Evan Vitale, Author at Evan Vitale

Evan Vitale – Avoiding Venture Capital Stress

March 27, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

As the first quarter of 2017 comes to an end, here are a few stories that are making top headlines in the world of venture capital.

If you’re wanting to avoid troubles and stress when it comes to a venture capital deal, then you might want to check out Entrepreneur’s article “Do Your Homework and Avoid a Venture Capital Nightmare.”

Here, guest writer Harry Red, founder and CEO of Infyrno, offers three tips to help make your venture capital deals safer.

Details: http://bit.ly/2o49YBy

According to The Economic Times, the venture capital industry in India is a flourishing one.

Popular perception about the Indian venture capital and private equity industry would probably suggest that it is a marginal part of the larger capital market in India. But that may not be true anymore. Assuming that the approximately $120 billion of VC and PE funds deployed in India represent an average equity ownership of 40 per cent, the funded enterprises could be as big as 15 per cent, or more of the market capitalisation on the National Stock Exchage (NSE).

On a different dimension, the 4,000-plus enterprises that have been funded by the industry need to be compared against around 1,847 enterprises that have been listed on the NSE over 23 years and 5,500 on the Bombay Stock Exchange have been added over more than 140 years.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/mud6pon

Will President Donald Trump have an impact on venture capital? Find out more in Patrick Wallen’s article “How Trump will impact venture capital: The future of QSBS” at Techcrunch. Details: http://tcrn.ch/2nZLYzN

Have a great week!

Evan Vitale – Top VC Stories Making Headlines

March 21, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Spring is finally here!

Here are a few stories that are making top headlines in the world of venture capital:

In Wisconsin, a group of early-stage investors has resurrected the Wisconsin Venture Capital Association.

“Working together on deals is important, and we think it’s really important that Wisconsin develop a robust venture capital industry,” said John Neis, executive managing director of Venture Investors LLC, Madison, the state’s oldest and largest venture capital firm.

Details: http://bit.ly/2n78l7P

The Nashville Business Journal has created a list of the top venture capital and private equity firms: http://bit.ly/2n3y7IF

The Atlanta Business Chronicle is reporting Aflac plans a $100 million venture capital fund over three years to invest in early-stage companies developing products and software related to Aflac’s core business.

Aflac Corporate Ventures plans to partner with technology accelerators to identify and invest in early-stage companies, helping them accelerate innovation across the insurance value chain, including digital technology that enhances the customer experience. Aflac Corporate Ventures will maintain offices in Charlotte, N.C., and in Sunnyvale, Calif., as part of a partnership agreement with a technology accelerator.

Details: http://bit.ly/2mPGQNw

Have a great week!

Evan Vitale – VC Gender Gap Getting Worse

March 14, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Here are a couple of news stories that are making headlines in the world of venture capital this week.

Fortune has published an interesting article on how “Venture Capital’s Funding Gender Gap Is Actually Getting Worse.”

The article notes: “It’s a well-documented fact that female founders receive less venture capital funding than their male counterparts. What is perhaps more surprising is that things haven’t improved—and have actually worsened—over the past year.

“Venture capitalists invested $58.2 billion in companies with all-male founders in 2016. Meanwhile, women received just $1.46 billion in VC money last year, according to data from M&A, private equity, and venture capital database PitchBook. That massive disparity is due both to the differences in the number of deals and the average deal size by gender.”

Read the full article here: http://for.tn/2nzP4sW

Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post has published an article on the enormous expansion of the economic environment in which Israeli technology companies operate.

“2016 is turning out to be one of the most prosperous years ever for the Israeli high-tech industry. This prosperity, reflected by the enormous sums invested in local technology firms, brings about a change to some of the mind-frames to which we were accustomed in local venture capital (VC) transactions. It has also enhanced the effects US VC trends have on the Israeli market.”

Details: http://bit.ly/2n4xGQO

And finally, Georgetown University’s Venture Capital Investment team is set to compete in the VIC Global Finals after earning first place honors at the VCIC 2017 South Regional Finals, held at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Details: http://bit.ly/2nopoR3

Evan Vitale – Jay Z Starting VC Platform?

March 7, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Here are a few stories that are making headlines in the world of venture capital.

It’s only a rumor folks, but the BIG rumor is Jay Z is launching a venture capital firm. Recently, Jay Z’s company – Roc Nation – formed Arrive, a VC “platform” that will help younger startups build that brands and their businesses.

You can read more details here: http://engt.co/2mxis6j

The Washington Post has an interesting article titled “The disrupters in the venture capital industry are ripe for disruption.”

More and more new venture capital funds are popping up in the greater Washington region. Funds such as Blu Ventures, Gula Tech Adventures, NextGen Venture Partners, DataTribe, Lavrock Ventures and Strategic Cyber Ventures are writing smaller checks and providing more hands-on mentoring than larger incumbent funds can. They challenge the prevailing model for existing venture capital funds and fill a void in the greater Washington region.

Arguably, the venture capital industry needs to be disrupted. Over the last 10 years, the herd has been winnowed significantly. Venture funding has been consolidated into fewer but larger funds, with $1 billion funds becoming more and more commonplace. Our region’s best-known venture capital organizations — name brands such as Revolution and New Enterprise Associates — are able to raise more money because of their investment success. In this way, the market works fairly, rewarding those who can generate positive returns for investors.

Understanding Venture Capital Arms

February 27, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

As we close out another month, let’s see what stories are making the top headlines in the world of venture capital.

