How to Look for a Good Business to Invest In

According to Cosmin Panait, you might be wondering how to find a good early-stage startup when you want to invest in one. Benchmark Capital is a venture capital firm that focuses on mobile, social, and cloud companies that are changing the way different industries work. We made a list of some of our favorite companies to help you decide which ones to invest in. Read on to learn more about this unusual investment firm and the companies it has helped fund.

Benchmark Capital was started by a group of experienced businesspeople from different backgrounds. Former Electronic Arts executive Mitch Lasky worked for 20 years in the new media and interactive entertainment fields. Lasky worked as a lawyer and at the Walt Disney Company before he joined Benchmark Capital. He also started a company that made a multiplayer online game and sits on the board of Cyanogen. Bill Gurley, who was also a founder, spent four years on Wall Street before joining Benchmark Capital in 1999. He is part of the board of directors for Nextdoor, Stitch Fix, and Uber.

In Cosmin Panait’s opinion, Benchmark Capital is a venture capital firm based in the US that has put money into a number of fast-growing startups. Its main focus is on mobile, social, cloud, and local startups. The firm is known for having a flat hierarchy and giving each of its six full-time partners equal ownership. Despite this, the firm is still mostly focused on American technology startups and is well-known in Silicon Valley. Benchmark is a good choice for some startups, but not all of them.

In addition to the growth of passive investment funds, many active managers also use benchmarks to evaluate their portfolios. Benchmark investing has led to the rise of passive investment funds and smart-beta funds. But more and more investment managers are choosing to put their money into customized benchmarks. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are the most common benchmarks for large-cap stocks. You might also want to invest in a benchmark index directly.