Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mary Eng
August 2010
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the complexity of venture capital acquisition for
capital success story. In the paper, I would like to expose the complexity of factors which
would affect the risk analysis of potential investors. It is necessary to distinguish between
would also like to draw forth the increasing atmosphere of transparency in which investments
and commentary. The impact of that transparency has larger ramifications for the
For the task of tracing the investments I have relied heavily on Crunchbase, a hyperlinkable
database chronicling the history and sourcing for all capital investments. Crunchbase is
produced by the Techcrunch blog, which offers up to the minute analysis of all aspects of
technology sector development. As the hesitant angel investor or venture capitalist weighs
the risks of investment, it is important to make mention of the factors which influence their
willingness to invest. With that in mind, legal vulnerabilities as well as public relations issues
are important aspects of a company’s net worth to asses. Governmental interest also plays
a key part of the firm’s success, in addition to the viability of their innovative business plan
or charismatic marketing buzz. It is also important to evaluate how the company performs
in relation to its peers, and in this sense looking at Facebook as a part of a larger social
networking revolution, will help us understand its leadership in guiding the trends, as well as the
Facebook is an interesting example of a company which has grown over a few years
due to unprecedented venture capital investment, despite operationally not turning a profit
until September 2009. As Facebook has pushed the limits of many norms, they have both
challenged the old guard and rewritten the rules, shaping a new system of technology sector
growth and changing the ways people and businesses communicate. Indeed Facebook
has become a part of a larger marketing revolution which demands attention to social
networking presence as well as brand strategy innovations within the Facebook community.
Monetization strategies are an essential part of technology sector growth. For a technology
sector company, the economic climate can be made more or less favorable with the assistance
of government intervention. In Facebook’s case, their primary investors benefit greatly from
the National Venture Capital Association’s constant advocacy. They are a lobby group which
specifically advocates for technology sector venture capitalist, seeking Federal Communications
Commission and Federal Trade Commission favor, as well as lobbying for favorable legislation
which affects the viability of future growth. Aspects of this include everything from weakened
anti-trust standards to liberal immigration visa norms which encourage foreign investment and
Venture capital is an essential part of the growth of creative and technological sectors. A
venture capitalist distributes the risk across a wide portfolio of companies, whereas an angel
investor puts a private amount of money into one particular worthy company. A look at the
venture capital and other capital sources for the Facebook company will provide an interesting
subject for investigation. As Facebook, inc. has topped the social networking gamut in
popularity, it’s innovation and company strategy has relevance for many industries who either
rely on Facebook for marketing or use it as a part of an integrative Internet strategy. While the
average Facebook user may have no concern for the financial underpinnings of the technology
phenomenon, a look at the financing structure and company history may have a broader
relevance for understanding the motivations behind various finance groups and investors.
In this paper I plan to explore the relevance of the National Venture Capital Association, a
lobby and trade group, the Accel venture capital infusion, and more recent capital assets as
provided by Elevation partners. Techcrunch, the leading technology blog, has a whole page
devoted to Facebook. Their very excellent Crunchbase provides a tracible link to investor time
lines and profiles of start-ups of all sizes and the investment history of individual angel investors
and the investors in venture capital firms. It is possible through hyperlink to understand a graph
Facebook as an entity has a story which is a common myth known to many. There are
numerous websites detailing the many issues which beset the industry behemoth.
It is necessary to distinguish the difference between angel investors and venture capital
investing. Angel investors have a solid amount of funds they want to bestow upon a promising
firm. venture capitalists pool their funds in a venture capital network, which distributes the risk
The venture capitalist sees the risk in the technology start-up as a worthy risk. Many
technology entrepreneurs who sell their successful start-ups immediately pour their financial
capital into new ventures. Noteworthy among those are Paypal’s Peter Theil a Facebook angel
investor, who now sits at the head of Clarium Capital. The atmosphere of high risk is mitigated
by the actual enjoyment of the flourishing of new technology trends. Upon selling Paypal, Theil
poured his wealth into other start-ups, a pattern which can be seen widely in the technology
sector.
Accel was one of the first firms to see the potential in Facebook and put major investments
towards its growth. Its investments are 12M. It is important to note that Facebook did not
come out of the red until September 2009. A look at Accel’ investment portfolio will reveal
numerous lesser known companies in the technology sector. Successive rounds of investment
are grouped in tiers pertaining to chronology of investments. Notable are The Founders Fund,
Greylock capital, and Meritech Capital Partners which as the series B. investors contributed
27M as a group. It is very important to note that Peter Theill and Reid Hoffman’s original angel
investment of 500M collectively outpaces all of the other venture capital infusions. Microsoft’s
hefty 250M series C investment came in 2007, after talk of the sale of Facebook. Facebook
became famous as it turned down aquisition by Yahoo, a defiant move which inspired future
investment.
