Month: May 2005

Jim Barksdale – Son of Mississippi

It’s always good to see fellow Mississippians in the news. Jim Barksdale isn’t the only one that could be making these kinds of donations to move Mississippi foward though…

Driving through rural Mississippi – don’t ask – the crackling airwaves brought news from a name more associated with Sand Hill Road. Former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale [Jackson, Mississippi native] provoked Mississippi legislators by offering $50M in college scholarships, with strings attached. Barksdale requires that the state meet federal guidelines for its state education funding. The state of Mississippi raises very little revenue from taxes and as a result has trouble funding school budget increases. Some legislators complained that Barksdale was meddling in their business.

It is refreshing to see philanthropists like Barksdale and Bill Gates pay attention to high school education. Too often, donations are made so that Harvard Business School can build a gym fit for kings or to endow an pricey chair at the University of Chicago Business School.

(Via alarm:clock)

Dodgeball.com bought by Google

I mentioned this service a little while back… and now it’s been snapped up by Google. Why?

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – “Dodgeball.com, a service that uses mobile phones to help people meet up with friends who are in the same location, said on its Web Site on Wednesday that it has been bought by Web search leader Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG – news) Representatives from each company were not immediately available for comment. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.”

Via Yahoo! News

UK Venture Capital investments increase 50%

According to a new report by the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA), investment by U.K. private equity firms reached a record £9.7 billion last year, an increase of more than 50% over the £6.4 billion invested in 2003. The BVCA’s annual Report on Investment Activity found that investment outside the U.K. accounted for about 45% of all U.K. companies’ activity and that investment in the U.S. increased by 57% to £459 million. Investment on the Continent nearly doubled from £2 billion to £3.9bn over the same period. The number of start-up investments increased from 185 to 190, while the total amount invested in start-ups increased from £73 million to more than £96 million.

European Tech Wire: European Tech Wire – May 11, 2005

This echos the report below: UK Venture Capital is definitely on the upswing.