Chip VCs: Enhanced “nerd” factor needed

I mentioned Chip Scale Packing (CSP), which I should also explain further. In simple terms, for these miniaturized consumer devices, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) real estate is a big problem. CSP is a packaging technology that allows chips to be packaged “at the scale of the chip” with marginally more area requirement. In recent times,

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SiP is a major discontinuity

Okay, so I should explain what is the big deal about System-in-Package (SiP) … You must have noticed the trend in cellular handsets of packing in dramatically diverse functionality? Samsung’s latest model has a 5 Mega Pixel camera, and if this is any indication, consumers will further reap benefits of such integration trends in the

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SiP versus Structured ASICs

Semiconductors and Electronics have invaded every aspect of our lives in fairly extensive ways. During the last quarter of the twentieth century, this segment received enormous attention, venture investment, and duly provided some amazing vision, thought leadership, and innovation. Now, in the first decade of the 21st Century, the industry is showing signs of hitting

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Financing non-mainstream films

Recently, we saw the documentary Born into Brothels by Zana Briski, filmed in the brothels of Calcutta. The film has won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary – a deserving recognition. It’s a beautiful film about a handful of children of prostitutes whom Zana Auntie decides to teach photography, and subsequently tries to lift

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Disney and Globalization

The Media and Entertainment Industry is already going through a huge overhaul, and will continue to do so over the next decade, as Broadband finally becomes mainstream and ubiquitous, and other disruptive technology forces like Video-on-Demand (VOD), Blogs, Online Advertising, etc. start to establish stronger foothold. In this section, I would like to discuss issues

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Looking to create a signature as a fashion designer?

I used to work with a small New York Designer called Lafayette 148 in the 1999-2000 timeframe. It was (and still is) a beautiful designer that wanted to use the highest quality fabrics but make the clothes available at relatively lower prices. [In the fashion business, the terminology would be Designer merchandise at Bridge prices.]

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Sick of Campbell soups?

India is a paradise for delicious candies and other edibles: sweets, snacks, pickles … Trader Joe’s has made Mochi ice-creams now a household name in North America. The women in the villages almost always cook, and many of them could put the fanciest chefs in top restaurants worldwide to test. In Bengali cuisine, one of

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How big is the global candle business?

But is it only the distribution channels for CPG categories that offer opportunities for such micro-entrepreneurship? I don’t think so. Most lifestyle retailers today sell candles. And one of their major business challenges is gross margin. If Federated focuses on putting in a supply chain that taps into the 4 Billion potential suppliers, and offers

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