SmallBusinessExecutiveInforming, Inspiring and Connecting Businesses
Bankers bearish on U.S. IPO market: BDO
While early projections for IPOs in 2012 aren’t promising, Lee Graul of BDO USA points out that investor confidence can change quickly. By Ann Meyer The bull IPO market that many were predicting a year ago might take a bit longer to materialize. While Groupon made headlines when it raised about $800 million in a [...]
Seasoned entrepreneurs forecast disruptive technology will fuel new startups
By Ann Meyer For SmallBusinessExecutive Expect to see rapid change in Chicago’s business community in the coming year, as technology disrupts old industries. “Think about what the Internet has done in the last 10 years,” said Matt McCall, partner at New World Ventures. It has created companies, while putting others out of business. “I also [...]
Forecast for M&A activity remains mixed
Submitted by PricewaterhouseCoopers NEW YORK, NY – December 12, 2011 – Volatile equity markets slowed mounting U.S. deal activity in the third and fourth quarters, following growing deal momentum in the first two quarters of 2011. In light of concerns over European debt and a pullback in financing, U.S. merger and acquisition (M&A) activity [...]
After years in the making, Payment Pathways’ Greenlist prepares for production
By Ann Meyer As merchants rely on transactions from mobile apps, entrepreneur Richard O’Brien expects demand to grow for Payment Pathways’ Greenlist registry of secure electronic payment addresses. O’Brien received his second patent for the secure transfer system this week and has a third patent pending. “I have a sense the pace of this is [...]
Test prep apps target growing student market
Ashish Rangnekar and Ujjwal Gupta, founders of technology company Watermelon Express, said they weren’t trying to make money when they launched their first test-prep app – at least not at first.
McKinsey: India’s mobile use to take off
New research by McKinsey & Co. suggests India’s digital content consumption could double to $9.5 billion by 2015 as the number of Internet users climbs fivefold to 450 million. Growing usage of mobile devices is fueling the trend, as many Indian consumers forgo computers for less-expensive smart phones, the study indicated. The growing market should [...]
Our view: Groupon’s rebuff a cash vs. king tale
Business is rarely entirely about the money. While Google’s alleged $5 billion or $6 billion offer for Groupon would make many of us starry-eyed, without knowing what the terms of the deal were, we won’t second-guess Groupon’s decision to decline the big bucks. Anyone who has founded a company and considered selling all or part [...]
Mcommerce sites add gift centers: Chicago report
Mobile commerce sites are getting more sophisticated with 42 percent offering a gift center for mobile devices, according to Chicago-based e-tailing group’s third-quarter mobile mystery shopping report. That’s up from 30 percent of merchants who offered gift centers a year ago. That means many mobile sites now allow users to shop by criteria, such [...]
Chicago Innovation Awards winners include CTA Bus Tracker, Master Lock
The winners of this year’s Chicago Innovation Awards were announced Monday evening to a rapt audience of entrepreneurs in a packed Goodman Theater, 170 N. Dearborn St. As the evening’s hosts and co-founders, Tom Kuczmarski, senior partner of Kuczmarski & Associates and Dan Miller, former business editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, pointed out, this has [...]