Total $836M
Peter Thiel
Reid Hoffman
Accel Partners
Greylock Partners
Microsoft
Li Ka-shing
Li Ka-shing
TriplePoint Capital
Elevation Partners
credit: Crunchbase
Monetization Strategies
The Financial Times in April 2010 profiled the Facebook corporate strategy to reach out for
advertising links with a new program the “like” feature in which users can express themselves
via “liking” various brands. Programs like this which seek to divert attention to demi-adverts
seek to monetize Facebook, an ultimate duty for the venture capital investors. The digital gift
economy or the Facebook dollars are other such schemes towards infusing the dreamy start-up
with a measure of profitability. The schemes involving strategic ad revenue, data mining, digital
gift schemes, and Facebook cash have yet to prove themselves in terms of long-term viability,
and some are indeed subject to litigation regarding fraudulent overcharging (as with digital gifts
which demand credit card data which then bill on automatic basis high figure sums).
An indirect monetization strategy involves the way Facebook has placed itself as
the irreplacible digital billboard for other corporate marketing strategies. In that sense,
Facebook has a guaranteed client base from which to later extract cash. Fully exploring
corporate “taxation” or enhanced feature modules will play out in the future. As compnies
like Twitter were whispered to toy with charging for a deluxe service, or as Craigslist charges
emloyers seeking laborers, there may be future ways of extracting income from the easy
The early 2000’s brought infusions of cash into the Silicon Valley landscape. Many ventures
were fiscally disastrous. A look at venture capital climates will still find that the cash infusion
made possible in the United States exceeds many other economic climates. Paul Carr’s spoof
of a book, Bringing Nothing to the Party, details the struggles of an aspiring technology start
up’s quest for venture capital. The company, a social networking site for hip young Londoners,
faces immanent financial peril. Carr’s portrait of the London venture capital scene pits the
fledgling technology scene as far inferior to the stateside technology riches. Another approach
to measuring the atmosphere for technology start-ups are the amount of governmental
participation in fostering growth. In Finland for instance, the government when faced with
depopulation and a bleakly performing agrarian economy, infused cash into the technology
sectors and subsidized advanced technology degress and education which helped the young
Nokia ascend the charts in the pre-smart phone cell phone revolution. And while capital
investments may be exceptional in the United States, whether or not a host of political factors
everything from labor costs to investment visa availability pertain to the flourishing of technology
start-ups. venture capitalists must consider these factors as well as possible legal threats which
What makes Facebook such an interesting company to follow, is that not only have they
anticipated cultural trends but they have shaped them, and they have quickly adapted as new
technologies shaped the zeitgeist. The Twitterification of their interface rapidly followed the
Twitter ascendancy, which in a sense showed a loyalty and duty to their investors, to keep the
company at the cutting edge for as long as possible. In a digital marketplace, aesthetics and
trendiness rule the day. If an interface becomes stale, boring, or aesthetically out of fashion, it
The recent “Google Me” media buzz has alerted the technology community that there may
be a very immenant demise of the Facebook, even with its 500 million strong. The company
seeks to return the venture capital investment as it serves as a model for sociological transitions
and adapts to a host of factors including the viability of ad revenue, the crunchability of
statistics for ad revenue microcash, the sale of raw data, and or government support or subsidy,
Accel, as one of the most premier investment companies involved in technology growth,
has a close relationship with the National Venture Capital Association which rewarded Jim
Swartz with a Lifetime achievment award. The National Venture Capital Association has
shared several figures from the Accel group, and holds their interest and future at heart as it
represents over 400 similarly situated firms. The National Venture Capital Association lobbies
the United States Congress for more easily available investment Visas, which promote tech
start up growth. The seek to influence the Federal Communications Commission regulations
for the benefit of their firms and increase braodband strength for the increased viability of social
networking platforms.
The most pre-eminent VC concerns will thusly benefit from a close relationship with lobby
When following the trail of Facebook capital investment, it is important to ask whether any
of the investment firms have any particular political or other aims. Do they see Facebook as a
valuable tool for civic surveillance? Or are they affiliated with groups that do? As Facebook
hosts a panoply viewpoints, no one viewpoint predominates, but certain overarching norms
increasing mythologizing of the cult of identity. In late 2009, the Electronics Frontiers
Foundation sued the United States Department of Justice, Department of Defense, and Central
Intelligence Agency for failing to disclose as per the Freedom of Information Act, the level of
their utilization of social networking for surveillance or other purposes. Might it be possible
to show that the state has a direct interest in supporting the growth of the social networking
phenomenon?
