[LUAU] VC and Linux

Hawaii Linux Institute wp at HawaiiLinux.us
Thu Apr 22 15:37:02 PDT 2004


BTW, most participants in this forum are probably too young or too new 
to have heard the story about Verifone.  This is the biggest IP success 
story in Hawaii.  Verifone grew too big and had to be sold to a mainland 
company for something like 9-digit figure.  I know some of the founders 
of Verifone, many of them still live on the island and many are still 
actively pursuing VC activities.  Several of them invested in a company 
called Aquasearch, which makes microalgae and got into a very nasty 
patent fight with its next door neighbor, Cyantech.

Eventually Aquasearch filed for bankruptcy, and Cyantech did not fare 
too well, either.  Both companies had great technologies and are in one 
of the most promissing markets, but they had to try to fight each other 
to death.

Anyway, I know getting a decent paycheck is priority No. 1, but if we 
ourselves can't think too much about the VC business, we sure hope 
someone else on the islands will make it, and make it big.  wayne




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