The goal is to quickly verify that people are interested in what you plan to create, before you sink your time, energy and money in creating it.

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The reason is that Microsoft will have no interest in continuing to sink money into a weak performing Android line of devices.

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Georgeson's Goldfarb, who specializes in proxy fights, sees this as proof that institutional investors are becoming more involved in companies in which they sink money, and cites fights that occurred at Willamette Industries and Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) as proof.

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Teledesic Chairman Craig McCaw had expressed interest in buying the ailing Iridium just hours before it filed for Chapter 11 back in March, but he decided instead to sink his company's money into another bankrupt satellite phone provider, ICO.

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