Friday, September 13, 2019

Softbank's Problem: Vision, Not Money




100 billion dollars is a lot of money, but it is not too much money for all the innovation that needs to happen, that will happen, with or without the Softbank Vision Fund. So where did the Vision Fund go wrong?

Masa by now has the wrong vantage point.

A tech startup can fail every step of the way. It can fail post-IPO.

But veterans (and give him credit, he has a Steve Jobs-like aura ... he has a stellar record) like Masa learn to become cautious and careless at the same time. Cases in point: Uber and WeWork.

It is hard to spot Uber and WeWork in their early rounds. But by the time they become unicorns, you think, okay, I missed out when it grew from one million to one billion in market value, but now I got it. If I can hop on now, I will still likely see a 100X growth to my investment, when 10X is considered excellent.

But then things go topsyturvy. Elon Musk wants to eat Uber alive. WeWork starts crumbling down right before your eyes post-IPO.

Both are sound companies. Both shifted the paradigm.

Masa picked Alibaba when Alibaba was really young. He has to go to those roots. Maybe it is hard to do. But there are enough early stage companies in the world today that will easily absorb 100B, or whatever is left of it after Uber and WeWork, two dud investments of Masa.








Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Gender And Tech







Shivani Siroya, Founder CEO Of Tala, A Revolutionary Fintech Company

Masa should put his money in Tala, not WeWork. Although WeWork is fine. But Tala is way more impactful. Masa needs to put $30 billion into this.









Shivani Siroya
The Founder Of Tala On Her Leap From Finance To Fundraising For Her Mission-Driven Startup
Shivani Siroya
With $65M, Tala Goes Global: Q&A With Shivani Siroya and Female Founders Fund
GE 193: How TEDTalk Speaker Shivani Siroya Built Financial App Tala That Has Dispersed $50M+ in Emerging Markets to 1M+ Global Customers (podcast)
Shivani Siroya Of Tala On What It Takes To Build Company Culture Across Time Zones
With loans of just $10, this startup has built a financial services powerhouse in emerging markets
Shivani Siroya
Tala, a Company That Offers Loans for as Little as $10, Just Raised $110 Million
A Tech Founder on Why Being an Outsider Is a Strength
Give People Some (Micro) Credit—and Transform Their Lives
Bringing financial services to emerging markets with Shivani Siroya the Founder and CEO of Tala