Image Credit: XiXinXing/ShutterstockFor the better part of the last decade, Silicon Valley tech companies have seemingly been on a mission to make up for the down years following the burst of the dot-com bubble, spending money at a record clip. The new offices have been stunning, the sales kickoffs have been larger than life, and the holiday parties have been nothing short of extravagant. Unfortunately for a majority of those companies, who have over-indulged in the exuberance, this joy ride is coming to a screeching halt.
Apple, which is often the poster child for the S&P 500 and widely considered the “consumer’s stock,” hit a YTD low of $92.11 earlier this month, which has set the tone for the rest of the tech market. Twitter, GoPro, Fitbit, and many more companies that were once considered darlings of the unicorn club, have suffered serious hits to their stock price to start this year and have been trading below their initial IPO price. To make matters worse, crude oil hit its lowest price point since May 2003, and there have been commodity busts worldwide.
Understandably, this has created a palpable fear all across Wall Street. There is only one way for companies to gain investor confidence: show the ability to produce yield.
This is true for public companies that have been pummeled over the last few weeks as well as the private companies that have been looking for a quick exit. The most reassuring thing a company can do for its investors is to turn a profit and put money back into their pockets. It will be especially important during these bear market times, as the VCs want nothing more than liquidity so they have the flexibility to shop for their next investment.
Chasing yield has lead to underperformance
With commodities underperforming and tech producing home runs like Google and Facebook, investors have been willing to take their chances in the private markets. Unfortunately, this has yielded far more risk than reward.
Some organizations have been more interested in adding users to create impressive top-line growth for their business than focusing on sales to build a profitable business with a healthy bottom-line. This has resulted in freemium business models, mega rounds of funding, and extremely crowded markets.
On the investment side, it has opened up the floodgates for venture capital funding. VCs have poured money into the startup ecosystem, deploying more than $58.8 billion in funding during 2015. “Free money” is flowing, and some companies have jumped at the opportunity, often to their detriment.
For example, Jawbone, which has taken over $1 billion in investments over its lifespan and saw its valuation hit upwards of $3 b
via venturebeat.com