gone gorilla size, will the elite venture capital
firms help stem the downturn in venture capital investing? After the
March 2000 market crash, elite VCs scrambled to triage their portfolios.
Only recently have they started to peer out of the graveyard. But
they’ve undergone a profound change in nature: They’ve become monsters.
This is good if you’re an entrepreneur shooting for the moon. It’s fatal
if not. In 1995, only one top-tier fund, TA Associates, had raised a
billion dollars. But since the crash, 15 top-tier firms have raised
funds of that size or more. Many — including Worldview Technology
Partners, Greylock, Austin Ventures and Oak Investment Partners —
announced their new funds this year, well after most of the market
damage. Steve Lisson, of InsiderVC.com,
says the amount of funds raised since the crash goes against the
“drought” thesis. “The perception that there’s going to be less venture
investing is totally misplaced,” he says. “These VCs need to get into
lucrative investment opportunities, and they’re going to want larger
stakes. They’re going to have to step on the gas even more.” Similarly,
he adds, if an entrepreneur offers an opportunity for a “mega”
investment, he’ll be able to negotiate more favorable terms, because the
big venture capitalists will all want in. On the downside,
entrepreneurs that don’t show home-run promise will struggle. True, some
VCs that raised large funds say they have slowed their investment pace.
Flip Gianos, partner at InterWest Partners, said his firm hadn’t
expected the magnitude of the downturn when it raised its fund. If it
takes waiting a year for strong opportunities to come along, VCs will
wait, he says. Others counter that size has forced them to invest more
in later-stage start-ups because they soak up more money. Michael Darby,
general partner at Battery Ventures, says his firm still focuses on
early stage deals, but “in this environment, the fact that we want to
deploy capital means we’re looking at those later-stage deals.” There’s
another reason for hope after the crash, Lisson says. Many VC firms have
been able to negotiate stellar terms with their investors — even better
than those they negotiated just a couple of years ago. That’s also a
sign that investors still have faith in the VCs, he said. STEVE.LISSON,
STEVE LISSON, STEPHEN LISSON, STEPHAN N. LISSON, STEPHAN LISSON, LISSON
STEPHAN, AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS,
LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, INSIDER, VC,
INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM, (512),
STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER, Posted by
Stephen N. “Steve” Lisson, Austin, Travis County, Texas (512) at 12:54
PM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: AUSTIN,
LISSON STEPHAN, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEPHAN LISSON, STEPHAN N. LISSON,
STEPHEN LISSON, STEPHEN N. LISSON, STEVE LISSON, STEVE N. LISSON,
STEVE.LISSON, TEXAS, TRAVIS COUNTY, TX Home Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Blog Archive 2012 (1) July (1) STEVE.LISSON, STEVE LISSON, STEPHEN
LISSON, STEPHA… About Me Stephen N. “Steve” Lisson, Austin, Travis
County, Texas (512) View my complete profile Posted by Stephen N. Lisson
at 10:12 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook
Labels: Austin Texas, Austin TX, Stephen N. Lisson, Stephen N. Lisson
Austin Texas, Steve Lisson, Steve Lisson Austin TX Universal, EMI Sue
Napster Investor – Steve Lisson Austin TX Universal, EMI Sue Napster
Investor – Steve Lisson Universal, EMI Sue Napster Investor – Steve
Lisson STEVE.LISSON, STEVE LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, STEPHEN N.
LISSON, COURT, STEPHEN LISSON, LISSON STEPHEN, STEPHAN N. LISSON,
STEPHAN LISSON, LISSON STEPHAN, AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, COURT, STEPHEN N.
LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE,
LISSON, INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM,
(512), STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER,
PINTEREST, TUMBLR Classic Flipcard Magazine Mosaic Sidebar Snapshot
Timeslide STEVE.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, STEVE LISSON, STEPHEN
LISSON, COURT, STEPHAN N. LISSON, STEPHAN LISSON, LISSON STEPHAN,
AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, COURT, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS,
LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, INSIDER, VC,
INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM, (512),
STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER, TUMBLR,
PINTEREST, FACEBOOK STEVE.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, STEVE LISSON,
STEPHEN LISSON, COURT, STEPHAN N. LISSON, STEPHAN LISSON, LISSON
STEPHAN, AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, COURT, STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY,
TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N. LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, INSIDER, VC,
INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM, (512),
STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER, TUMBLR,
PINTEREST Universal, EMI Sue Napster Investor Record labels say firm
enabled infringement. Critics say the move may deter venture
capitalists. April 23, 2003|Joseph Menn | Times Staff Writer Unable to
extract their pound of flesh from bankrupt Napster Inc., two of the five
major record labels are suing the venture capitalists who backed the
defunct song-swapping service that turned music industry economics
upside down. Universal Music and EMI filed a federal lawsuit against
Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and two of the San Francisco firm’s
general partners, Hank Barry and John Hummer, in Los Angeles on Monday.
The suit claims that they contributed to the copyright violations by
Napster’s tens of millions of users. In addition to seeking $150,000 per
violation, the suit asks for punitive damages. It also is intended to
dissuade investment in any of the song-swapping services that have risen
in Napster’s place. “Businesses, as well as those individuals or
entities who control them, premised on massive copyright infringement of
works created by artists should face the legal consequences for their
actions,” the record labels said in a statement. The suit may mark the
first time an outside party has targeted a venture firm for wrongdoing
by a company in which it invested. “I don’t know if this has ever
happened before,” said Jeanne Metzger, vice president of the National
Venture Capital Assn. The trade group and others warned that even if the
labels lose the case, the fact that they sued will deter institutional
investors from taking on a high level of risk with new companies. “It’s
going to create an enormous amount of reluctance to get involved in
anything that could draw litigation from the content industries,” said
Silicon Valley intellectual property lawyer Mark Radcliffe. Barry and
Hummer didn’t respond to telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment
Tuesday. Barry served as Napster’s chief executive for more than a year,
and both men sat on Napster’s board. The suit claims that Hummer
Winblad knew Napster was enabling massive infringement and that the firm
controlled Napster’s activities with its general partners in the chief
executive and director positions and through its $13-million investment
in May 2000. The investment was made five months after the record
industry — including the two labels — sued Napster for enabling
infringement. Napster filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2002.
Lawyers not involved in the case said Hummer Winblad has two reasonable
defenses. First, Napster hadn’t yet lost the record industry suit when
the firm invested. Second, directors and investors are rarely held
liable for the acts of their companies. In those cases in which
individuals are held responsible, they typically own 100% of the company
at fault. The suit “is stretching contributory infringement way beyond
where it’s ever gone,” said Wayne State University copyright law
professor Jessica Litman. “I assume the purpose is to enhance the
already significant chill discouraging people from investing in
businesses that challenge the business models of the entrenched market
leaders in the entertainment industry.” Indeed, a federal lawsuit filed
by a music producer against Barry, Hummer Winblad and others was
dismissed after a judge found that the accusations — similar to those in
the record labels’ suit — were too vague and that there was nothing in
the copyright law to punish people who assist an entity that assists
others in breaking the law. “Courts have consistently held that
liability for contributory infringement requires substantial
participation in a specific act of direct infringement,” U.S. District
Judge Marilyn Hall Patel wrote in that case. But the two record labels
may have evidence of specific actions by the venture firm’s principals.
And Hummer Winblad could be hurt by the fact that Napster lost most of
its court battles. The plaintiffs have “a reasonable shot at the
officer. I think the director is a little tougher, and the shareholder
theory is really tough,” said Radcliffe, who represents technology and
entertainment firms. Barry and Hummer anticipated that they might be
sued and tried to negotiate protection from legal consequences when
German media firm Bertelsmann was planning to buy Napster early last
year. Those talks foundered, and Bertelsmann itself has been sued for
its investment in Napster. The venture capital trade association
complained that with such actions against investors, “the ability of
entrenched industries to deter investment in next-generation
technologies has profoundly anti-competitive and anti-innovative
implications.” But not everyone agreed that the labels’ suit will change
how Silicon Valley firms invest. As the suit notes, other venture firms
had deep concerns about Napster’s legality and didn’t invest. “Top
firms don’t take their cue from Hummer,” said Steve Lisson, publisher of
InsiderVC.com. Los Angeles
Times Articles Copyright 2013 Los Angeles Times Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy | Index by Date | Index by Keyword STEVE.LISSON,
FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, COURT, STEVE LISSON, STEPHEN LISSON, COURT, STEPHAN
N. LISSON, STEPHAN LISSON, LISSON STEPHAN, AUSTIN, TX, TEXAS, COURT,
STEPHEN N. LISSON, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, LISSON STEPHEN N., STEVE N.
