Year: 2012

To Entrepreneur – Or Not..?

I haven’t kept very close track, but Mark and I have now been running this website for nearly 2 years. For readers who’ve been with us for any length of time it should be clear what we do with our spare time. OK, scrap that, it should be clear what

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Why Some Places Are Thriving While Others Are Blowing Up!

In December 2010 a jobless Tunisian graduate burnt himself to death. Having been forcibly prevented from the dangerous and criminal act of selling vegetables from a cart without the proper “license”, he took drastic action. The chain reaction which followed, now affectionately referred to as the “Arab Spring”, likely would

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The Risks of (Not) Investing in Frontier Markets – Central Asia

Today we’ll conclude our conversation about Central Asia with Clemente Cappello from Sturgeon Capital. Corporate governance, transparency and management are three things you need to focus on when doing your due diligence, but that’s just the beginning. ——– Chris: Corporate governance is always an issue in frontier markets. How do

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A Beginner’s Guide to the “Stans”

This is part two of our discussion with Clemente Cappello from Sturgeon Capital… We’re discussing Central Asia. Yesterday Clemente shared the 3 Things you Need to Know About Central Asian Frontier Markets with us. Today we’ll talk more about banking, business and liquidity flows in Frontier Markets, like Kazakhstan. ——–

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3 Things you Need to Know About Central Asian Frontier Markets

Some time back I had the fortune of meeting with some interesting guys who are involved in Central Asia. Like some of you, I have read the stories of stupendous, life-changing growth and opportunities. I’ve even met a good number of investors who have placed what amounted to a grubstake

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Pushing Against the Mainstream

I was a rebel while in school. I wasn’t the ill-mannered brute beating up smaller kids, and I wasn’t the obnoxious snot-nosed brat who swore at teachers because Daddy and Mommy hadn’t taught any manners, I was simply the type who challenged authority. Of course my tantrums made no logical sense, and I had

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Jailbreaking Education with David Blake

One of my pet passions is education. This stems from having experienced a range of different education mediums, coupled with an intense desire to provide my own children with the best education possible. It’s a topic that should be on everyone’s radar simply because education should NEVER be something one

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The Cliff Edge is Safe… Really!!

Our friend Harris Kupperman recently wrote an interesting article asking the question, “Does Real Estate Equal A Bond Short?” If you haven’t read his occasional musings you should. He’s sharper than the hairpins at Monaco. To summarize Harris’ article: You’re not buying Real estate per se, what you’re buying is

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