Venture Bytes #46 – NYC Slams the Brakes on New Registrations

on August 27, 2018

The first lead article is titled ‘NYC Slams the Brakes on New Registrations’. The New York City council ruled to place a year-long cap on registration of new vehicles for ride-hailing businesses. This comes against the backdrop of worsening congestion, low driver wages, and the decimation of the once-thriving taxi industry, all of which, the pro-ban lobby believes has been caused by the explosive growth of for-hire vehicles. Leaving the political and socio-economic arguments of this new law aside, if the cap goes into effect, which is likely, we believe the revenue impact to the overall ride hailing market and Uber in particular in NYC will be minimal – roughly 6% of Uber’s total consolidated revenue base.

The second article is titled ‘Going from Copycats to Innovators, Chinese Startups are Turning the Tables’. China is accused of shamelessly cloning U.S. tech firms and business models. According to the New York Times, intellectual-property theft accounts for over $600 billion in losses per year in the U.S. Copy to China (C2C) is a term commonly used to describe Chinese companies copying the business model of successful foreign businesses. But some experts are saying that U.S. companies are now ‘borrowing’ from China more than ever before. Copy to America (C2A) could very likely become the next wave.

Venture Bytes #45 – Space – Ripe for Disruptive Technologies

on August 27, 2018

The two lead articles are Space – Ripe for Disruptive Technologies and Walmart India – Second Time’s a Charm? The space industry is a $350 billion market currently, according to estimates, centered primarily on satellites. Bank of America Merrill Lynch predicts the size of the space industry to reach $2.7 trillion in three decades. A vibrant ecosystem is expected to develop in the space as it increasingly becomes a hotbed of disruptive technologies and services. Besides the high marquee names, there are a number of innovative companies in the wings that are positioning themselves to introduce new technologies in the space.

Walmart is taking a second shot at entering the Indian retail market. The company agreed to take a 77% controlling stake in Flipkart for $16 billion. The jury is still out on the strategic value of the deal. Whether or not Walmart will succeed only time will tell. One thing is for sure: it was too compelling an opportunity to establish a foothold in a country that is expected to grow the fastest in the next few years.

Venture Bytes #44 – AI and the Rise of Passenger Economy

on June 29, 2018

The two lead articles are AI and the Rise of Passenger Economy and Supreme Court Ruling Raises the Stakes for eSports. Artificial Intelligence has become a dreaded word depending on how you look at it. Overall, we should be excited to embrace this new technology and optimize our economy and personal lives around it. The best thing anyone can do is keep an open mind and a willingness to adapt as our global economy undergoes significant changes. The second article looks at the recent U.S. Supreme Court Ruling to annul the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which prohibited states from authorizing many forms of sports-related gambling. We believe eSports will be a huge beneficiary of this ruling, the silence of the industry notwithstanding.

Venture Bytes #43 – Privacy Issue Takes Center Stage

on June 29, 2018

The lead article – Privacy Issue Takes Center Stage is our take on the hot button issue of privacy – particularly the issue of who controls consumer’s data. Is regulation the answer to address this issue? The EU thinks so, but the verdict is still out in the US, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook seem to suggest that some form of regulation may be acceptable.

The second article, 5G – Moving from a Dream to a Reality, highlights the developments in what experts say will be the “next big thing” in mobile technology. It appears the “ducks are lining up” for the technology to move past the testing phase to commercial deployment in the not too distant future.

Venture Bytes #42 – Persuasive Technology for the Greater Good

on February 14, 2018

Our first lead article titled, Persuasive Technology for the Greater Good, takes off on the recent controversy about iPhones possibly fostering a public health crisis that could harm children. The Hook Model that underlies addictive apps on smartphone is a double-edged sword, in our opinion. The second article titled, Is Amazon Warming Up in the Crypto Bullpen?, is our take on why Amazon purchased a number of cryptocurrency URLs recently. Could the e-commerce juggernaut be simply protecting its brand name or is it planning to shake up the cryptocurrency ecosystem with its own tokens?

Venture Bytes #41 – Net Neutrality – A Solution in Search of a Problem?

on January 2, 2018

Our first lead article titled Net Neutrality – A Solution Looking for a Problem? is our contrary take on the net neutrality order that is scheduled for a vote on December 14th. The core argument on both sides of the divide is clear. I believe the repeal lobby has a stronger case. The second article Hey Alexa – What’s Next in Tech is our belief that the digital assistants have come of age and are well positioned to become a “must have” device in 2018.

Venture Bytes #40 – The Future of AR is Now

on December 12, 2017

The Future of AR is Now Every year there seems to be a single buzzword that makes its way around Silicon Valley. Last year, it was machine learning, with major players such as Google and Apple doubling down on their efforts to advance the machine-learning capabilities of their platform. The push to better machine learning […]

Venture Bytes #39 – Apple And The X-Factor

on September 19, 2017

Apple And The X-Factor The highly anticipated 10th anniversary Apple event turned out to be a ho-hum affair, thanks to the press leaks ahead of the event. The phone features are mostly evolutionary rather than revolutionary, as expected. But the iPhone X (10) could prove to be transformative in two respects: the $1000 price tag […]

Venture Bytes #38 – Is Uber-Ola Partnership Next?

on September 19, 2017

The two lead articles are on Uber and Bitcoins, respectively. Following Uber’s recent decision to scale back operations in Russia, on the heels of its exit from China, we explore the possibility of a similar retrenchment in India with a partnership agreement with Ola – the incumbent leader. The Bitcoin article is our take on Howard Marks’ recent comment that the Bitcoin mania is a classic pyramid scheme.

Venture Bytes #37 – Uber – Our CEO Pick

on July 5, 2017

The two lead articles, Uber – Our CEO Pick and Which Way to Exit – IPO or M&A?, are very topical given the current events. As dust settles following a series of scandals that rocked Uber, outsiders are left to wonder how will they fix this? The answer is simple: a new CEO with uber qualifications. We have identified the ideal candidate for the job opening. The second article is our take on the IPO or M&A exit decision that private companies will have to make in the face of tepid to poor reception by public market investors for unprofitable companies.