United States
A growing number of people are considering investing in private equity funds. Given the low returns available elsewhere, they may be interested in putting money into funds that invest in startups or undertake acquisitions. In fact, even the smallest investors may start seeing private equity funds...
Making sudden, surprising shifts in direction has been something of a hallmark for Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, Inc.
While in college, Grossman recalls, “I woke up one morning and realized I was living someone else’s life.” She then promptly dropped out of school, broke off her engagement, and...
One of the biggest trends driving consumer consumption during the past decade is the demand for “real,” or authentic, items. Farmers markets, microbreweries, and all kinds of artisanal crafts, to name a few examples, have jumped in popularity.
But does that mean consumers will value more highly...
Americans have never been particularly good at saving money. In 2013, for example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that Americans saved on average only 4.5% of their household income, while Europeans saved nearly 8% and Australians more than 11%. But according to a...
After nearly 30 years of experience at global enterprises including Nestlé, PepsiCo, and Citicorp, Ajay Banga landed the top job at MasterCard in 2010. Five years later, MasterCard’s stock has more than tripled to $70 a share, while net income increased from $5.5 billion in 2010 to $8.3 billion in...
Ever since the great financial crisis, financial reformers have pushed banks to prevent future taxpayer bailouts by adopting “bail-in” mechanisms.
One increasingly popular strategy, encouraged by the Basel III framework for banking regulation, is for banks to issue “contingent convertible” bonds...
For many people who have been to a modern art museum it would be a familiar feeling: You are staring at an abstract painting that has been hailed as a masterpiece, trying as hard as you can to enjoy its brilliance. But inside you are mostly struggling to suppress thoughts about how much you long...
Craig Hanson is a founding partner at Next World Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm focused on expansion-stage, enterprise tech companies. With offices in Paris, London, and Brussels, Next World aims to help U.S. startups do business in Europe. The firm raised its first fund in...
Ryan Caldbeck is the cofounder and CEO of CircleUp, an online marketplace that connects individual investors with entrepreneurs looking to raise capital for consumer startups. CircleUp companies include Little Duck Organics snacks, Bhakti Chai beverages, and Cherryvale Farms baking mixes, among...
We know dysfunctional conflict when we see it, from boardroom brawls to teams whose members spend so much time in their silos sniping at each other that they get nothing done. But how do conflicts start, and, more mysteriously, how do they infect an entire group on such a grand scale?
These are...