Category Archives: Deals

peHUB » Doug Kilponen, Ben Smith: First They Ignore You, Then They Want To Buy You: Managing The Startup-Big Company Relationship

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Ben T. Smith, IV

Every entrepreneur has met them. Big company executives with big company swagger. They ignore you. They dismiss the business problem you spent your life solving. They think they can crush you. Then the tables turn. They push for strategic relationships. … Continue reading →

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Victor Belfor, Ben Smith: Why Startups Innovate Better Than Big Companies | peHUB

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Ben T. Smith, IV

With all their resources and talent, why do big companies have trouble innovating? How can a Blekko exist when there is a Google? Or a Tapulous when there is an Electronic Arts? Even more puzzling, why couldn’t Yahoo create Facebook … Continue reading →

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peHUB » Ben Smith: Eight Steps To Mastering Small Company Acquisitions

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Ben T. Smith, IV

One of the biggest misconceptions in technology is that small acquisitions are less risky and require less attention than large ones. It is not true. When Reply bought my company, MerchantCircle, in May it put several of my top execs … Continue reading →

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Ben Smith: Building Startups Is Cheap But Never Run Out of Cash | peHUB

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Ben T. Smith, IV

Internet startups have been getting cheaper to build for 10 years. So why is it more important than ever not to run out of cash? We built MerchantCircle into one of the 100 most trafficked U.S. sites and I honestly … Continue reading →

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peHUB » Will Startup Jumpers Hit It Big? Silicon Valley’s Latest Debate Is Portfolio vs Persistence

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Ben T. Smith, IV

When gambling on high-risk startups, the more bets you place the better, right? Maybe not. There is an unspoken discussion going on in Silicon Valley now about the value of “Portfolio” versus “Persistence,” especially among people who have never started … Continue reading →

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The Deal is Done. MerchantCirlce is now part of Reply!Media.

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Ben T. Smith, IV

The Deal is Done. MerchantCirlce is now part of Reply!Media in a $60MM deal. If you missed this morning’s announcement, I’m happy to share the news that we are now officially part of Reply! Media.The last few weeks have been … Continue reading →

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MerchantCircle Acquired by Reply!

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Ben T. Smith, IV

Yesterday’s news was a major milestone and we are so thankful to everyone who reached out. Anyone who knows a MerchantCircle team member can attest to how totally dedicated this group of colleagues has been to our users, our products … Continue reading →

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Great Advice from Steve Blank..

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Ben T. Smith, IV

I will not be adding another non failure from Stanford GSB today.  All my very successful friends from GSB are now asking so I think I have a blog a day for about 60 days. Instead I wanted to call … Continue reading →

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Facebook and the Accidental Billionares

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Ben T. Smith, IV

Okay so avoiding my ongoing reading of the 10 Books about the Great Depression is getting out of hand, now I am reading more books to avoid it than the ten I am supposed to read. I just finished The … Continue reading →

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Good Deals that Don’t Work

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Ben T. Smith, IV

Good deals that don’t work… About 6 years ago, I did a great deal. I went in with Seqouia.  I then did a follow on round in the same company with Redpoint and USVP.  The management team stuck together, the … Continue reading →

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