Why do we care to write about this? Actually deals like Zimbra is why we never took venture capital and have said no to acquisitions. I know and respect a lot of venture capitalists, but I honestly believe the VC model is too “exit” focused. I would not say that VCs pressure companies to sell (that would be too simplistic), but the implicit understanding when you take venture capital is that you have to be working towards an exit. Well, for some of us, a company is not just a disposable commodity; it is an institution, a culture, and we prefer to build things slowly. In that sense, though we are direct competitors, I really admire the 37Signals crew and we really respect their view on this.
The Real Cost of Acquisitions: the Zimbra Story | Zoho Blogs (via caterpillarcowboy)

posted 2 years ago