An Australian Venture Capitalist's Story
Go behind closed doors and into the risky world of venture capitalism. One of Australia's first and most successful venture capitalists, Bill Ferris shows us how venture capitalists work and conduct their business, sharing with us the 20 major lessons he's learned along the way.
Bill's company, Australian Mezzanine Investments, funded various deals, some of which went spectacularly wrong; others such as the "Looksmart" venture have turned to gold. In December 1997 "Looksmart" had enough capital to keep it going for only six weeks and was running at a monthly loss of $500,000. By the end of August 1999, "Looksmart" was valued at A$2.5 billion.
Win or lose, big money is always involved in Bill Ferris' deals. But as they say in the enormously exciting and creative world of professional venture capital: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained".
