woensdag 30 oktober 2013
The Tech and Newmedia focused seed-stage Monarch Tech fund, completed its second round of funding
Richemont's Lancel: a luxury brand business struggling – Private Equity expected to come in
Richemont's Lancel: a luxury brand business struggling – Private Equity expected to come in
Potential buyers of Lancel see reviving the loss-making leather goods maker as a high-risk gamble that could take at least 6-8 years to pay off, sources said.
Facing a struggle to offload the business, it is believed that Swiss parent Richemont would be ready to pay for two years of losses - up to an estimated € 20 million- to entice bidders.
So far private equity firms Change Capital and Lion Capital have expressed interest while Asian group Swire is looking to team up with a private equity firm to make a bid, sources said.
People close to the talks say the bidding process for Lancel, which had already been going on for months, could last several more weeks.
Lancel's difficulties come as the luxury sector as a whole remains resilient despite a slowdown in China, continuing to grow, although at a slower pace than in previous years.
PRIVATE EQUITY
The relationship between private equity and fashion brands can be difficult because the typical 3 to 5-year investment horizon may be too short to turn a label around.
Private equity deals are usually financed by debt, which puts pressure on the fashion brand when it needs to invest in marketing and new shops.
Lanvin, acquired by Taiwanese media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang from L'Oreal in 2001, took more than seven years to become profitable. TPG struggled for nine years to restructure the leather goods brand Bally before selling it in 2008.
Industry executives say Lancel was making margins higher than Louis Vuitton - today's market leader - when Richemont bought it in 1997. Lancel has not expanded internationally or creatively as its rivals did and makes more than 80% of its sales in France. It is estimated that in the year to end June, it had an operating loss of €10 million on revenues of € 135 million, sources close to the matter said.
Analysts say Lancel needs to enter the accessible segment of the luxury market, alongside Coach, Michael Kors and Longchamp with handbags costing 200-800 euros.
Lancel lost credibility at the high end of the luxury market by offering excessive discounts and putting out staid, old-fashioned designs, such as the Brigitte Bardot bag in 2010 - a 1970s style version of the bucket bag - and the document holder Isabelle Adjani bag in 2008.
Lancel clearly thinks it can make it as a luxury brand. A few months ago, it introduced an ostrich leather "L" bag costing 4,500 euros, emulating Gucci and Louis Vuitton's recent efforts to move upmarket.
To rebuild its name in the crowded accessories market, experts say Lancel should do some ready-to-wear, as Longchamp did, to stimulate traffic in shops and rejuvenate itself.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/28/richemont-lancel-idUSL5N0IF2HF20131028
zaterdag 26 oktober 2013
Instagram Introduces sample 'Sponsored' ads - Djamila Celina Melcherts DCM Ventures Bonno van der Putten Monarch Capital #Tech #Newmedia #DJ #Bookings
Social photo sharing site Instagram plans to introduce advertising in photo streams and releases a sample version
Instagram has released images of sample advertising as a part of the company plans to introduce advertising to its website.
The adverts will be integrated into a user's photostream, but it will have a label saying "Sponsored" where the time stamp would normally be.
The release will come out on the app in the US the upcoming days to give users "a sense for the look and feel of the ads one will see
According to market research, advertisers will spend $9.52 billion on social network ads worldwide this year – about 8.1% of their overall digital ad budgets. These include revenues to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks.
It estimates spending on mobile ads will increase 89% globally this year to reach $8.8 billion, up from $4.02 billion last year.
Advertising on Instagram should help Facebook increase its lead in the mobile display advertising category, according to the research.
It estimates Facebook will account for a 33.3% market share of US mobile display ad revenues this year, up from a 21.1% share last year
Facebook, that rapidly acquired Instagram for $700 million last year after noticing the rapid growth of its competitor, is seeking new ways to drive revenue from mobile devices as users increasingly access digital services from wireless devices. While mobile made up 41% of ad revenue in Q2, up from 30% in the previous period, Facebook remains a at distant number 2 position in a market led by Google according to reports.
Users will be able to hide promotions they don’t like, Instagram said. They can also give feedback about what doesn’t “feel right” about the ads.
Instagram, the world’s most popular and fastest growing social network ever has more than 150 million users, up from more than 130 million in June.
