Jason in Private

Spotify recently announced that it will be skipping the traditional IPO and plans on listing directly on the New York Stock Exchange. This is a highly unusual move, but not unheard of. In 2004 when Google decided to go public, it used a Dutch-auction format that drew the attention of the SEC – just like Spotify’s plan has. Here is what we know This is the first direct listing for the NYSE. [Read More]

By investing in private equity firms, you can gain exposure to a wide range of companies that are not traded on any exchange. These firms tend to hold a diverse range businesses across a multitude of industries, minimizing the risk of holding a single asset. They can almost be conceptualized as a mini-ETF because of the diversity of holdings. What is a private equity firm? Private equity firms tend to take positions in companies not listed on public stock exchanges. [Read More]

About GSV Capital is an investment firm that focuses on late stage, venture capital-backed startups in the technology sector. It is relatively unique (the only one I know of) in that it is a publically traded Silicon Valley investment firm specializing in technology startups. The firm started trading publically in 2011, and since then has invested in some recognizable startups, to include Spotify. Performance The stock’s performance against the Nasdaq and S&P 500 has not been good on almost all timelines. [Read More]

Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB) is the bank of the Silicon Valley startups. They provide incredible exposure to the technology startup space and specialize their services for the fast growing, venture capital-backed companies. About the bank Silicon Valley Bank was started in the early 1980’s and specialized in servicing venture capital-backed startups. This gave them a competitive advantage over other banks in the sector as they knew the hurdles that a startup faced, and allowed them to grow the relationship as companies went from the startup phase to mature companies. [Read More]

Jason in Private was started to explore the world of investing in private companies, startups, and other alternative assets which are normally reserved for hedge funds, institutional investors, and venture capitalists. This blog will not cover alternative assets like collectibles (stamps, baseball cards, etc.), antiques, and will normally steer away from the commodity markets. The first two because obtaining these assets is relatively straight forward – just search eBay or other markets. [Read More]