Message-ID: <11565944.1075857101753.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 15:51:00 -0800 (PST) From: catch_of_the_day@listserv.redherring.com To: alewis@ect.enron.com Subject: CATCH OF THE DAY: Tiffany walkers? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-From: "Redherring.com" X-To: alewis@ect.enron.com X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Andrew_Lewis_Dec2000\Notes Folders\Discussion threads X-Origin: Lewis-A X-FileName: alewis.nsf Find these stories and more at http://www.redherring.com ------------------------------------------------------------ TOP STORY: With the Nasdaq 45 percent off peak, tech companies could commit more money to repurchasing shares. * Companies balk at buybacks http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1211/inv-buyback121100.html ------------------------------------------------------------ A D V E R T I S E M E N T Do you think a hunch about data relationships will improve browser-to-buyer conversion? Disjointed and incomplete eMar- keting data has had you guessing for too long. Now you can see relationships among referring sites, browsing behavior & transactions. To harness unified eMarketing analysis, go to: http://www.coremetrics.com/rh.html A D V E R T I S E M E N T ------------------------------------------------------------ Tiffany walkers? Recently, in New York, I visited Scott Galloway, the CEO of Brand Farm, an incubator specializing in e-commerce. Scott told me his company was "an incubator before incubators were cool." "Incubators were never cool," I said, and he admitted that, yes, being a retail incubator today is like being a short, slow basketball player: hard to love. Then he went on to tell me his business was different. He builds operations around high-margin categories, doesn't limit sales to online, and offers what he calls "edited selection." Scott previously launched Red Envelope, a smallish catalog and site with, to my eyes, wildly overpriced gifts. You pay for the selection, the packaging, the brand, and the marketing. It is essentially the Tiffany model. At Brand Farm, he's developing Gold Violin, a specialty catalog of luxury gifts for seniors, clearly targeted at their newly affluent children and grandchildren. Scott is also working on Room 12, a high-end travel site. We may snicker at the too-precious products in these catalogs, but the concept of offering a small number of compact, beautifully wrapped gifts via multiple channels sure beats pushing heavy, low-margin bags of dog food on the Web. Incubators are not cool. But margins are. - Rafe Needleman, rafe-needleman@redherring.com Editor, http://www.redherring.com FURTHER READING * Will high-end rule, or will all online retail move to Amazon and Wal-Mart? Discuss! http://boards.redherring.com/WebX?13@2132@.ee6d79b??* Company site: Brand F= arm?http://www.brandfarm.com??* Company site: Red Envelope?http://www.reden= velope.com??* Brand Farm also started a commerce infrastructure company,?Ne= w Media Merchants?http://www.newmediamerchants.com??* Pets.com looked like = a dog back in February?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/0214/inv-pet= s021400.html??* Internet retail proves toxic for Healthshop.com?http://www.= redherring.com/industries/2000/0412/ind-healthshop041200.html??* Shop Talk:= Shop till you stop, then drop?http://www.redherring.com/industries/2000/06= 13/ind-shoptalk061300.html??* Getting out of retail?http://www.redherring.c= om/cod/2000/0106.html??* It's the thoughts that count (from the 1999 holida= y?season)?http://www.redherring.com/cod/122199.html??* The poor, poor, misu= nderstood incubators?http://www.redherring.com/cod/2000/0426.html??* An ins= ider's guide to incubators?http://www.redherring.com/insider/2000/0119/vc-f= ea-incubator-home.html??---------------------------------------------------= ---------?A D V E R T I S E M E N T??Goosebumps . . .butterflies . . . hear= t palpitations.?(Individual response may vary.)?The All New Lexus LS 430.?T= he most inspiring automotive experience in the world.?See it at lexus.com/l= s430??http://ad.preferences.com/click;spacedesc=3DTeamOneNationalNetwork_Re= dHerring_1x?1_OctEmailSponsorshipLink_Any&db_afcr=3D15B7C-22F17-38A93&time= =3D&click=3Dhttp%3A%2F?%2Fwww.lexus.com%2Fbanner.asp%3Fb%3D304??A D V E R T= I S E M E N T?