First, apologies for the lack of posts in recent days. It's not because I didn't have anything to say. The problem is technical and is still being worked out. Hopefully, by the time I arrive in Palm Desert for the Demo 2007 conference this afternoon, I'll be able to post freely so I can provide constant updates on which of the startups are burning brightest in the desert.
If this year is anything like past years, a handful of the startups will go on to quick and lucrative trade sales. For example, in 2004, five of the presenting companies went on to be acquired within the next fifteen months. These were were Oddpost Inc. and Stata Labs by Yahoo!
Inc.; Mailblocks Inc. by Time Warner Inc.; TurnTide Inc. by Symantec
Corp.; and MagniFire WebSystems Inc. by F5 Networks Inc. All of the
deals yielded hefty profits for the entrepreneurs.
Others follow the venture capital path. For example, I reported on the release of Glam Networks' Glam.com web site at Demofall 2005 and wrote at the time, "it looks to have a good chance of permanently erasing the stain that
spectacular disaster Boo.com left on the web-based fashion market." Glam.com recently closed a $18.5 million round of funding at a reported $150 million post-money valuation. Other startups from that show that have gone on to venture-fueled growth include Jingle Networks and VideoEgg.
For more on the Demo 2007 conference, see:
Graeme Thickins
Michael Forbes
Tags: demo2007, vc, venture+capital, demo.
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A few yeards go I used to monitor all demo conferences, and I remember a lot of companies been acquired. But now, things don't the same? I think bigger companies have found their own channels, and no longer need to go and pay middle fees to these event organizers. Instead these events attract a bunch of VCs who only get the industry flooded with more money.
yours truly :),
China Internet Market Blog