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Investment Opportunities In Wireless BroadbandCase Details

 

Closed: 19 Nov 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $250 for Insights on this case.

With the news that Sprint and Clearwire have dissolved their relationship to jointly build a nationwide WiMax network in the US, what will it mean, from an investor's standpoint, for the following companies: Sprint, Clearwire, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Intel, Qualcomm, Comcast.

To be clear: Sprint and Clearwire had an obvious lead in deploying a fourth generation wireless network in the US. By splitting up, we're wondering if this helps or hurts the various players in the space, such that any of the above may now be over- or undervalued, thanks to greater or fewer opportunities in the wireless broadband market. How big an impact will that be (in dollar values) over the next year? For example, does this make a marginal difference in Qualcomm's bottom line as they get to sell more EVDO chips rather than losing marketshare to WiMax? If so, by how much?

5 Insights

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Applying The Lessons of The Dot Com Bubble: What Social Network Investments Make Sense Today?Case Details

 

Closed: 27 Aug 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $300 for Insights on this case.

There are some eerie parallels to the dot com funding bubble of late 90's and the social networking funding bubble today. In the 90's it was about e-commerce. There were the Goliaths: eBay and Amazon who clearly dominated the market. However, there was a frenzy of investment in all kinds of vertical e-tailers, from Pets.com to eToys to completely niche-focused areas like "foreign foods." Then, there were companies that tried to piggyback on the success of the two big players with things like AuctionWatch and PayPal.

This time around, it's all about social networks, with MySpace and Facebook playing the role of the Goliaths. Recently, there's been tremendous investment in vertically focused social networks, for narrowly-defined demographics -- such as mothers or people who want to lose weight. There has also been tremendous interest in funding applications that piggyback on the success of MySpace and Facebook, with things like Slide, Photobucket and LendingClub.

Obviously, many of the bubble-era investments went bust, but there were some success stories, like PayPal and Zappos. What characteristics should an investor look for in figuring out which companies this time around will be the successes -- and how should we avoid the Pets.com of the social networking era? What criteria should we be focusing on and what hidden gems or opportunities are being ignored?

14 Insights

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Alternatives To Microsoft Office: Two Goliaths -- What Does David Do Now?Case Details

 

Closed: 20 Aug 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $150 for Insights on this case.

Google has received quite a bit of attention for the beginnings of its office productivity suite that can operate collaboratively online (as well as offline with Google Gears). But there are already several non-Microsoft office suites that are much more mature than Google's current office apps. However, by adding the weight of its brand to the Web2.0 productivity market, Google has apparently stolen the "thunder" of the upstarts who were pitching stones at Microsoft. As one of these alternative office suite developers,

1) What are the weaknesses of Google Docs & Spreadsheets?

2) How does a smaller office software firm promote itself with two giants in the same arena?

9 Insights

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The Emergence of DIY Application Development PlatformsCase Details

 

Closed: 15 Oct 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $300 for Insights on this case.

Mashups have been an integral aspect of web 2.0, since the concept started to emerge, but they've been somewhat limited. For one thing, mashups have typically required some technical knowledge, which cuts off most users. Also, many of them are formulaic, e.g. Craiglist + Flickr or Google Maps plus a list of Starbucks locations. The upshot is that for the typical user, there's been very little ability to develop mashups of one's own liking.

But now a number of companies, both startups and established internet vendors, are trying to expand this area. Yahoo has its Pipes service, and Microsoft has released a similar service, dubbed PopFly. Google is also testing its Google Mashup Editor. Then there are a number of startups focusing on this space specifically, such as Teqlo and Coghead. Former Microsoft exec Charles Simonyi is also working on something in this area, although so far it's been pretty quiet.

Looking down the road, how is this space likely to play out? What can we realistically expect a non-technical amateur to be capable of? What needs to happen, from a technological perspective, before non-technical users are able to create robust software? Or are non-technical users consigned to being only capable of simple, pre-designed mashups? At what point does the emergence of these DIY applications start to have an impact in both the enterprise and on traditional software vendors. If this is going to have an impact on software vendors, what can they do to facilitate and profit from this trend? Don't limit your responses to these questions. Support your predictions with quantitative data, if applicable.

18 Insights

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How To Harness User-Generated Content In Branding Campaigns?Case Details

 

Closed: 23 Jul 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $300 for Insights on this case.

As a Fortune 500 company considering a consumer-focused branding campaign that incorporates user-generated content, we are an office equipment and services provider looking to maximize the benefits of an online video campaign using YouTube and other online video communities. Obviously, we are aiming for a fresh and vibrant (and perhaps viral) response, but we also realize there may be somewhat negative portrayals of our brand.

1) Given our broad audience of consumers, how can we best encourage positive entries and on-message responses? Suggest online venues where the prevailing tone is upbeat -- or virtual locations that should be avoided if they are known to be too crass. How can these characterizations be determined?

2) Suggest creative ways to promote the collected video materials, after the submission period is officially over, that leverage online communities.

3) Other than ignoring or deleting content that may be negative, how should we handle submissions that are not entirely favorable to our brand?

11 Insights

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What Can Small-Cap Companies Learn From Governance Risk And Compliance (GRC) Lessons So Far?Case Details

 

Closed: 24 Jun 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $250 for Insights on this case.

There's been a lot of talk about the governance, risk and compliance (GRC) market lately, with companies like SAP making a big push into the space. When talking about GRC people often fall back on talking about Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, as that's been a key part of it. Certain compliance deadlines have been pushed back for smaller companies, but small-cap companies may wish to anticipate GRC issues before they hit with full force. How do you see the market for GRC solutions changing for small-cap companies over the next 3 to 5 years?

5 Insights

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The Future of Personal Navigation DevicesCase Details

 

Closed: 18 Jun 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $100 for Insights on this case.

As more and more devices add GPS capabilities, what features will really differentiate personal navigation devices (PNDs)? What location based services will be most valuable to drivers? To pedestrians? What will GPS devices look like in 5 years?

10 Insights

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Pick Your Favorite Wireless SaaS ToolsCase Details

 

Closed: 25 May 2007, 11:59PM PT

Earn up to $100 for Insights on this case.

Two big topics these days are SaaS and wireless. Obviously the two are on a converging path. Already, Blackberry email is considered an essential wireless SaaS offering. What other opportunities do you see coming into this space. If you were investing in wireless Saas, where do you think the biggest opportunities are today?

6 Insights

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