Tough Times Spawn Opportunities For Washington VCs
Posted: June 18, 2008 Filed under: Investing, Washington Leave a comment »Washington, D.C. – The U.S. venture capital business has been slogging through a rough patch. The first quarter of 2008, according to the National Venture Capital Association, saw just five initial public offerings by venture-backed start-ups. Meanwhile, just 56 venture-backed firms were sold or merged, down from 82 and 104, respectively, in the first quarters of 2007 and 2006.
The principals of RedShift Ventures, a Washington, D.C.-area venture capital firm, don’t gloss over the problems. “It was just brutal,” says general partner Mark Frantz, of the first quarter. “I don’t see a lot of indicators on the horizon that are going to change that,” adds Richard Harris, another general partner and RedShift’s founder.
But from RedShift’s view, the tough outlook for making money on the back end hasn’t dampened entrepreneurial activity on the front. “We see a tremendous amount of deal flow,” says Harris.
Paradoxically, Harris suggests one reason for all this opportunity is corporate skimping on research and development. “In this economic environment,” explains Harris, “large companies seem less interested in funding cutting-edge research than they are just shoring up their core businesses.”
Full story at Forbes.com
Hybrid Trucks Drive Through The ‘Valley of Death’
Posted: June 11, 2008 Filed under: Environment, Technology Leave a comment »As we noted recently, use of hybrid engine technology in commercial trucks remains very much in its infancy. Expect that infancy to last a while, even with diesel prices soaring. A hybrid big rig costs 50% more than a conventional one, too rich a premium for most consumers. The federal government, while interested in promoting more efficient trucks, isn’t a likely savior here.
All this was up for discussion at a Tuesday Capitol Hill hearing, held by the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment. “The truck industry is due for a major technological shift, said Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas), the subcommittee’s chair, “but advances in this sector don’t come easily.”
Full story at Forbes.com
Aerospace’s Bullish Hawk
Posted: June 3, 2008 Filed under: Investing, Washington Leave a comment »Thirty years ago, before he jumped into securities analysis, Richard Whittington paid his dues working in the bowels of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Rand Corp. (a think tank catering mostly to the U.S. government). He ran budget analyses and worked over different Cold War scenarios, like what kind of troop levels were sufficient to block a Soviet thrust into Western Europe.
Now at JSA Research, an independent equity research boutique focused on aerospace and defense, Whittington has a worldview that remains very much informed by those Cold War days.
“There is an emerging threat,” says Whittington, 58. “China is spending an increasing sum of money on its military, including frontline aircraft.” He also points to China’s moves to secure energy supplies, a historically rich source of global conflict.
Full story at Forbes.com
