AlwaysOn has officially kicked off its fifth annual OnMedia Top 100 Private Companies competition. We're looking for the top emerging technology companies that are creating new business opportunities in the worlds of media, advertising, marketing, branding, and public relations. This includes private companies that are demonstrating significant market traction and pursuing game-changing technology in the following sectors: 

The online advertising market remains very dynamic both in terms of overall growth and movement within the value chain.  To me that says opportunity, and indeed, we are seeing more interesting companies in this area than we have for the last couple of years.

The eco-system map below which was published yesterday by emerging Sell Side Platform (SSP) Improve Digital shows how complex the industry has become and the number of boxes on there which wouldn’t have been present a few years backs gives a hint at the internal movement.

1. Why get into the venture capital side of the business? Do you ever get the entrepreneurial "itch"?

I first got into venture capital about 10 years ago and I love my job. I was running a few business units for a small public company and while I enjoyed the operational side of my job, I was also responsible for M&A and partnerships and had a particular affinity for the transactional side of my job. While I consistently have the entrepreneurial itch, I actually think this makes me better at investing – it reminds me of why I’m in business (to support entrepreneurs who are the real stars of the show).

I don't have an MBA, but I have earned my SIlicon Valley MBA.  Let me explain. When I was a few years out of college, I considered going back to get an MBA.  I liked working in the valley and knew that I wanted to spend my career in tech and ultimately around startups - at that point I had only worked for Apple.  So I asked around to a lot of people I knew well and respected.  People who I thought had been successful in their careers and whose path I wanted to learn from.  Many of them had MBAs and some did not.  I wanted to hear their perspectives on the value of a traditional MBA.

Disruptive technology is forcing big changes in Hollywood: new contracts, new genres, new stars. As the behemoth industry steps into the digital era, entertainment execs will be paying even closer attention to the global Silicon Valley—especially the startups that are writing the rules and creating the tools for the digital entertainment age.

What is Apple going to do about AT&T's network problems? One iPhone fan, desperate for a solution, asked if someone from Apple is working on the problem. Jobs, as usual, keeps his cards close to his chest and gives a carefully crafted response, but not a real answer. The bottom line seems to be that the Apple-AT&T partnership is still worth more than the headaches AT&T's network is causing for Apple.

Here at home, the angel community in New England is really starting to flex its muscles.  Thanks to Scott Kirsner's arbitrary declaration (and admirable leadership), June is Innovation Month in New England and there is a ridiculous amount of activity going on.It started off on June 1st with Angel Boot Camp, a confab that gathered over 200 angels, VCs and start-ups. Last night was Tech Stars Boston Investor Night, which continues to gain momentum heading into its second season, as well as the big annual the MITX Awards event.  Every night this month, there is something going on.  You can see the master schedule at www.neinnovation.com. Many of these venues didn't exist 3-4 years ago - Mobile Mondays, Web Inno, Open Coffee, etc.  New events are coming to Boston this month, including the Open Angel Forum, which is June 18th.

Steve Jobs recently said that fewer people will be using personal computers in the next 5-10 years than today. Steve Ballmer disagrees and says that PCs will continue to shift in form factor but are here to stay. Is this just an issue of semantics? Is the iPad a PC as Ballmer suggests? Either way, what's Microsoft's role in an post-iPad world?

It's with great excitement that we introduce the eighth annual AlwaysOn Global 250 top  private companies. The AlwaysOn Global 250 represent the top emerging companies in the Global Silicon Valley that are demonstrating significant market traction and pursuing game-changing technologies in on-demand computing, digital media, and greentech.

The AlwaysOn editorial team, along with partners at Manatt, Morgan Stanley, the Blackstone Group, KPMG, Silicon Valley Bank, Sonnenschein, and Bridge Bank, as well as industry experts across the globe, scoured the entrepreneurial community to identify the top 250 private companies that are taking old notions of doing things and forging solutions that will lead to industry shake-up and huge value-creation opportunities.

Private equity and venture capital funds continued to show strength during the quarter ending December 31, 2009, with each asset class earning positive returns for the third consecutive quarter, one of the best since 2007. Overall, fourth quarter returns on private equity investments outpaced those in venture capital funds, though both continued to outperform the public markets over the long term, according to Cambridge Associates LLC, a provider of independent research and investment advice to institutional investors and private clients.