Really cool use of data for venture

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I thought this CB Insights post was great – using data to see which AngelList syndicates were the most active/powerful.

If you don’t know what AngelList syndicates are, the article explains: “Towards the end of 2013, AngelList announced its syndicates program which allows angel investors to raise committed capital and charge a carry for the performance of each deal that their backers participate in.”

Are people too harsh on Box?

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I think people are a little too harsh on Box’s prospects; I tweeted out this link the other day:  “buff.ly/1o70OxS Analyst: Box’s Only Realistic Option Is To Sell”

I realize that the company is burning a lot of cash to get new customers, investing something like $1.3 per each $1 in new revenue – but Box is a SaaS business and that dollar in revenue should come back the next year, and the next, and the next… Even if there is some churn, the NPV is likely to be highly positive.

Furthermore, Box has been aggressively investing in growth. If the company decided to grow more slowly and focus on profitability, I’m willing to be they could quickly start generating cash (or at least get to break even).

I realize the IPO window is closing, unless the markets to a big turn around. If not, we’ll get to see what Box decides to do – keep spending big bucks to grow the top-line, or slow down and get profitable. Either way, I’m not too freaked out about their future. Worst case, won’t someone acquire them?

 

Little technical difficulty

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I had a little technical difficulty with my blog for a few days there, but we are back online! Note that the blog didn’t go down, just the admin area so I couldn’t post. But I’m back!