Gotham Gal: Question of the week #21

For any of you reading, I need more questions!

One of the most frequently asked questions I get when people ask me about the companies that I have invested in is, what is your favorite investment. I always answer the same, I have no favorites, I love them all. With that being said, here is a good question for this week.

what are the business types/trends that you see getting really exciting in 2013?

We are already almost to months in to 2013 but I am definitely seeing some interesting changes in the ecommerce world. I have a few investments in the pipeline around this platform. I really believe that the big brands that will make an impact in the ecommerce world are platforms where they are going after a certain segment of the population as in you can't be everything to everyone. I also believe there is a balance between online and brick and mortar. I have written about this before, I like the models where 15% is brick and mortar and 85% is ecommerce. There is something to be said for an extension of a brand where you can see it and touch it in markets that might have the most traffic.

I do believe a key factor in 2013 is revenue. In order to get funding and a real look from investors you have to prove a revenue model. I don't think anyone is interested in figuring out what to do with all the eye balls as they were in the past.

Lots of changes in the consumer product markets from food to organic to no chemicals. The issue with that is those businesses have a hard time getting funding. They need to hit a certain mark before a good amount of capital comes rolling in the door. Perhaps places like Circle-up and other consumer product incubators with cash will change how that industry grows. I hope so.

More heatlh care, more education and more banking start-ups. Hoping that one day we won't have to carry cash or even a credit card. We will see.

companies I have invested in

more investments →

books of the moment

Peggy Riley: Amity & Sorrow: A Novel
A mother drives for days with her daughters and ends up in a random Oklahoma town after crashing the car. They come from a polygamous community where there were 50 wives. The mother had grown up knowing life outside that community. Over time, after leaving, she almost becomes deprogrammed. The realization of what she did to her daughters who no nothing outside the world they came from including how to read. Then there is the family that brought them in. It is a fascinating story. Well written. Worthy read.
Charles Graeber: The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder
An amazing true story of a male nurse who was arrested in 2002. I actually remember the story as I followed it in the papers. This nurse was a serial killer who had probably murdered over 400 patients that were under his care. A seriously well researched book. Great read.
Meg Wolitzer: The Interestings: A Novel
Wolitzer writes about a group of camp friends who all come from different walks of life (some on scholarship) as their friendships continue through their mid-50s. At the beginning the story seems trite but as you continue to read there is a lot of be said. The story is sticking with me. She makes the case that everything that happens to you from your childhood makes an impact on who you become or don't become. Worthy read.
Elizabeth Strout: The Burgess Boys: A Novel
Strouts last book won a Pulitzer. She focuses on family issues. I enjoyed this book much more than Olive Ketteredge which I found utterly depressing. This book follows two brothers and a sister who live in the shadow of their fathers accidental death. Like most siblings, all have turned out very different yet they are connected. I did not love any of the characters, like her last book, yet as The Burgess Boys moves forward and memories are revealed, it is an interesting perspective on human character.
Tamara Shopsin: Mumbai New York Scranton: A Memoir
Great book. A witty spare inventive personal diary of Tamara journey from Indian to New York to Scranton. Really really enjoyed the book.
Michael Lavigne: The Wanting: A Novel
An incredible book that tells the human side of the many layered issues in the Middle East. From immigrating to Israel from Moscow, to being a victim of a suicide bomber yet surviving, to being pulled into an Israeli radical group. Each character is connected. Very layered well written book. Powerful
Alessandro Piol: Tech and the City: The Making of New York's Startup Community
A history of the Internet that I lived through. Great job of recording what happened.
Amity Gaige: Schroder: A Novel
Not sure how much I loved this book. A father loses his child in divorce and decides to kidnap his own daughter. He is not a stable person but he obviously loves his daughter. His own childhood has made him a disconnected human being. An interesting journey but not sure I'd recommend.
Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea
Classic.
Janice Steinberg: The Tin Horse: A Novel
a good novel that not only tells the tale of another dysfunctional jewish family in the early 30's but interweaves pieces of los angeles history throughout the book.