The Economist (April 4)
“The unicorn reality check was under way before America declared a national state of emergency over covid-19 on March 13th. Venture capitalists reckoned that a third of American unicorns would thrive, a third would disappoint and a third would be taken over or die.” With the coronavirus acting as an accelerator, we might find out the fate for the 450 or so global unicorns more quickly than expected. “A shake-out looms.”
Tags: Accelerator, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disappoint, Emergency, Reality check, Shake-out, Thrive, Unicorn, VCs
LA Times (June 5)
In a prime example of “hype and plunder,” Domo’s filing for an IPO “may be setting a new low for self-indulgent IPOs.” Once valued at $2-billion, this unicorn is “deeply in the red and burning through cash so fast that if it can’t stage its IPO by August or borrow millions, it will have to shrink drastically—conceivably, reading between the lines, to nothing.” But the “most disturbing aspect of the IPO filing” is the voting rights associated with the new shares. Before the IPO, the founder “has 91.7% of the votes. The IPO won’t change that materially.” This “points to a persistent flaw in Silicon Valley financing: the willingness to give start-up founders unassailable control of their companies, to the point that investors have no recourse if things go blooey.”
Tags: Control, Disturbing, Domo, Flaw, Founders, Hype, Investors, IPO, Plunder, Self indulgent, Silicon Valley, Unicorn, Voting rights
Bloomberg (March 18)
Mercari Inc. just “became the first Japanese startup worth at least $1 billion,” making it Japan’s only unicorn. “Though the valuation is an accomplishment for Mercari, it also highlights the dearth of major private startups in the world’s third-largest economy.” Of the 155 unicorns worldwide, 92 are in the U.S., 25 in China, seven in India and only one in Japan. “Japan has suffered from a lack of venture capital and a risk-averse culture where the best and brightest strive for stable jobs at big companies and then stay for life.”
Tags: China, India, Japan, Mercari, Risk-averse culture, Startup, U.S., Unicorn, Valuation, Venture-capital
