One of Thousands Who Followed the Herd to Big Losses in the Dot Com Era
The worst investment experience in my life was during the Dot Com period of the late 1990s, when almost everyone was a fanatic about the “Internet magic”. I was no exception. Many friends around me were talking about the idea of start-ups and later selling the “company” to some big guys on The Street, such as Yahoo or whoever, and making billions from this…
Read Full PostSilent Restaurant Partner Finds His Voice Too Late After Too Much Golf
A few years back, a Japanese colleague of mine, Kobayashi Takeru (not his real name), decided to invest in opening a ramen restaurant in Bangkok. Japanese restaurants had yet to reach the popularity in the Bangkok dining market that they have achieved today and so there appeared to be a lot of space for further…
Read Full PostSingle Stock Not Best Choice for Long Position on Macro Trend
Prelude I invested in a company operating in a dominant position of its segment within China’s processed–food chain. I liked the investment idea based on the theme that processed food consumption typically rises alongside a country’s rise in income and urbanization. We see this play out when branded products on the shelves of the modern food retail networks replace wet markets, butchers and greengrocers (produce markets). …
Read Full PostHow Poor Execution Turns a Great Idea into the Worst Investment
Prelude In early 2017, I was shown an opportunity to invest in a US$6.5m simple agreement for a future equity (SAFE) note issued by BuildDirect.com Technologies Inc., a $1bn Canadian e–commerce company. All of business’ facets looked solid My client had made previous investments in the company and had a strong conviction in the team, the company, the market and this “new marketplace” opportunity. The company sells heavy construction supplies, such as tiles and…
Read Full PostStart-Up Entrepreneur Runs out of Investment ‘Juice’
Around three years ago, my partner and I founded a business producing and delivering raw juices for detoxification. We had felt that this product would be a winner because, early on, a lot of people were signing up quickly once we had explained the many health benefits of raw-juice programs.
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