Tom Taulli

Web consulting firms have been enjoying tremendous growth, as companies scramble to get online. However, companies are demanding much more sophisticated Web technologies, especially those that allow for business-to-business commerce and supply-chain management. One company that specializes in high-end Web consulting is Cysive (CYSV) . The company focuses on Global 2000 customers, such as AT&T, […]

Last week showed a crowded market can adversely affect first day gains. There were some respectable gains, but also some disappointments. Yes, the IPO market is starting to calm down. The week began with Caldera’s stock closing up at 29 7/16, or 110 percent, which does not compare to the spectacular first-day gains of RedHat […]

What’s the IPO for the week? Reply: One of the hottest sectors for IPOs has been infrastructure. While the Web is getting faster, there is still much work to be done. One company providing solutions is ArrowPoint Communications. The company does “content switching.” In other words, it helps companies improve the speed, reliability and security […]

With more than a dozen IPOs slated for next week, it may be too soon to say that IPO stands for “Is the Party Over?” Investors will be able to pick and choose among good offerings, but none that shout “Buy Me Now!” ValueClick has gone up the underwriter value chain by switching over to […]

Traditionally, companies go public in a predictable manner. First, there is a seed round of financing from private investors. Next, there are several rounds of investments from venture capital firms, as well as strategic investors. The company will start to sign large customers and build a revenue stream. Then, the company seeks out an underwriter […]

To compete effectively in the global marketplace, companies realize that it does not make sense to go solo. To grow fast, companies need to establish key partnership and sourcing agreements. But as time goes by, these relationships can get exceedingly complex. Dell Computer, for example, uses sophisticated technology to manage its myriad suppliers and partners. […]

We have experienced the surge of B2B, B2B, and C2C. What about G2G or B2G or G2C? That is, government to government, business to government, and government to consumer. These three segments represent the e-government marketplace. Government is the antithesis of the Internet. It is slow, resists change, and has high barriers of entry. However, […]

In the old days (that is, four years ago), there were companies that were search engines. When this was not enough to pay the bills, these search engines became portals – suction cups that “monetize” huge traffic streams. One of the oldest search engines is AltaVista. In fact, I was once a devoted user to […]

Want to terrify investors? Mention the word “restatement.” It does sound like a harmless word. In fact, that’s the purpose — to make things sound OK. But, of course, things are instead very bad. Restatement is a word to describe when public filings have been, well, wrong. Usually, they are overstated. Restatement is typically the […]

What looks hot for the IPO market this week? Reply: One that looks strong is inSilicon. The chip market has been tough in the past few years, but this has changed recently. In fact, the outlook for the chip market looks very bright. This, of course, means that there will be rising demand for support […]

On a day that the Nasdaq lost 200 points, FairMarket saw its initial offering get more than a fair amount of interest. It jumped 176 percent from its $17 opening to 47 by the end of the day. By Friday, it stood at 42-7/8. Speaking of investors, Microsoft owns 18 percent of FairMarket (FAIM), which […]

On November 5, 1999, I wrote an article about “First Mover Disadvantage.” Basically, I talked about how being a first-mover is no guarantee of success. Actually, the first-mover may be too early. A classic example is Peapod (PPOD) , the first online grocery store. Even though the grocery market is huge, the fact remains that […]