Tom Taulli

No question, the content on Salon.com is great. I often read it. But does that make it a good business? So far, the answer is “no.” Anyway, that is what shareholders are saying. The company had a small IPO in June 1999, with an offering price of $10.50. In all, the company raised $26 million. […]

More than ever, companies need to redefine their Internet strategies. Simply buying Super Bowl ads will not work. Companies need to find cost-effective ways to reach customers. There are a variety of firms that help. Although, the industry has been hit hard. In fact, it looks as if there will be a good deal of […]

Until recently, the venture capital game has been a world of segregation. If you have power, money and connections, you can join the club. If not, then forget it. This seemed unfair to Andrew Singer. While working at Robertson Stephens, Singer and a colleague, Peter Freudenthal, mulled over an idea to bring venture capital to […]

An IPO with a dot-com? Isn’t that the death knell? Well, maybe not. The company is Support.com and it is in a market called eSupport. Yes, it uses the Web to help automate customer support. This is definitely much needed. I often run into problems while dealing with online companies – especially e-commerce concerns. Shoddy […]

Over the past few years, companies have wasted huge sums on Internet advertising. However, this is not to say that online ads do not work. In fact, they can be highly effective – because of the targeting. A company called ValueClick wants to make things better. The company’s technology is known as “performance-based banner advertising.” […]

What is hot for the IPO market this week? Reply: Take a look at Airspan Networks. The company is a leader in the nascent industry of fixed wireless services. Basically, this helps to provide high-speed Net access to dispersed areas, thus avoiding costly infrastructure build-out. In fact, the company has introduced its services in Sri […]

It seemed like old times last week — with the IPO market having a fair share of moonshot performances. But, not all IPOs were so lucky. For example, the much-delayed divine interVentures saw its IPO fall on its opening day (then again, it saw-the-light on Friday, as the company bounced back). The IPO action burst […]

The theme for next week’s IPO market will be infrastructure. And the infrastructure company that should have the most buzz is Corio. The company is an ASP (application server provider). That is, it helps to manage complex information technology needs for corporations. For Corio’s services, companies will typically pay a fixed fee. The pricing model […]

Even though the economy is slowing and the pink slips are piling-up at dot-coms, the fact remains that the labor market is still very tight. Many key high-tech jobs remain unfilled. In our ultra-competitive global marketplace, successful companies need talent – and lots of it. Despite this, online employment sites have run into trouble. Take […]

Kind of like the boy who cried “wolf,” no one seemed to believe that PaineWebber Group would be purchased. Rumors of a buyout have been present for at least two years. Of course, there was a wolf and he arrived yesterday. UBS AG, a huge Swiss bank, decided to purchase PaineWebber for $10.8 billion (half […]

Juno Online Services is a hybrid ISP, offering both free and premium services. But the stock has been on a wild ride. The 52-week range is $5-3/4 to $87. Currently, the company has a market capitalization of $435 million. But the company is showing strong revenue growth. In the past quarter, revenues were $24 million, […]

The big problem with search engines is that it is difficult to search for anything relevant. Rather, the traditional search firms – like Yahoo!, Excite and so on – are places to get free e-mail, e-commerce and news stories. Search is not a high priority. As for GoTo.com , it is a company that has […]