The company In-Q-Tel is a venture capital firm directly and officially and openly linked
to the development of technologies useful for the Central Intelligence Agency. They were
implicated by the Electronic Frontiers Foundation in the 2006 surveillance via telephone’s
in the case Electronic Frontiers Foundation v. ATT. In-Q-tel’s capital investment is geared
Skype surveillance and phone call surveillance. The latest notice on their Crunchbase profile
shows their investment in an aggregation service which allows corporate interests to watch
and compute the success of their social network advertising penetration. The social media
monitoring software in a sense becomes a derivative industry which crunches a much larger
data base, of which Facebook is only a part. In that sense, Facebook becomes an inextricable
part of state interest, and this is obvious via simple Internet searching, even despite the
Electronic Frontiers Foundation’s inability to use the FOIA to obtain more specifics. Indeed, the
Bono Rockstar is a primary investor in the Elevation Partners firm which provided a
substantial infusion to Facebook in June 2010. According to British technology mag The
Register, the 120M venture capital infusion gives Elevation a mere .05% ownership in
Facebook. What motivation would the Bono empire have in Facebook? Facebook serves
a high level of traffic. For some users, the rest of the Internet does not exist. Potential Ad
revenue schemes, and a stadium full of adherents might be more suseptible to the Bono
humanitarian agenda. In a certain sense we could easily hypothesize that Bono’s Facebook
share is geared towards advancing his larger philosophical agenda. It is also interesting to note
that Silicon Valley magazines ridicule Elevation Partners investment strategies. Perhaps it is
their lateness in the game. Indeed, the Elevation investment in June 2010 comes sharply on
the heels of the Facebook v. Google Me debate, in which the eclipse of Facebook is forecast.
Are future investments likely to be ridiculed out of jeolosy in the technology community? Or
is there a real concern that Facebook, like its predecessors will quickly fade? This is a very
The Facebook venture capital investigation might also beg the question, why invest in
a company that has not yet turned a profit? Risk management is a company’s duty to its
investors. The most significant predictable risk monetarily is legal assault, especially in the
technology sector, which is beset with patent, copyright, programming, software, and other
What can other start-ups gain from this finance model? How can new companies compete
for venture capital investment or the honors bestowed by angel investors? How can technology
start-ups protect their capital investment from crippling litigation? Many a firm finds itself
in protracted litigation, which can either slow, or sometimes halt growth altogether. Indeed
Facebook is currently being sued by a software programming contractor who alleges he found
a contract entitling him to 85% of Facebook. As Richard Susskind details in the book The End
of Lawyers the future of many technology companies will involve engaging legal services on
a per anum basis, rather than after costly litigation has ensued. And then the law firms will
conduct extensive review of all accounts and potential intellectual property vulnerabilities prior
to litigation, so as to head off unnecessary squabbles and be prepared for any legal assault.
Susskind points out that the emerging technological sector has a new kind of need for legal
services, and the legal industry is adapting to suit their needs. A company which is financed
by the good graces of angel investment and venture capital does not need to involve the
a company must involve a legal risk analysis and the engagement of appropriate preventative
legal services. Mark Howitson, a Silicon Valley attorney has represented Facebook as deputy
Contextualizing Facebook
Contextualizing Facebook as a viable investment risk involves using an entirely new way of
assessing information. As a digital product it has created value out of ether, or nothingness, or
rather out of component computer parts and broadband and Internet service provider services
and human participation. The economics of Facebook, and all tech companies, exist in a new
realm which must recognize the intangible value of cognitive activity, as well as the other
potential values in crowd sourcing, advertising potential, data mining, surveillance, forensic
investigation, and social cohesion. A general survey of Facebook and cyberlaw questions,
which often involve the confluence of sociological issues, investment, government involvement,
and citizen participation can be found at the Center for Internet ans Society, hosted by Stanford
University’s cyberlaw domain. The Berkman Center at Harvard is the east coast cyberlaw
counterpart and hosts conferences joining the worlds of programmers, the developers of the
DARPA net, the future of Internet micro-cash, crowd sourcing, and other exciting trends in
Facebook into a digital courtroom to a certain extent. It is important to note that the state has
a vested interest in keeping the Facebook digital realm in order. Australia has ruled Facebook
law enforcement using Facebook to establish identity or whereabouts of suspects are known.
In a certain sense, government could not live without Facebook, or some equivalent. Online
predators are seduced through various Internet media channels, of which Facebook, is but one.
In-Q-tel, which is the CIA’s venture capital group is invested in new technologies such as Visible
networking context.
Conclusion
Facebook as a company, has a history which will not ever be replicated. Facebook’s
investment history shows a high level of trust in the innovation and promise of a new idea. A
look each level of cash infusion reveals a high level of investor interest, which might be the
envy of any new start-up. A vigilant attention to publicity and media review, as well as legal
vulnerabilities, provide a sense of security for the venture capitalist’s initial investment. Tech
companies of the future will look at the Facebook model and strive to imitate its successes,
while perhaps steering clear of its many PR nightmares and privacy breeches and IP
controversies. The company of the future will follow the investment trail of Facebook and other
tech wunderkind to gauge a pattern for sustained growth and investment. They will look for
start-ups and the tech sector. Facebook in this sense will become a pivotal story of Venture
Capital wealth putting into motion a great idea which shapes many derivative companies, and
revolutionizes the face of marketing. In that sense, a look at Facebook will benefit any who