03 Aug As banks retreat, valley financier looks to fill a gap
SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley’s money-making engine is stalled as technology start-ups find it harder to sell themselves or go public.
Part of the blame, entrepreneurs and investors say, falls on the big investment banks. Even if a start-up ready to go public attracts the attention of the big banks, it is less likely to get the service of a top partner, venture capitalists say. A start-up looking for advice on raising money or merging will have an even harder time.
For Frank P. Quattrone, the dot-com banker sidelined for four years as he fought and ultimately beat charges of obstruction of justice, that vacuum has provided the opportunity to insert himself once again into Silicon Valley’s thorniest negotiations and most lucrative deals.
Mr. Quattrone, a star Silicon Valley investment banker who advised hundreds of companies during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, has been quietly counseling about 20 technology companies since March of last year, when he started Qatalyst Partners, a boutique merchant bank.
Read full article>>