Best ipos to invest in 2017

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Snowflake is the most anticipated IPO of the year. Investors should decide in advance how much they are willing to pay as Snowflake will test the upper limits of what it means to have a stretched valuation. Heck, the company has even inspired value-legend Warren Buffet to change his thesis and invest in an IPO prior to profitability (!) Perhaps because the company delivered sky-high revenue growth last fiscal year of 173% and 121% in the most recent quarter with a record-breaking net retention rate of 158% — which is the highest of any public cloud company at time of listing. These industry-leading numbers are due to the company disrupting the data warehousing market with a superior cloud data platform that delivers across key differentiators (we review this below). Despite Snowflake demonstrating excellent product-market fit, clear competitive advantages, and strong management — no company is perfect. We go over a few … [Read more...] about Snowflake IPO: In-Depth Analysis

When LinkedIn launched, on May 5, 2003, it wasn’t a given that it would thrive. Born during the doldrums after the original dotcom bust, it arrived at the same time as a flurry of other social networking upstarts, most of which quickly fizzled. Its emphasis on members’ professional lives rather than personal pursuits was seen by some as a strategic blunder. Even the notion of posting your résumé in public was jarringly unfamiliar and likely to be taken as an act of disloyalty. Rather than falling victim to preexisting assumptions, LinkedIn changed them. Eventually, it was not having a LinkedIn profile that was perceived as a weird career move. As the pandemic and its aftermath have reshaped work, the service has both reflected that new world and equipped workers and employers to succeed in it. Its emphasis on professionalism also offers a safe harbor from more toxic and polarizing social platforms. LinkedIn hasn’t escaped the current tech downturn—in February, it … [Read more...] about LinkedIn turns 20: An oral history of an unlikely champion

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Robert Downey Jr. might be best known as Hollywood’s eccentric tech billionaire Tony Stark turned iconic Marvel Avengers superhero Iron Man. But off-screen he is a prolific investor who has backed dozens of AI-powered startups through his investment firms, Downey Ventures and FootPrint Coalition Ventures. So when his Instagram got hacked in 2019, before recovery support existed, perhaps it was inevitable that one day he would be called upon to make the Internet a safer place. Last week at SXSW, Downey announced that he had partnered with Boston-based security firm Aura as a brand advocate, investor, strategist and member of its board of directors with the goal of raising awareness among consumers of how they can protect themselves and their families online. During an interview, which was partly done through voice memos as only Iron Man could pull off, Downey told me he sees cybersecurity threats as an emerging … [Read more...] about How Hollywood Star Power Landed Robert Downey Jr. A Board Seat At This AI Security Unicorn