American History 1988
Chapter 202 - 196 Everyone is Whispering

Chapter 202: Chapter 196 Everyone is Whispering

With Byte Company releasing its financial report for the previous year, it became the subject of whispers throughout Silicon Valley.

As if all the gossip quietly echoed its name, those who had once been indifferent began scheming to get a piece of the action.

Above all, Glenn Miller was the most proactive, turning up at Byte’s office multiple times without an invitation.

But without exception, Glenn was every time courteously shown out by the receptionist.

Dean had said that Byte Company didn’t need fair-weather partners, so no one dared to accept Glenn privately.

Turned away at the door, Glenn had no choice but to start taking a more circuitous route.

He targeted Durell; there was a clear debtor, and now perhaps only Durell could help him.

Glenn had figured out Durell’s routine and had even located the restaurant Durell frequented.

"Durell, you’ve got to help me," Glenn pleaded as he "coincidentally" ran into him again at the restaurant.

"Glenn," even the energetic Durell couldn’t help sighing at this bothersome "fly."

"Our deal is done, remember, you were the one who approached KeyPoint Ventures first."

"That’s exactly why," Glenn Miller pointed at himself, "you should be grateful for the deal; it was I who introduced you to this business opportunity."

"OK," Durell set down his knife and fork, "I thank you again, Mr. Miller, for bringing me this good deal.

But now I want to enjoy my lunch, so..." Durell’s meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

However, it was as if Glenn Miller didn’t see the hint; he snapped his fingers to summon a waiter.

"Bring me the same dish as this gentleman, thank you."

"Come on~," Durell said resignedly with a shrug, "I prefer to enjoy lunch alone."

"Listen, Durell," Glenn Miller said sternly, "you’ve got to help me, at least let me take something back to show for it."

"That guy Wally giving you trouble again? Maybe I can put in a good word for you." Durell knew every investor on Sand Hill Road.

"I’m not joking," Glenn tapped his fingers on the table, "You know how tough the investors behind Mayfield can be."

"Glenn," Durell’s expression turned serious, "right now nobody dares go against Dean’s wishes; he is Byte Company’s deity."

The fastest growing software company, an impressive financial report, and the looming next round of funding—no one would oppose him.

If he could bring wealth to everyone, then he would be their deity.

Glenn’s expression changed again as he recalled something Dean had once told him.

"Could Mayfield redeem some shares? I guarantee you a satisfying price, and the deal will be confidential, unknown to anyone."

Durell gained a deeper understanding of Glenn’s desperation; he had underestimated the allure of Byte Company’s shares.

"If you can inject capital into Go Company, I can try to persuade Dean for you."

"Go Company?" Glenn looked perplexed, "Didn’t you just finish fundraising?"

"There was a little mishap, so there happens to be a shortfall."

This "mishap" was of course courtesy of Dean, who only played the cheerleader; he wouldn’t really put up the money.

"How much funding does Go Company need?" Glenn asked without beating around the bush.

"2 million US Dollars." This amount was typical "Durell style"—you never knew what he really needed.

Of course, those familiar with Durell knew it wasn’t surprising for him to inflate numbers by several times.

But hearing the figure of 2 million, Glenn looked troubled.

Since cashing out Byte shares the last time, his equity in Mayfield had greatly diminished.

Now, Glenn could only mobilize a paltry 500,000 US Dollars, four times less than the 2 million Durell required.

"I need to go back and check," Glenn didn’t dawdle.

He had hardly had the chance to enjoy the steak just served when he prepared to leave and deal with this matter.

However, Glenn didn’t hold out much hope, as Go Company’s project had originally been personally rejected by Wally.

After speaking to the waiter at the bar for a few moments, he then hurriedly left.

Watching his retreating figure, Durell nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders; Go Company wasn’t really short on funds.

The several hundred thousand dollars shortfall had long been cleared by Durell.

His setting the price at 2 million now was merely to encourage Glenn to back down.

Durell picked up his knife and fork to enjoy his meal, but then a waiter brought over a bottle of red wine.

He didn’t remember ordering wine, and puzzled, Durell picked up the bottle to find a note attached to it.

"Don’t forget it was I who introduced Byte Company to KeyPoint Ventures; you owe me a favor."

Durell chuckled. The guy didn’t grasp the situation at all.

...

Around the same time, Regis McKenna visited the offices of En Yi Investment.

He wanted to ask Dick Kramlich if he had heard the buzz about Byte Company.

Regis McKenna was a top Silicon Valley PR whiz, having handled publicity for Intel’s chips and designed the logo for Apple computers.

