Bubble Burst: Sequoia Capital Issues Doom and Gloom Warning

[mandy]

Sequoia Capital, arguably the smartest venture capital investor in business, is sounding the alarm and asking its portfolio companies to buckle down for what could be the worst economic downturn of their relatively short lives.

The fund organized a meeting yesterday where it invited entreprenuers/CEOs from its portfolio companies. The attendees were greeted by a cute image of a Grave Stone, with a message: R.I.P.: Good Times...

Folks this is bad news for Silicon Valley, which has been living in a bubble, assuming that it is going to weather the global economic storm without being impacted...

full article: http://gigaom.com/2008/10/08/sequoia-rin...n-trouble/

related:
Sequoia calls off the boom
http://valleywag.com/5060881/sequoia-calls-off-the-boom

[mandy]

Related articles:

The tech downturn: How long and how bad?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10061872-92.html
What Startups Can Learn from Sequoia Capital’s Doomsday Plans
http://gigaom.com/2008/10/09/what-startu...y-warning/
Is That the Sound of the Silicon Valley Web 2.0 Bubble Bursting?
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/t...e_sou.html
Silicon Valley Finds It Isn't Immune From Credit Crisis
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12235942...lenews_wsj

[mandy]

A related commentary from Marketing Sherpa:

Your marketing plan for fourth quarter should include:...

2. Measurement
You desperately need more data that ties marketing activity to the bottom line. You need to know what to cut and what to increase. In B2B, lead qualification and scoring is now your top priority. In consumer marketing, devise better ways to measure the campaigns and tactics that:
- cost the most overall (e.g., video ads)
- can be done on a shoestring using staff time instead of outside vendors (e.g., word-of-mouth campaigns)

3. PR Research
Build an in-house list of every possible media outlet, especially non-traditional ones, such as Facebook groups, email newsletters published by related brands, and the blogosphere. Keep notes on each one's predilections and PR possibilities...

full article: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30879