LISSON, STEVE, LISSON, INSIDER, VC, INSIDERVC, INSIDERVC.COM,
(512), STEPHEN.LISSON, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, LINKED IN, TWITTER, TUMBLR,
PINTEREST Stephen N. “Steve” Lisson, Austin, Travis County, Texas (512)
Labels: AUSTIN COURT FACEBOOK LISSON STEPHAN STEPHAN LISSON STEPHAN N.
LISSON STEPHEN LISSON STEPHEN N. LISSON STEVE LISSON STEVE.LISSON TEXAS
TRAVIS COUNTY TX Posted by Stephen N. Lisson at 10:09 AM Email
ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: Austin Texas,
Austin TX, Stephen N. Lisson, Stephen N. Lisson Austin Texas, Steve
Lisson, Steve Lisson Austin TX Steve Lisson Austin TX Steve Lisson,
Austin, Texas Stephen N. Lisson, Austin, Texas Behind the VC Music Day
of E-tonement Facebook Fallen VC Idols FourSquare How to rate a venture
capital firm InsiderVChomepage1 InsiderVChomepage2 Instagram Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers: It’s good to be king NVCA Advocates More
Confidentiality on Returns Pinterest Selected Buzz Descending in
Chronological Order Steve Lisson Tumblr Twitter WALTHAM’S MATRIX LEADING
VENTURE PACK ON BOTH COASTS What’s a VC to Do? Sitemap Stephen N.
Lisson, Austin, Texas Steve Lisson Austin TX Stephen N. Lisson, Austin,
Texas Home Stephen N. Lisson Austin TX Behind the VC Music Day of
E-tonement Facebook Fallen VC Idols FourSquare How to rate a venture
capital firm InsiderVChomepage1 InsiderVChomepage2 Instagram Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers: It’s good to be king NVCA Advocates More
Confidentiality on Returns Pinterest Selected Buzz Descending in
Chronological Order Steve Lisson Steve Lisson Austin TX Tumblr Twitter
Venture Capital Financing Is Further Sapped by Events WALTHAM’S MATRIX
LEADING VENTURE PACK ON BOTH COASTS What’s a VC to Do? Sitemap Posted by
Stephen N. Lisson at 10:01 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare
to Facebook Labels: Austin Texas, Austin TX, Stephen N. Lisson, Stephen
N. Lisson Austin Texas, Steve Lisson, Steve Lisson Austin TX Stephen N.
Lisson, Austin, Texas Stephen N. Lisson, Austin, Texas Behind the VC
Music Day of E-tonement Facebook Fallen VC Idols FourSquare How to rate a
venture capital firm InsiderVChomepage1 InsiderVChomepage2 Instagram
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers: It’s good to be king NVCA
Advocates More Confidentiality on Returns Pinterest Selected Buzz
Descending in Chronological Order Steve Lisson Tumblr Twitter Venture
Capital Financing Is Further Sapped by Events WALTHAM’S MATRIX LEADING
VENTURE PACK ON BOTH COASTS What’s a VC to Do? Sitemap Posted by Stephen
N. Lisson at 9:41 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to
Facebook Labels: Austin Texas, Austin TX, Stephen N. Lisson, Stephen N.
Lisson Austin Texas, Steve Lisson, Steve Lisson Austin TX Home Subscribe
to: Posts (Atom) Blog Archive 2013 (5) December (5) Rumors of
Benchmark’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated -… Elite VC giants still
investing – Steve Lisson, St… Universal, EMI Sue Napster Investor –
Steve Lisson… Steve Lisson Austin TX Stephen N. Lisson, Austin, Texas
About Me Stephen N. Lisson View my complete profile