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03 Nov 2011 21:38

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Biz: Groupon’s IPO downsizes, then upsizes again (just a little bit)

  • $13.3 billion Groupon valuation ahead of their IPO
  • $20 the cost of Groupon’s shares during its upcoming IPO
  • 35M the number of shares the company plans to sell, up from 30 million
  • $700M the amount of money the company plans to raise with the IPO source
  • » It was supposed to be way higher than this: Back when Groupon first floated the idea of their IPO, the expected valuation was $15 to $20 billion, a number which threw investors off and led to allegations that 1) they were overhyped, 2) Groupon was an elaborate ponzi scheme and 3) their IPO is a sign that a fresh tech bubble is on the way. They backed off some of the higher valuations, but then set the price at $20 per share, instead of the expected $16-18. When it finally hits, it’s going to be an interesting ride, to say the least.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jun 2011 22:48

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Biz: Does Groupon’s IPO suggest a bubble ready to pop?

  • I think investors will go for this one. Whether or not it’s worth the valuation it comes at is still an open question.
  • Jacob Funds chairman Ryan Jacob • Asking a fair question about Groupon’s IPO, which the company expects to raise three quarters of a billion dollars, and could put the company’s valuation in the tens of billions. Are we in another tech bubble? Probably. If it pops, will it pop on the day Groupon hits the stock exchange? Probably not. Still though — Groupon has only been around for a little over two years (yet it feels like much longer), so they’re the ones who’ll probably get more scrutiny than anyone else here. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2011 23:01

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Biz: GaoPeng’s Deal of the day: Groupon has a Chinese site now

 

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Feb 2011 10:05

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Biz: Groupon listens to angry people, takes controversial ads off air

  • Five days have passed since the Super Bowl, and one thing is clear – our ads offended a lot of people. Tuesday I posted an explanation, but as many of you have pointed out, if an ad requires an explanation, that means it didn’t work.
  • Groupon CEO Andrew Mason • Being forced to back down on those cause-mocking Super Bowl ads which seem to have pissed off just about everybody. Within the next day or so, they’re going off the air, kids. ” We thought we were poking fun at ourselves,” he continued. but clearly the execution was off and the joke didn’t come through.” Mason says he personally takes blame for approving the ads. (thanks abcworldnews) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Feb 2011 10:08

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Biz, Culture: Groupon CEO Andrew Mason tries to explain awful ad campaign

  • Not a single person watched our ad and concluded that it’s cool to kill whales. In fact – and this is part of the reason we ran them – they have the opposite effect.
  • Groupon CEO Andrew Mason • Attempting to explain that his company’s controversial Super Bowl ads were in fact – IN FACT – meant to be respectful to other cultures and environmental causes. “The last thing we wanted was to offend our customers – it’s bad business and it’s not where our hearts are,” Mason concluded. Too bad nobody took the ads that way. Commenters on the blog post are savaging him and the company for trying to be a little too clever with its commercial approach without explaining its reasoning. They could’ve saved themselves a lot of trouble had they actually put a domain name on the ad somewhere. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2011 21:21

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Culture: Groupon wins award for worst ad campaign of the night

  • In case you haven’t seen this hot mess, here you go. Groupon just exploited the Tibetian people to sell its wares, an advertising strategy not seen since, well, ever. While Groupon does have a point, you have to get all the way to this site to find it. The odds that people will reach this site and see the joke: Zilch. Way to go, Groupon. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

20 Jan 2011 22:26

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Tech: Google Offers: There goes the neighborhood, Groupon

  • So, here’s what happens when you turn down an insane multi-billion-dollar offer from Google. They become your direct competitors. Suck on that, Groupon. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Dec 2010 12:26

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Biz: Groupon founders cash in big time with latest financing round

  • $950M the size of Groupon’s current funding round, started this week
  • $500M of that funding has already been raised (impressive!)
  • $345M of that total is going to founders and existing shareholders  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Dec 2010 01:14

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Biz: After spurning Google, Groupon plans massive financing round

  • $950
    million     the amount in financing that the IPO-pondering Groupon wants
  • $7.8
    billion     the value of the company based on that financing round source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Sep 2010 11:59

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Biz: Sometimes, Groupon can accidentally strangle small a business

  • The experience jaded me, and the interactions with the few bad Groupon customers we had jaded our staff. After all of this, I find myself not even willing to buy Groupons because I know how it could hurt a business.
  • Posie’s Cafe owner Jessie Burke • Explaining how her experience with Groupon greatly damaged her Portland, Oregon-based business. Her deal, which offered a $6 deal for a $13 item, only earned her $3 for each item sold, with the other $3 going to Groupon. There wasn’t a cap on how many people could use it, so hundreds of people used it over a six-month period. At one point, the deal strangled her business so badly that she had to put $8,000 of her own money in just to cover payroll. While she doesn’t blame Groupon for her experience (she’s way quicker to blame herself), the post has spread online like wildfire over the last couple of days because of the implications it has for one of online shopping’s brightest shining stars. Groupon’s response is pretty reasonable. She’s right to blame herself, but Groupon should’ve told her how to avoid such a situation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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