Originally, he had no particular impression of Byte Company; his only memory was its litigation with Bell.

But obviously, that was a hassle; hence, Regis McKenna hadn’t paid it much attention.

But now things were different; the buzz in Silicon Valley said it all.

"Dick, have you heard?"

Regis McKenna’s first words upon entering the office, though not mentioning any specific names, let Dick know exactly what he was referring to.

"It’s all over Silicon Valley, but Byte Company hasn’t made any statement."

Dick Kramlich was one of the founders of Enyi Investment, and he had caught wind of the buzz.

He also thought it was a good time to invest in Byte Company, but it seemed a little late, as too many people wanted a piece of the pie.

"As far as I know, big players are already involved, and the train is about to leave, Dick."

A train in motion, that was how Regis McKenna described the current stage of Byte Company’s fundraising.

This was its last stop, and the last chance to get on board.

Dick Kramlich began to rack his brains, flipping through names in his mind, hoping to find some clues.

"I’ll make a call and ask." If he remembered correctly, Jimmy Trebik was now serving as Byte Company’s Chief Operating Officer.

Fortunately, both he and Jimmy were Harvard Business School alumni and belonged to the same fraternity.

"Jimmy, can you help us get a piece of the action?" Dick Kramlich greeted the person on the phone with familiarity.

Their relationship was strong; they had gone through fraternity assessments together and graduated together.

"Alright, thanks, Jimmy. I’ll wait for your good news." Dick Kramlich hung up the phone, excited.

"Regis, I think I’ve got us a $4 million equity quota in Byte Company!" Dick proclaimed with pride.

On the phone, Jimmy had just informed him of Byte Company’s valuation for the next round of fundraising.

$400 million, that was a sky-high number, but Dick hadn’t bargained at all.

Byte Company’s financial report had already proven its worth, and Silicon Valley was well prepared for this.

Dick knew there were countless people waiting to get on board, so don’t hesitate, as that would only make you miss out on the opportunity.

Since Jimmy served as Byte Company’s Chief Operating Officer, he could introduce some investment institutions during the fundraising.

That was his right, and just as Valentine had said, this round of funding was a major exchange of favors.

Everyone had their own network of connections, and Jimmy was no exception.

Of course, the proportion of funding he could obtain wouldn’t be much, probably between 0.5% to 1%.

But this time, Byte Company would release about 10% of its equity, making Jimmy’s share not insignificant.

"Oh, a $4 million equity quota, that’s 1% of the shares," Regis McKenna’s eyes twinkled, "Dick..."

"Don’t worry, you’ll get your share," Dick assured him.

$4 million was enough for Enyi Investment to break down into many portions.

Look, with those, Dick could also manage his own network of relationships well.

Everyone knew that Byte Company’s IPO was almost a sure thing; it was a great opportunity to make money.

There was no business more lucrative than investing in a company about to go public.

...

"Hello, may I ask who’s speaking?" Dean pondered at the unfamiliar voice on the phone.

"Mrs. Johnson?" He confirmed he didn’t have anyone by the last name Johnson on his contact list.

"Oh," after listening for a few moments, Dean’s expression turned to one of realization, "please tell Mr. Johnson thank you for calling, and we will make arrangements."

After hanging up, Dean turned incredulously, "Guys, I just got a call from an admiral’s wife."

David Morgentaler’s gaze sharpened, "An admiral?"

If it was someone from the military, then they should have contacted him instead.

Half of the backers behind Morgentaler were connected to the military, both retired and active duty.

Dean pointed towards the Southern Ocean, "She said her last name was Johnson."

"OK, I know who it is now." So the caller was from the Navy; David Morgentaler hailed from the Army.

As far as he knew, the admiral had graduated from a military academy in California, which explained how they were so well-informed.

"So, I can’t refuse this one either, can I?" Lately, Dean had received too many such calls.

Each seemed to be from someone significant, and now an admiral had emerged.

"Dean, there’s no loss for us," David Morgentaler offered his sensible advice, "as long as they pay the fair price."

Whatever amount of money they put in, that’s the share they get—it was all fair trade.

Instead of giving investment shares to completely unrelated investment firms, it would be better to offer them as favors to those eager to join the deal.

"Alright, note down the list," Dean turned and instructed Anna, "send them a fax later, let them decide how much they want to invest."

"Where were we, guys?" Dean’s meeting had been constantly interrupted by phone calls.

"World Link," Durell reminded them promptly, as he had been closely following this subsidiary.

"Right," Dean nodded, "the good news is that the development of IP telephony is making good progress."

It had been three months since the company was founded.

Now World Link had come up with preliminary development results.

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