by Brian Solis

With the market meltdown underway, or better described as a reset in the financial services industry, people are crying that the sky is falling and predicting that the current tech bubble is about to burst.

Wait, we’re in a bubble?

While the amount of VC money available and deals are steadily rising, we’re still not seeing anything that would resemble a bubble or a resession in the tech sector quite yet.

Most deals are still modest.

No IPOs to really point to.

Although we were set for a scare, our industry barometer, Google (NASDQ:GOOG), is rebounding nicely.

However, there are some interesting things in play that could set the stage for some milestone exits. And, what happens from there is anyone’s guess.
For example, I was watching the news about Bear Stearns, an 80-year old American financial institution, selling for only $236 million. While tech hasn’t necessarily felt the burn of the current or impending recession (however you want to look at it), we’re certainly not teeing things up in a way that make sense to the rest of the world.

Just to give you some perspective:

Widget phenomenon Slide is rumored to have a $500 million valuation.

Ning’s valuation is reported to be $214 million.

Meebo is looking to raise $25-30 million, which could put its valuation somewhere between $200 – $250 million.

We are all well aware of Facebook’s whopping $15 billion valuation.

What’s the exit for these companies? Acquisitions or IPOs of course. Media and also tech companies are keeping a watchful eye on these and many other companies as prime acquisition targets to transcend their existing business into the new economy.

But what’s different this time over Web 1.0 is critical for analyzing what lies ahead for the tech sector.

Companies are using the money to build businesses and communities with many already generating revenue. The focus seems more about strengthening the foundation for scale rather than cashing out.

That’s an important point that reminds everyone that we are still feeling vulnerable and humbled from the last go-round (hopefully anyway).

There are also reports that predict that social media will go unaffected by the recession as companies learn and realize that their marketing and advertising dollars are stretched effectively in social networks over traditional media.

So, for now, it seems like this time, the recession is “theirs” and not “ours.”

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Tagged as: prototyping