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Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

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Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#21

Post by ajaxaddicted »

locklock wrote: post #17
jamesblonde wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. However, I know the Data Artisans founders personally. There like like 6 or 7 of them, and Prof Volker Merkl (main person behind the original project, Stratosphere). Then, they did two funding rounds. Nobody is coming out with near 10m euro. Half that, before tax, probably after a few years of golden handcuffs. So, my guess is 3m euro after 10+ years. Not bad, but you couldn't buy a good house in the valley…

You can certainly buy a nice house in Berlin for it though!

Why would someone do that though. You can buy a much nicer house in Spain

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#22

Post by tormeh »

jamesblonde wrote: post #3

What is it about European Enterprise Data software companies that they never make it past this stage without either being bought up or moving to the States? MySQL, JBoss, Elastic. The list is much longer.

EU capital markets are underdeveloped compared to those in the US. European banks are too small, and mostly national. More importantly, the marketplaces are too small and too national. European stock exchanges are a joke compared to NASDAQ and NYSE.

There's also the small detail of pension funds generally being forbidden from investing in stocks. That's the money that's fuelling SV, if my impression is correct. This policy comes from a general risk-aversion that's also evident in all other areas.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#23

Post by thecleaner »

rapsey wrote: post #9
lawrenceyan wrote: post #7

I wonder what it would take to create the set of conditions for another "Silicon Valley / SF Bay Area" to appear in Europe. It seems like inevitably, any tech companies that are successful always end up getting bought out and leave to the U.S. instead of staying. What are the primary issues? Lack of VC funding, culture, government policy? On the surface, it doesn't seem like there's anything particularly lacking, at…

There is very little VC funding and the culture/language barriers between countries are huge.

I suppose a look east policy will make sense here atleast for the VC funding. Language barrier problem is honestly an opportunith but also a stupid problem to have. I dont understand why atleast language of business is not English throughout the EU (for sectors besides IT). For example, quite a lot of businesses in China use English. Same is the case for most of south east Asia and also India.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#24

Post by lawrenceyan »

Rainymood wrote: post #20
lawrenceyan wrote: post #7

I wonder what it would take to create the set of conditions for another "Silicon Valley / SF Bay Area" to appear in Europe. It seems like inevitably, any tech companies that are successful always end up getting bought out and leave to the U.S. instead of staying. What are the primary issues? Lack of VC funding, culture, government policy? On the surface, it doesn't seem like there's anything particularly lacking, at…

It's attitude and sheer luck. People in the US seem to take more risk, this leads to huge rewards (start-ups) but also leads to an insane amount of inequality in wealth. I have never seen more in-your-face wealth inequality than in America (and yes, I've been to China and Asia in general quite often). Then a second component is the sheer amount of people trying their luck. Imagine that winning in a startup is like to…

Doesn't the European Union have around 500 million people though in it's population? America is only like 325 million people I think.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#26

Post by nraynaud »

lawrenceyan wrote: post #7

I wonder what it would take to create the set of conditions for another "Silicon Valley / SF Bay Area" to appear in Europe. It seems like inevitably, any tech companies that are successful always end up getting bought out and leave to the U.S. instead of staying. What are the primary issues? Lack of VC funding, culture, government policy? On the surface, it doesn't seem like there's anything particularly lacking, at…

I think that ship has sailed, Europeans see what SV has become and are thankful that they failed in replicating the model.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#27

Post by thecleaner »

moonhorse wrote: post #10
lawrenceyan wrote: post #7

I wonder what it would take to create the set of conditions for another "Silicon Valley / SF Bay Area" to appear in Europe. It seems like inevitably, any tech companies that are successful always end up getting bought out and leave to the U.S. instead of staying. What are the primary issues? Lack of VC funding, culture, government policy? On the surface, it doesn't seem like there's anything particularly lacking, at…

there is already another Silicon Valley. And that is China. Alibaba is a Chinese company...

China is definitely quite a competitive economy in the technology space. I wouldnt say its the next SV. Rather would group it as its own class. Most of the businesses grew out of protectionism offered by thr Chinese govt but noe they seem to have made it.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#28

Post by Aethelwulf »

tormeh wrote: post #22
jamesblonde wrote: post #3

What is it about European Enterprise Data software companies that they never make it past this stage without either being bought up or moving to the States? MySQL, JBoss, Elastic. The list is much longer.

EU capital markets are underdeveloped compared to those in the US. European banks are too small, and mostly national. More importantly, the marketplaces are too small and too national. European stock exchanges are a joke compared to NASDAQ and NYSE. There's also the small detail of pension funds generally being forbidden from investing in stocks. That's the money that's fuelling SV, if my impression is correct. This…

> There's also the small detail of pension funds generally being forbidden from investing in stocks.

Do you have a source for that? I've not heard that before.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#29

Post by jamesblonde »

thecleaner wrote: post #23
rapsey wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is very little VC funding and the culture/language barriers between countries are huge.

I suppose a look east policy will make sense here atleast for the VC funding. Language barrier problem is honestly an opportunith but also a stupid problem to have. I dont understand why atleast language of business is not English throughout the EU (for sectors besides IT). For example, quite a lot of businesses in China use English. Same is the case for most of south east Asia and also India.

The language of business in the EU is now English. At least in IT, it's all English.

Re: Alibaba acquires Berlin-based data Artisans for $103M

#30

Post by raverbashing »

tormeh wrote: post #22
jamesblonde wrote: post #3

What is it about European Enterprise Data software companies that they never make it past this stage without either being bought up or moving to the States? MySQL, JBoss, Elastic. The list is much longer.

EU capital markets are underdeveloped compared to those in the US. European banks are too small, and mostly national. More importantly, the marketplaces are too small and too national. European stock exchanges are a joke compared to NASDAQ and NYSE. There's also the small detail of pension funds generally being forbidden from investing in stocks. That's the money that's fuelling SV, if my impression is correct. This…

> European banks are too small, and mostly national.

You mean like Deutsche Bank? BNP Paribas? Santander?

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