Epic regrets: 3 companies that should have sold out sooner

We reject the blogosphere’s new admonition to hot indie startups: “Don’t do a Digg.” In Kevin Rose’s defense, he is not the first founder to reject an inflated acquisition offer, only to see the company sell years later for a …

Square gets another competitor with COIN

Mobile payments company Square just got another new competitor: RevCoin’s Coin service.

Coin is offering small businesses merchant processing for 2.55%, a rate 20-basis points lower than Square. Although the rates aren’t as low in most cases as those that …

Groupon now worth less than Google would have paid for it in 2010

Groupon's stock price has taken a beating lately, and when it closed today at $8.95, it brought the valuation of the company to a mere $5.78 billion. That's less than Google reportedly offered for the company in 2010.

Groupon shares tumble to new low after lock-up expires

Deal or not, plenty of Groupon insiders are opting to unload shares in their first opportunity since the company’s public debut, and they’re helping send Groupon’s share price tumbling to new lows Friday.

Groupon, which debuted on the NASDAQ in …

Why Square should be worried about Groupon

Longtime readers know that I’ve long been positive about mobile payments company Square and, well, not-so-positive, about daily deals site Groupon. (Disclosure: I have puts against Groupon.)

But I think Groupon’s new payments system could present a real threat to …

Groupon acquires Breadcrumb to connect with local restaurants

Restaurant and hospitality point of sale startup Breadcrumb has joined the Groupon family. The Chicago-based online couponing firm has acquired the New York-based startup, Groupon reported Tuesday in a blog post.

Unsurprisingly, the amount of the deal was not disclosed. …

Groupon investigated for odd stock spike prior to earnings report

Groupon is being investigated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority after the company’s stock made a sharp, upward turn Monday, before earnings beating expectations were delivered at the close of business that same day.

Finra, which watches for oddities within …

Groupon rebounds with $559M in Q1 revenue

Still reeling from a disastrous fourth quarter, Groupon beat Wall Street’s expectations and reported $559.3 million in revenue and $39.6 million in operating income for the first quarter of 2012. Monday’s earnings report is Groupon’s second since opening on the …

Groupon goes after loyalty with U.S. launch of Rewards program

Groupon made its Groupon Rewards loyalty program available to all U.S. businesses today in an effort to counter claims that its deals are bad for business.

Groupon Rewards is the deal provider’s mostly-automated alternative to the store punchcard. Merchants offer …

Doing deals the right way

I’ve voiced quite a bit of opposition to the daily deals industry, but that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to discounting in general. Discounting can be an important part of the marketing mix, especially for encouraging trials.

What I’m opposed to …

My role in the Groupon story

Recently, people have questioned my motivations around writing about Groupon. They have tried to insinuate that I’m writing about Groupon for personal financial gain.

Anyone who believes that doesn’t know the first thing about how financial markets work. I have …

Why Groupon Now won’t work

In Andrew Mason's recent letter to shareholders and in a press release touting 1.5 million Groupon Now deals sold, Groupon has been highlighting the product as an example of innovation and a potential positive for the beleaguered company.

Why Andrew Mason is still wrong about Groupon’s prospects

After an accounting restatement, a shuffling of its board of directors and Groupon's stock falling to below 50 percent of its initial public offering price (and 66 percent off the high it reached on its first day of trading), Groupon CEO Andrew Mason wrote a letter to shareholders yesterday to try to swing the momentum back in the company's favor.

Groupon tightens its payment terms with merchants

Groupon is changing its payment terms with merchants, according to several sources familiar with Groupon's business and contracts. The company has traditionally used two different payment models. In the United States and Canada, merchants have been paid in three installments.