Instagram unveiled tools in July that let members embed photos and videos on outside websites, including blogs and news providers. Videos were added to the photo-sharing app in June
Learn More: http://youtu.be/1Lz_DYDyQIc 
and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/10404485/Instagram-launches-sample-Sponsored-ad.html
Instagram Introduces sample 'Sponsored' ads - Djamila Celina Melcherts DCM Ventures Bonno van der Putten Monarch Capital #Tech #Newmedia #DJ #Bookings
vrijdag 18 oktober 2013
#ADE - One Week of #Dutch #Finest #Dance #DJ #Festival #EDMlife; DJ Talent Djamila Celina Melcherts
woensdag 16 oktober 2013
General Catalyst Partners Said to Seek $600 Million for New Tech Fund; Bonno van der Putten
General Catalyst Partners Said to Seek $600 Million for New Tech Fund
General Catalyst Partners, the venture-capital firm, is said to be targeting $600 million for its next fund that will invest in technology companies
General Catalyst Group VII LP is seeking more capital than the firm’s prior vehicle, which raised $500 million in December 2011. The new fund apparently will stick to the same kind of deals, investing in consumer Internet, social media and other technology businesses.
The firm will be entering a competitive fundraising market as private-equity investors reduce the number of managers they use in an effort to improve returns. General Catalyst, which makes both early-stage and growth investments, is said to be looking to a December close for the fund.
Since its founding in 1999, the firm has raised six funds with a total of $2.2 billion in committed capital. It has invested in companies including ProfitLogic (sold to Oracle), GroupMe (sold to by Skype) and Jumptap, which is being purchased by Millennial Media in a deal announced in August.
General Catalyst Partners backed travel website operator Kayak Software, which raised more than it sought in its July 2012 initial public offering and was acquired earlier this year by Priceline.com for about $1.8 billion.
Last year, the firm saw some of its companies go public, including Brightcove, a provider of cloud-based video hosting and publishing services, and Demandware, which offers an e-commerce platform.
More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-16/general-catalyst-said-to-seek-600-million-for-new-fund.html
zaterdag 12 oktober 2013
Amsterdam Dance Event Countdown has begun... time for a detox before 4 days of meetings and mayhem.
dinsdag 8 oktober 2013
Video startups consolidating; music streaming services expanding; Photography: TV Presenter Djamila Celina Melcherts
Video startups consolidating; music streaming services expanding; Photography: TV Presenter Djamila Celina Melcherts
In the US, Break Media and Alloy Digital — two long-time producers of video content outside of the YouTube bubble — are expected to announce a merger.
The move is the latest in a long line of video companies in a fragmented market that have decided to consolidate in order to gain more traction from a mass audience.
Earlier this year Maker Studios purchased well-known video site Blip, and last year Alloy acquired DBG. And those that aren’t consolidating are raising massive amounts of funding from Private Equity companies and tech funds to build a business that plays nice with YouTube, but ultimately wants to strike out as its own video network — thus cutting out YouTube’s cut of the revenue made on its content.
As for the merger, both Break and Alloy produce short video clips that are targeted at a younger audience, which make them a good match for each other. The two companies will be rebranded as Defy Media, with Break and Alloy each holding a 50 percent stake in the new venture.
The newly formed Defy Media will now have a combine reach of 30 million YouTube subscribers and about 50 million monthly visitors to both websites .
With solid Private Equity funding the message could be further extended beyond the digital space through established media platforms that connect with consumers as they move throughout their day. The brand message reaches the right audience in the right place, at the right time.
In Europe companies like Zoomin.TV, 5minutenTV (http://5minuten.tv/), SweetnezzTV (http://www.sweetnezztv.nl/) offers viewers the possibility to watch specific content and news whenever and wherever they want to watch it.
These companies with integrated content, distribution, and superb technology offering has proven to be a winning combination for media agencies, advertisers, content providers and distribution partners in the European on-line video industry. Zoomin.TV
Together, these companies with Zoomin.TV leading the pack, are the largest producers of online video news in Europe. All of the them are expanding operations in Europe and beyond.
Long-awaited music streaming service are next; Beats in the US for example will launch its long-awaited music streaming service, Beats Music, within the next few months in the United States. 5minutenTV and SweetnezzTV are launching the same service in Europe.
Bonno van der Putten, Managing Director of Monarch’s Tech fund of Private Equity powerhouse Monarch Capital Partners, says music streaming services for 5minutenTV and SweetnezzTV, will be accessible on the Web, as well as from an iOS or Android device. Support for Windows 8, presumably through a dedicated app, will arrive at a later date.
Music streaming is a highly competitive space at the moment, with established brands such as Spotify, Rdio and Deezer fighting for new subscribers. Microsoft and Google are trying to muscle in with similar offerings, while Apple opts for a Pandora-style approach with its recently launched iTunes Radio
Monarch ‘s Tech fund team consists of former record label executives with extensive business experience and strategic thinking capacity about the licensing, business models and deals that are necessary for a successful music streaming service, says van der Putten.
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