Putting China On The Silicon Valley Map: NetScreen And Fortinet Founder Ken Xie (Part 5)

SM: What was your per-share price for your C round?

KX: Sequoia came in at $3.50. One of our investors introduced us to Sequoia. They became interested in us once we won the head-to-head evaluation against Cisco. >>>

Catching Up On Readings: Better Water, On The Web

Whether it’s to save money, improve their hair and skin, or use less plastic, more people are buying water filters. WaterFilters.NET is using Web 3.0 techniques to help people find the best filter. You can read all of this week’s posts by clicking on the full article. >>>

Putting China On The Silicon Valley Map: NetScreen And Fortinet Founder Ken Xie (Part 4)

SM: Knowing you have a two-year run up front provides a lot of security.

KX: It was. When we started NetScreen, the largest hurdle we faced was credibility. Even though we had a prototype developed, when we went out to raise money we did not have credentials behind us. We did not have business experience. We needed to show that the company was worth investing in. >>>

Putting China On The Silicon Valley Map: NetScreen And Fortinet Founder Ken Xie (Part 3)

SM: How were you living if you did not make enough money from Stanford Systems?

KX: I also worked full-time jobs. My wife grew up here in Berkeley. I had a family, and I needed to make sure that I made a living. I made good money with consulting. The startup is great, but I needed regular income. >>>

Krugman On Financial Reform

Splendid piece: Don’t Cry for Wall Street. I agree that financial reform needs to hurt the finance industry.

Forbes Column 2010: The Knock-On Effect Of Global English

Already, people in rural India are tutoring U.S. students in math and science. Read more in The Knock-On Effect Of Global English.

Roundtable Recap: April 22 – The Original Runners

Today I spoke with a diverse group of new entrepreneurs.  Together they illustrate how a business depends on how sharply the target market is defined.  One entrepreneur is well on her way and another needs to focus more on his strongest market segment.  Like many entrepreneurs, the other two are clearly accomplished people, but don’t come from a business background.  For such entrepreneurs it is often worth looking for a cofounder who can fill in with expertise in areas where gaps exist.
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April 22 Roundtable Recording

In case you missed this session, here is the recording: