I read in one of the journals about Softbank buying a little company called Kingston Memory for almost $2 billion. I couldn’t fathom how a little fabricating IC house could command such valuation. If they had some kind of unique technology — making memory chips cheaper or something — then I could see it. But […]
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This website is an extension of the book, Fastlane: My Japanese Roadster on the Information SuperHighway.
All Nippon Airways
“Jim-san, I have a favor to ask for you,” said Fukuhara-san. “A business partner of Itochu, ANA, has asked us to make a presentation to some of their executives visiting the U.S. They will be in San Francisco in two weeks. We would like you to talk to them about recent events in Silicon Valley […]
Investing Cowboys
At my hotel I got a message to meet with some Itochu personnel in an investment division. This interested me; was it a group who might come into a deal when KV balked? More interestingly, would they back me in an independent investing venture? I asked my KV friends about IFC — Itochu Finance Corporation. […]
Selectica Afterburner
Selectica vacillated between 120 and 150 for the first few days. I was tempted to sell some, but I hesitated. I resented those well-connected few who sold their gifted IPO shares the first day or two of trading. This was known as “flipping” and seemed disrespectful, ungrateful. Financial types didn’t mind. To be truly concerned […]
Korean VC
I stopped by 2882 Sand Hill Rd. — just short of the VC bunker at 3000 — to meet with a new Korean fund, Altos Ventures. Han Kim and Ho Nam were new guys on the block with money from a single LP. I was curious about this structure; could I replicate it with Itochu […]
Sayonara Noriyuki
In December of ‘97, Noriyuki was slated to return to Tokyo, having completed a standard two year stint. “I will miss you, Ichihashi-san. We have worked well together.” He agreed, offering some consolation. “We will continue to co-work when I am at KV.” We both knew it wouldn’t be the same, but at least this […]
Wit Capital
With all this IPO frenzy, small investors wanted in. By the time the institutional investors had scooped up the first shares, prices were often double. Good for them; not so good for the follow-on small investor. The proletariat were protesting this favoritism toward the bourgeois. Wit Capital was an upstart on the financial block. Starting […]
LSD in San Francisco
Charlie Reis was one of those unique characters on the California landscape so hard to define. He was over 80 when I met him at UMAX. Our Taiwanese President was so impressed with his knowledge and activity level that he called me in to meet Charlie, who was finishing a brochure for us entitled “The […]
Technology Misunderstood
On weekends, I tried to keep up with all things domestic. Beyond immediate family, this included helping out at our local church. One Saturday in September, I found myself waiting tables for a wedding. While clearing plates, I overheard one gent talking about some graphics boards in his possession. “These aren’t your home graphics boards; […]
Luck of the Draw
“You should come!” said Jeff Grabow, my friend at Ernst & Young. Jeff was focused on private companies and was a good “introducer” on the service firm side of entrepreneurial activity. I listened. “It’s March 5th in Palm Springs. This is our eighth year for the International Software Partnering Conference. It’s just two days: down […]