On a small plot of blue clay soil in France are grown grapes that produce one of the finest wines known to man – Petrus. While cult wine movie Sideways painted a bad picture of merlots, nobody puts Petrus in the corner. It’s a merlot whose berries are picked one at a time, consistently commanding […]
If you’re thinking you haven’t maximized your short time here on earth, read Sir Richard Branson’s autobiography, Losing My Virginity. Let the shame and self-loathing sink in for a bit. What this charismatic human accomplished during his 71 years on this planet is hard to fathom. Considered the poster boy of entrepreneurial success, Mr. Branson’s spare […]
A funny thing happened on the way to the public markets: A startup waiting to finalize a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) made extensive financial disclosures before sealing the deal. Rocket Lab, a leading space rocket company primarily serving the small satellite market, released a 700-plus-page document that spelled out the risks […]
Earlier this month, we broke down the upcoming public offering from Rocket Lab, which is really the only private space company other than SpaceX that is consistently conducting commercial launches. They also share one other key element – both companies believe reusable rockets represent the future of the commercial launch industry. And they’re not alone. […]
Companies that go public without revenues significantly underperform the market. At least, that’s what University of Florida professor Jay R. Ritter thinks as his research shows that a company with no revenues will underperform the market by nearly 30% over the first three years of trading (hat tip to StrictlyVC.) Then, there are special purpose […]
With special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) coming out of the woodwork, we’re having a hard time deciding what to cover. In nearly all cases, our “coverage” involves telling our readers what shite SPACs are and pointing out all the red flags, hyped share prices, and lack of adequate information to make an informed investment decision. […]
We’ve often wondered why stealth mode startups have websites. Isn’t being found the one thing you don’t want to happen when operating in stealth mode? Not so, says Bond Collective, a provider of “thoughtfully curated boutique work environments” that charges wantreprenuers $900 a month for “an unmatched experience.” In some cases, a stealth mode startup […]
There are all sorts of statistics out there about how often tech startups fail, with data research firm CB Insights saying that 70% of upstart businesses close shop in less than two years. Some industries are obviously tougher than others, like consumer hardware with a 97% death rate. We’d wager that launching a rocket or […]
The human spirit for exploration has taken us to the top of Mt. Everest and beyond to the very threshold of the solar system. The price for such adventures has been paid in human lives and garbage – lots of garbage. We read recently that mountaineers hauled down some 24,000 pounds of waste from the […]
Build it and they will come. This paraphrased prediction – famously uttered from a cinematic cornfield, a place notorious for where creepy killer kids tend to congregate – has both metaphorical and literal connotations. One could apply the maxim in everything from ballfields to a Dwarf Empire theme park in Kunming, China. In our case, […]