------------------------------------------------------------= ??INVESTOR NEWS?Internet consulting stocks are still in a free fall, and it= ?got worse last week after a massive wave of layoffs. How?long will this do= wnturn last? Fish or Cut Bait: Metricom,?which sells the Ricochet wireless = modem, has seen its stock?price plunge this year. But with the rollout of a= faster?service to a wider audience, it looks like a good investment?to us.= ??* Will consult for food?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1211/inv-= consulting121100.html??* Fish or Cut Bait: Metricom on the Ricochet rebound= ?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1211/inv-focb121100.html???IPO NEW= S?IPO Critic: Bridging the gap between gene research and human?testing may = prove easier for Cellomics than discovering?where the IPO buyers have gone.= ??* IPO Critic: Cellomics goes beyond genomics?http://www.redherring.com/ip= o/2000/1211/ipo-critic121100.html???VC & STARTUPS?Dealflow: Stealth incubat= or 12 Entrepreneuring shakes up top?management; Attenda gets $21.7 million = from European?investors; Saulgoodman snags $1M; $5 million for home?network= er Digital Harmony; Fact City flags down $10M; Mobot?pitches; and more. Dea= lflow Asia: Edgematrix gets $17M with?Singapore connections; Baidu's $10M g= oes for Chinese?Internet searches; Tribe counters online entertainment?tren= ds.??* Dealflow: Stealth incubator shakes up top management?http://www.redh= erring.com/vc/2000/1211/vc-ltr-dealflow121100.html??* Dealflow Asia: Edgema= trix gets $17M with Singapore?connections?http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000= /1211/vc-dfasia121100.html???INDUSTRIES?Fishwrap: In another sign of the tr= end away from the PC,?Apple warned of a massive revenue shortfall; meanwhil= e, the?Nasdaq had a day in the sun. Also: Lack of a U.S. cellular?standard = has let Europe and Japan leapfrog ahead, as an?international wireless resea= rch project from Bell Labs?reveals.??* Fishwrap: Sector slide?http://www.re= dherring.com/industries/2000/1211/ind-fishwrap121100.html??* Does the U.S. = have wireless envy??http://www.redherring.com/industries/2000/1208/ind-wire= lessenvy120800.html???COMPANIES?Head Count: 12 Entrepreneuring co-CEO Eric = Greenberg is?relinquishing his role. Also: St. Paul Venture Capital moves?i= nto public market investing, WR Hambrecht execs take on?optical, and market= ing VPs come out of the woodwork.??* Head Count: 12 Entrepreneuring counts = Eric Greenberg out?http://www.redherring.com/companies/2000/1211/com-headco= unt121100.html???THE WEEK IN REVIEW?* Merck prescribes VC for drug distribu= tion?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1205/inv-merck120500.html??* N= TT rides the wireless tsunami?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1205/= inv-ntt120500.html??* IPO week ahead: the fourth-quarter freeze?http://www.= redherring.com/ipo/2000/1204/ipo-ahead120400.html??* Cambridge Silicon Radi= o tunes in Bluetooth?http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1205/vc-bluetooth120= 500.html??* Dealflow: VCs pouring money into Xdrive?http://www.redherring.c= om/vc/2000/1205/vc-ltr-dealflow120500.html??* Shop Talk: Ann Taylor goes cy= ber?http://www.redherring.com/industries/2000/1205/ind-shoptalk120500.html?= ?* Global Currents: Why can't U.S. firms get it right?overseas??http://www.= redherring.com/industries/2000/1204/ind-global120400.html??* Blackberry pic= ked to be the American I-mode?http://www.redherring.com/companies/2000/1205= /com-rim120500.html??* Games get serious?http://www.redherring.com/mag/issu= e87/mag-games-87.html??* Intelligent TV learns how to box?http://www.redher= ring.com/industries/2000/1206/ind-replay120600.html??* Wireless Watch: Spec= trum speculation sputters?http://www.redherring.com/insider/2000/1206/tech-= ww120600.html??* The Red Eye: Can the market get any uglier??http://www.red= herring.com/insider/2000/1206/tech-redeye120600.html??* Technopolitics make= s the world go around?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1206/inv-tech= nopolitik120600.html??* VC P.S.: Idealab's other Bill?http://www.redherring= .com/vc/2000/1206/vc-vcps120600.html??* Dealflow: This Mr. Bush got $30 mil= lion in funding?http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1206/vc-ltr-dealflow12060= 0.html??