Omidyar Network looked for businesses that generated strong financial returns and had social impact at the same time. For instance, eBay, Inc. facilitated connections between people and fostered social impact.
In today’s high tech world, there are many terms such as Web 2.0, which was defined as technology, with a software emphasis, that created interactions on the web versus one way pushes of content to people who visited a site.
DeBerry said that he did not focus on trends when investing in companies. The name applied to a technological innovation was not relevant. Investors looked for uniqueness – companies that had opportunities that were not met by incumbents. Startups were those that could play in openings in the market. These openings allowed startups to exist. Investors focused on whether a company generated value to customers, and whether the company was able to make a profit versus only generate revenues.
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