Tom Taulli

I have written about Healtheon/WebMD (HLTH) several times and even included it on my Top Ten List for 2000 (see here “Net Stock Picks for the Millennium“). Every time I write about the company, it seems to be a new company — as it constantly morphs itself into the online health powerhouse. Of course, the […]

In the Net game, having huge growth rates is usually not very difficult. If last year the company had minimal revenues, then having blow-out quarters for the following year is no problem. Rather, what is impressive is when a billion-dollar revenue company is able to produce growth rates like a Net company. An example is […]

Education no longer stops with college or graduate school; rather, it is becoming a life-long process. With the world changing so rapidly, it is imperative to have an educated workforce. In order to stay competitive, companies are, in a sense, becoming learning institutions. However, education can be costly. You need instructors, classrooms and time. According […]

I have been using Excite@Home’s cable modem service for a year and a half. While it is not perfect, the speed performance is far superior to my old dial-up account. As more and more people use the Web, they will want speed, too. What’s more, the leading-edge Net technologies — video, voice, etc. — requires […]

With the success of CMGI, Idealab!, and Internet Capital Group, it seems everyone wants to become an incubator. It looks so easy. Rent out an office (actually, this may not even be necessary); request business plans; provide some consulting (eg, write the executive summary); and voila, you’re in business. So it is no surprise that […]

So far, there are only seven IPOs planned for next week. This is small pickens compared to the past month in which the IPO calendar has been flooded. However, next weeks IPOs look very strong. Take Avenue A, a company that is on road to IPO success. No doubt, online advertising has been hit-or-miss with […]

With IPOs soaring, it is no surprise that investors associate them with instant profits. So, when an IPO does not surge on its first day, it looks like an opportunity to buy a bargain. This is especially the case if the company is in a red-hot industry. An example of this is B2BSTORES.COM (BTBC) . […]

This year, there has been a rash of merger activity in the Net sector. In fact, this year looks like the start of a major consolidation wave. What motivates a company to buy another is often an art, not a science. A company may want to buy another so as to destroy a competitor. Or, […]

This is the year that even the staunchest brick-and-mortar companies go on the Web. Actually, I have been receiving a variety of e-mails from readers who want to know if there are some investment opportunities, as stodgy companies get invigorated by dot-com magic. Yesterday, one reader asked if H&R Block (HRB) fits the category. The […]

Yesterday, Phone.com paid dearly to get into the unified messaging game. This looks like the first step in consolidation for the industry and JFAX.COM could be on the hit list. To tally things up: I have two cell phones (one that has Web access); a Palm VII; an office phone line; a home phone line; […]

What’s the big IPO for the week? Reply: Inforte looks particularly strong. The company is a so-called eBusiness integrator. In other words, it consults companies in transforming their organizations with Web technologies. Inforte helps with everything: customer experience, business-to-business, business-to-consumer, strategy, supply chain restructuring, internal operations management, and so on. Inforte provides a true holistic […]

Not long ago, it was an easy formula to pull off an etailing IPO. First, you need a cool domain name. Next, the market should be huge and fragmented. Finally, you need a strong management team. But lately, investors are getting skeptical. In fact, the etailing sector has been ailing. True, the Buy.com (BUYC) IPO […]