* Holidays may not be very merry for B2B?http://www.redherring.com/= industries/2000/1206/ind-b2b120600.html??* Tesco's bricks will build iVilla= ge in UK?http://www.redherring.com/companies/2000/1206/com-ivillage120600.h= tml??* Sector slowdown squeezes PC makers?http://www.redherring.com/investo= r/2000/1207/inv-apple120700.html??* Does information want to be free??http:= //www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1206/inv-info120600.html??* Personal Cap= ital: Rally relief!?http://www.redherring.com/investor/2000/1207/inv-pc1207= 00.html??* Smart cards may not be an IPO jewel?http://www.redherring.com/ip= o/2000/1207/ipo-gemplus120700.html??* Dealflow Europe: Nokia Venture Partne= rs' upwardly mobile?wireless fund?http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1206/vc= -dfeuro120600.html??* Dealflow: Top banks ante up $50 million for Bolero.ne= t?http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1207/vc-ltr-dealflow120700.html??* EVen= tures's death casts long shadow?http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1207/vc-s= oftbank120700.html??* Portable games are on the grow?http://www.redherring.= com/mag/issue87/mag-portablegames-87.html??* Animation software shifts the = architectural model?http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue87/mag-digitally-87.= html??* Are B2Cs the next S&Ls??http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1208/vc-b= 2c120800.html??* Long term, memory may change?http://www.redherring.com/ins= ider/2000/1207/tech-mram120700.html??* Wanadoo liberates Freeserve?http://w= ww.redherring.com/investor/2000/1208/inv-freeserve120800.html??* Open lette= r to Motorola: ditch the handset biz?http://www.redherring.com/investor/200= 0/1208/inv-motorola120800.html??* Dealflow: Tough times for women's sites?h= ttp://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/1208/vc-ltr-dealflow120800.html??* Will ne= w phone charges signal the great e-depression??http://www.redherring.com/in= dustries/2000/1207/ind-reciprocal120700.html??* IP telephony finds its voic= e?http://www.redherring.com/industries/2000/1207/ind-telephony120700.html??= * Telecoms spend down to the wire?http://www.redherring.com/industries/2000= /1208/ind-bigtelco120800.html??* Redback focuses on city lights?http://www.= redherring.com/companies/2000/1208/com-redback120800.html???---------------= ---------------------------------------------??FREE email newsletters from = Redherring.com!??Want insight into the hot IPO market, long-term investing?= strategies, future technologies, stocks to watch, venture?capital funding, = and more? Get FREE email newsletters in?your inbox from Redherring.com, wit= h the insight, analysis,?and opinion to help you make more strategic busine= ss and?personal investing decisions. Subscribe today.??http://www.redherrin= g.com/jump/om/i/business/rhcom/global/subscribe/47.html??------------------= ------------------------------------------??SPECIAL OFFER on RED HERRING ma= gazine!??Stay on the cutting edge of technology -- subscribe to Red?Herring= . By taking advantage of this special offer, you'll?pay only $39 for a tota= l of 24 issues and SAVE 67 percent?off the cover price! New subscribers onl= y, please.??https://www.redherring.com/service/circ/subs_WD.html??---------= ---------------------------------------------------??ADVERTISING INFORMATIO= N?For information on advertising in Red Herring?newsletters, contact: adver= tising@redherring.com??----------------------------------------------------= --------??REDHERRING.COM MARKETPLACE??Ever wondered where you can buy that = book reviewed in Red?Herring magazine? Redherring.com's Marketplace offers?= research, auctions, newsletters, aforementioned books,?private-equity ranki= ngs, and back issues of Red Herring.??http://www.redherring.com/market/??--= ----------------------------------------------------------??You are current= ly subscribed to Catch of the Day with the?address alewis@ect.enron.com. If= you wish to unsubscribe,?please go to?http://www.redherring.com/enewslette= rs/subscriber_first.html,?sign in using this exact address, and follow inst= ructions to?unsubscribe.??-------------------------------------------------= -----------??Copyright (c) 2000 Red Herring Communications?All rights reser= ved??------------------------------------------------------------