The Fuzzy, Incomplete, Valuations of Tech Startups
Accurate business valuations have always been difficult. This difficulty has only increased over the past decade with the rise of Intangible Assets. No industry has shown this more so than the fast-paced tech industry. The industry has been built on Intangible Assets such as patents and software, making traditional financial statements nearly useless when it comes to business valuations. This issue was outlined recently in an article from Bloomberg Business. The article,
Patent Boxes Show Importance of Intellectual Property Valuation
Ireland recently became the latest European Union (EU) country to adopt the “Knowledge Development Box” (known as “patent box” in other countries) income-based tax structure for intellectual properties. Thanks to the plan, companies that hold intellectual properties, such as patents, in Ireland will receive tax breaks on income earned from said intangible asset. Compared to the U.S., the savings could be substantial. Ireland is considering reducing their already low corpora
Square Inc.: Valuation and Intellectual Property Issues for Acquisition
Square Inc., owner of the credit card payment system adapted to use on smart phone devices, is being rumored for acquisition by a number of large tech suitors such as Google, Apple, and eBay’s PayPal according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. The company has grown rapidly since its inception in 2009 with card processing rates of $20 billion in 2013 and 2014 projections growing to $30 billion. Valuation of the company is estimated at $5.2 billion based on insiders so