Feeling Entrepreneurial in Orlando

Two business ideas that some energetic entrepreneur should run with, based on some conversations while here at ACG Intergrowth: 

(1) A trade group for “the rest” of private equity (i.e., everyone not represented by the Private Equity Council). The Association for Corporate Growth recently discussed the formation of a lobbying arm, but ultimately decided it would present too many of conflicts of interest within its membership. So the screaming void remains, as small, mid, and large-market private equity is far too large an industry to be unrepresented on Capitol Hill. It’s also a wealthy industry, so forming such an organization could prove quite lucrative.

(2) An online advertising network for financial publishers. Most B2B companies like Thomson have their own in-house ad teams, which do a great job of marketing to industry-specific service providers and the like. But what almost none of them have are strong inroads into the Madison Avenue market – which is why luxury retailers and airlines, for example, aren’t advertising on PE Week Wire or peHUB.

Conversely, most B2C companies have the opposite problem, particularly online. It’s why most of the advertisers here don’t end up on the NY Times or WSJ blogs. So what if you could create an online ad network focused on financial media, and offer each side what they are unable – or unwilling – to do in-house? I think I would know more than a few clients…