RE: Baidu incident could bode well for TEK2 Apr 2026 09:36
There’s a persistent claim that every placing is just insiders lining their pockets
I don’t buy that - and more importantly, the history doesn’t support it.
If you actually step back and look at how these placings have been used, a different picture emerges:
They’ve consistently been timed around portfolio progression points and delays, not randomly. When timelines slip (as they often do with listings, regulatory processes, or macro disruptions), cash burn doesn’t magically pause. Costs still exist - staffing, development, legal, listing prep.
So management has two choices:
Sit tight and risk starving assets at critical stages
Raise capital, protect momentum, and keep each company moving towards monetisation
They’ve clearly chosen the second.
And that’s the key point most are missing:
These aren’t placings to create value out of thin airThey’re placings to protect and unlock value that already exists
If anything, it shows a preference for:
keeping portfolio companies funded through delays
avoiding distressed outcomes
maintaining optionality ahead of key events (like IPOs)
Could they be better timed from a shareholder perspective? Sure - that’s always debatable.
But to suggest they’re done purely for personal gain ignores the bigger picture:Without those raises, several assets likely don’t reach the stage where they can even be monetised.
In venture-style investing, timing is rarely perfect - but survival and progression matter more than optics.
So the real question isn’t:“Why did they raise?”
It’s:“Did those raises increase the probability of successful exits?”
From where I’m sitting - the answer to that is yes.