Leading The Flash this week is the news that LinkedIn will spend $1.5B to buy career-skills educator lynda.com (Hat Tip: Larry Chu and members of GP’s M&A team), a website launched 20 years ago that has emerged as a leader in professional training videos. Has the professional social network company shot its bolt? Not even close, as market watchers expect future buys by LinkedIn to strengthen vertical segments like sales, as well as broader plays that may include job marketplaces. And in a look at exit strategies, we see a challenging trend in which Q1 VC investments are flying high, but venture exits via IPO decline – a possible trouble sign for VC firms. Check out these stories and more in this week’s Flash!
- LinkedIn drops $1.5B to buy career-skills educator lynda.com, a website launched 20 years ago that has emerged as a leader in professional training videos. (Mashable)
- Expect the lynda.com acquisition to be the first in a broader strategy by LinkedIn to make future company buys with an eye to vertical markets. (Inc.)
- While Q1 venture investments are up, venture IPOs during the same time are dropping – signaling possible problems for VC firms. (Wall Street Journal)
- Why do startups struggle to sell in overseas markets? The challenges of certifying and selling products in foreign countries. (Washington Post)
- Entrepreneur gives anglers mobile tools to take advantage of the big profits in fishing (Forbes)
- Investors in Silicon Valley look to the farm belt amidst venture-capital firms’ bets on “indoor farming,” and other tech solutions to monitoring crops. (Wall Street Journal)