Dan Primack

NEA: The VC World's best-kept secret

New Enterprise Associates has no celebrities on its staff. It stays under the radar - and lets its results do the talking.

FORTUNE -- Quick, name the largest venture capital firm in the world. If you didn't come up with New Enterprise Associates (NEA), you're not alone. Although it has over 100 employees in eight offices, big-name investments such as Groupon and Diapers.com, and a fantastic track record, NEA keeps a very MORE

The spinoff boom is a boon for this economy

Job creation, innovation, and shareholder value: Who said breaking up is hard to do?

FORTUNE -- Not too long ago the prevailing corporate buzzword was "synergy." Combine one business with another, eliminate redundancies, and watch the profits accumulate. Not all mergers would succeed, of course, but two heads would usually prove better than one, particularly at companies where revenue and innovation had stagnated.

In 2011, however, a growing number of large companies MORE

'Premature scaling' in biotech

Every start-up wants to scale. But they shouldn't do it too soon.

By Bruce Booth, contributor

The Startup Genome project recently released a report on the DNA of internet start-ups, essentially trying to identify attributes that lead to success or failure. One of the things they found was that 74% of start-ups failed because of "premature scaling." Sounds like an unfortunate medical condition, but it's Internet companies spend too much money before they really MORE

It's time to kill the IPO quiet period

Like most regulation, the rules were designed to protect investors.  Now they're just keeping them in the dark.

FORTUNE -- In June, Groupon chairman Eric Lefkosky defended his money-losing company by predicting that it would become "wildly profitable." His comment sparked a Wall Street brushfire, because it arguably violated "quiet period" rules that prevent private companies from discussing themselves while in registration to go public. The reaction was to be expected. MORE

Candidate Romney is trouble for private equity

He's been called a job-killing machine by the Democrats.  That's going to be bad for Romney in an election and bad for PE overall.

Mitt Romney wants you to know that he used to be a successful businessman, and that his managerial experience could help revive America's sputtering economy. It's a message that has resonated with many of his former private sector colleagues, who are expected to shower Romney with campaign MORE

Another company passes the IPO buck

Ok, let's try this again.

Last month I wrote about Nobao Renewable Energy Holdings, a Chinese energy efficiency company that canceled a planned IPO "in light of market conditions." More specifically, I called the explanation a self-serving excuse. "Market conditions" have been just fine for IPOs -- particularly Chinese companies and cleantech companies. The only market condition was that the market apparently didn't take a shine to Nobao Renewable Energy.

Today the culprit MORE

End Big Oil's tax breaks now

It's time to truly level the playing field and give all forms of energy a chance to compete.

To hear some tell it, we have lost our collective appreciation for free markets. So writes CNBC anchor Joe Kernan in his new book about "defending our kids from the liberal assault on capitalism." Or former BB&T CEO John Allison, who offers $2 million grants to colleges that create "courses in capitalism." And MORE

Don't (yet) dismiss LinkedIn lawsuits

Jonathan Marino, current proprietor of peHUB, wrote the following on Friday:

"Remember the whining worrywarts who wondered about SecondMarket's odds of getting sued after a LinkedIn IPO? It's pretty certain that they won't be piping up anytime soon."

I'll narcissistically assume that I'm among those Jonathan chose to alliteratively malign. Two points:

(1) I don't recall anyone worrying that SecondMarket itself would be sued. It's just an exchange. Those who could be sued MORE

Fusion-io: We'll be worth more than $1 billion

Fusion-io plans to join the $1 billion club, according to its proposed IPO offering range.

The Salt Lake City-based company, which makes solid-state hard drives for companies like Facebook, said today that it plans to offer 12.3 million common shares at between $13 and $15 per share. If it prices in the middle, Fusion-io would be valued at just over $1 billion.

Not too shabby for an unprofitable enterprise hardware company. Moreover, it MORE

The audacity of NY Jets owner Woody Johnson

Don't complain about job creation when you're actively destroying them.

Woody Johnson has billions of dollars. Too bad that can't buy him some self-awareness.

The New York Jets owner was on CNBC last Thursday, to discuss issues ranging from the NFL lockout to presidential politics. On the issue of jobs, Johnson said (in part):

"Jobs that are being created now are government jobs… I don't think [Obama] is doing anything to create private MORE