Eyeballs, Click-throughs, Landgrabs and Momentum investing. Fundamentals, Revenue Growth, Profits and Value Investing. Vanguard still believes its strategy of investing in early stage ventures has the most promise and that there are plenty of good Internet-related opportunities. We haven't even hit the knee of the growth curve yet, said Dan Eilers, another Vanguard Partner and former CEO of Apple's Claris software venture. In explaining the pervasive impact of the Internet, Eilers says there are no Internet companies.
All companies are Internet companies.
Our belief was that the Walmart of the Internet would probably be Walmart. Looking forward, Vanguard doesn't expect a drop in the number of referrals it receives from startups looking for funding. The number has been about 1,100 a year for the past few years. And we only do about 12 deals a year. While the current environment has been tough on numerous Internet companies, and put many out of business, Eilers thinks many of this year's startups will better positioned for growth with less funding than those who took advantage of last year's Internet funding frenzy.