Opinion

The business need for board members to understand cyber risks has never been greater. Government regulators, such as the SEC, are ramping up efforts to fight cyber crime by instituting stringent new reporting policies and cybersecurity responsibilities. International threat groups continue a longstanding trend of escalating attacks on organizations worldwide. In turn, board members face the increasingly perilous prospect of seeing their organization breached by attackers, endangering the financial stability of their company. Fortunately, overseeing cyber risk is manageable once…

Welcome to the 2022 Sand Hill East End of Year review. What a year it was. For me, losing my Dad was a major surprise and reminds us that life is uncertain so best to prioritize your time around people and purposeful pursuits you really care about. We lost a number of other friends this year most recently John Russo from Merrill and Jim Younan from Merrill Lynch and UBS. We remember them fondly and wish their families all the...

In 2001 the stock market literally jumped off a cliff, companies that I had believed and invested in like Exodus and Infospace went from hero to zero in months, and as the new CIO of the Global Markets dotcom called Direct Markets and later MLX, had to run 8 rounds of reductions in force before 9/11. Also that year, the boardroom balance of power shifted and Stan O’Neal, Ahamass Fakahany, Tom Patrick and Arshad Zacharia took the reins of the...

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic. Turbulence is life force. It is an opportunity. Let’s love turbulence and use it for change.” – Peter Drucker Andy Brown CEO Sand Hill EastJulie Lyle Advisor, Board Member, InvestorLisa Nelson C-Suite, Director, Product expertKelvin Thompson Founder & CEO Monta Rosa Thesis : A chasm has opened up between value and growth stocks with average multiples almost double in growth stocks. In general, growth stocks are digital first, digital...

I love the writing of the band of 3 from YYZ… “We’ve taken care of everything The words you hear, the songs you sing The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes It’s one for all, all for one We work together, common sons Never need to wonder how or why We are the priests of the temples of syrinx Our great computers fill the hollowed halls We are the priests of the temples of syrinx All the gifts of...

End of Year Report by : Andy Brown & Sand Hill East team. Welcome to the 2021 Sand Hill East Update. We have had a busy year working closely with our portfolio companies, boards and clients. We were very thankful (and lucky) to have been able to have both a summer and winter soiree with no reported COVID outbreaks. A lot of fun was had by many! 2021 was a growth year in multiples and core valuation for growth SaaS...

COVID I need a drink And time to think Before I sink Into the abyss Your smile was there Next to my chair Your love so rare And now you’re gone Covid so quick It makes me sick The air is thick As I recoil It’s forty years Blood, sweat and tears, Fast Car with gears You and I Over is your race You left with grace I am a lonely place Without your love What shall I do No...

Andy Brown, Toph Whitmore, Misha Kuperman Reissued from 2016 article for the 20th anniversary of 9/11 Follow up to 9/18 — The First Trade @ML Twenty years ago, I discovered what was then an unacknowledged truth: The internet was more resilient than a corporate network could ever be. I was the CTO for Merrill Lynch’s Direct Markets team in New York City. After enduring the horror of 9/11, my technical colleagues and I were faced with an implacable, practical reality: Corporate network...

I woke up this morning thinking about the week leading up to 9/18–2001. We worked every hour that God gave us from 5am on 9/12 to get to the point where the first trade went through the systems of 95 Greene Street in Jersey City where our Fixed Income trading team had taken up residence. The Herzog facility at 525 Washington Street in Jersey City was repurposed as the Merrill Lynch equity trading floor and we were back in business....

by : Andy Brown & Sand Hill East team. Welcome to the 2020 Sand Hill East Update. This year it has taken me a lot longer to write and publish than previous years. There are two reasons for that, firstly, the insane activity level across our portfolio companies has been keeping us really busy and secondly the combination of snow/winter and COVID and every day being the same makes it difficult to be inspired to write. I woke up this...