Happy New Year, everybody. I hope you all had a good break and are ready to get back at it in 2009. While I believe that the US public markets will generally suck this year, I continue to feel that we are the cusp of a historic opportunity in the early-stage investment arena. Fortunes will certainly be made in the liquid markets, but REAL fortunes and REAL value will be created through innovation, entrepreneurship and sheer will in the private markets. I intend to participate actively in this portion of the wave.
I was kindly (and unexpectedly) asked to be the keynote speaker at the 2009 SIIA Previews on January 26-28. Last year’s speaker was my friend Kevin Ryan of AlleyCorp. I can see why they wanted Kevin; he is a serial entrepreneur with an impressive track record and one of Silicon Alley’s brightest lights. Though I had a pretty successful career on Wall Street, in the entrepreneurial world I am probably best known for my role in the failure of Monitor110. So I figure I will discuss what we can learn through failure, and how we can ultimately turn negative events into positive outcomes. I think this will make for an interesting and topical discussion.
That said, I would be interested in other’s thoughts on the topic of Learning from Failure. It could be quotes, cartoons, pictures, videos, whatever you believe would contribute to the presentation. I certainly do not corner the market on insight or have every relevant metaphor at my disposal, so any help would be much appreciated. You know where to find me.
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