Forbes has published an article “Startups Seeking Funding Should Consider Corporate Venture Capital Arms.”

Here, contributor Richard Harroch writes: Venture capital funds capitalized and run by major corporations are becoming more popular, and are commonly referred to as “venture capital arms” or “corporate venture arms.” For example, companies such as Google, Qualcomm, Comcast, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia, and Intel all have professional active venture arms. This is an important development for entrepreneurs and startups, as these corporate venture arms can invest significant capital and provide substantial assistance to a startup.

Details: http://bit.ly/2m292Q1

Bloomberg Technology is reporting that Blockchain Capital LLC, which backs startups that use the technology best known for supporting bitcoin, plans to raise a new $50 million fund partly by issuing its own digital tokens, becoming the first venture fund to do so.

The San Francisco-based company seeks to raise a portion of its third blockchain fund through an initial coin offering, or ICO, of tokens and the larger part from traditional venture-capital investors who typically contribute a minimum, Managing Partner Brock Pierce, who is also chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation, said in an interview.

You can read the full story here: http://bloom.bg/2ljmR9k

Is there venture capital available for your business?

In an article by The Wall Street Journal, Steve Case says people outside Silicon Valley feels left out and he wants to change that.

Silicon Valley continues to attract more venture capital and more startups than anywhere in the U.S., but Case says that has to change. The AOL co-founder and chief executive of investment firm Revolution LLC says “everybody, everywhere” should get a shot at the American dream.

You can find and read the entire article here: http://on.wsj.com/2lpfPQY

Have a great week!

Evan Vitale – Venture Capital News Update!

February 20, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Happy President’s Day!

Let’s see what stories are making headlines over the past week in the world of venture capital.

Singapore, nicknamed the “little red dot,” is eyeing a sliver of Silicon Valley’s pie, aiming to attract venture capitalists to grow a stable of start-ups in the regional financial hub.

Earlier this week, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) introduced proposals to simplify the authorization process for venture capital funds.

Under the current regulatory framework, managers of venture capital funds are treated like other fund managers.

The story, reported by CNBC, can be found here: http://cnb.cx/2kXBMpx

Meanwhile, TechCrunch has an interesting piece on “The value of venture capital investors and the importance of physical infrastructure.”

On the back of the news that Wing Venture Capital has closed its second fund, to the tune of $250 million, venture capital is once again under the spotlight.

At the end of November, the U.K. government also focused heavily on the industry as part of its Autumn Statement, with plans to invest £2 billion into science and tech innovation, as well as a plan to invest £400 million via the British Business Bank into VC funds for growth capital. Interestingly, the U.K.’s Autumn Statement was also laced with new funds and investment strategies around infrastructure.

Details: http://tcrn.ch/2ls7PAS

And, if you’re looking for a good explanation of “what is venture capital” then you should check out a new article by USA Today College: http://usat.ly/2m1Oqof

Have a great week!

VC News: Grand Rapids New Fund Announced

February 13, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

What stories are making headlines in the world of venture capital? Let’s find out:

MiBiz.com is reporting a new venture capital fund has launched in Grand Rapids to target early-stage companies.

Grand Ventures I LP will invest $1 million to $3 million in early-stage capital in each deal and provide “strategic support” for startup businesses involved in agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. The fund will pursue investment prospects that are nearing or have entered the marketplace with an innovation and have the potential for high growth, said co-founder and general partner Tim Streit.

Details: http://bit.ly/2kIr3S5

Meanwhile, The Daily Universe (Brigham Young University) is reporting Utah ranked 9^th in venture capital per deal value nationally in 2016.

Utah companies raised $170 million of venture capital in Q4 of 2016 across just 19 deals, which translates to an average of $8.9 million per deal.

“The companies that we’ve seen coming out of Utah and surrounding states are phenomenal,” said Kickstart Seed Fund Analyst Minna Wang. “Quantity — and more importantly, quality — have gone up year after year.”

Details: http://bit.ly/2lFwEH8

VentureBeat.com has an interesting piece – “Dumb money and other myths about corporate venture capital.” You can find it here: http://bit.ly/2l4Dw2V

From Bloomberg, Green Technologies gets a boost from EU’s venture capital fund.

Green technologies from rooftop solar to projects that turn waste into electricity are getting a boost from venture capital funds, which raised their investments in clean energy at the fastest pace in nine years in 2016.

VC funds funneled $834 million into the clean-energy industry last year, the third consecutive annual increase and the most since Bloomberg New Energy Finance started collecting data in 2004. For a second year, VC for green projects surpassed private equity, which dropped to its lowest level since at least 2004.

You can read the story here: http://bloom.bg/2kuEHbo

Have a great week!

Evan Vitale – VC News Update!

February 6, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Let’s see what stories are making headlines this week in the world of venture capital.

The National has released an article “When Oil No Longer Delivers Growth, Venture Capital Can Take Over.”

Venture capital is critical to the future success of not only the UAE but also the GCC. To understand this we first need to understand the historic formula for our success – oil leads to financial capital, which leads to real estate development, which creates social and business communities that attract people. Repeat.

Even if oil prices had not collapsed, sooner or later the size of the economy would reach a level at which oil alone could not deliver growth. We have not reached a point of reckoning because oil prices halved, that only accelerated the inevitable.

You can read the rest of the story here: http://bit.ly/2leRvAi

Meanwhile, Pymnts.com is reporting that Alibaba is the lead investor for a new round of funding for Paytm.

According to a report, citing a person familiar with the matter, Alibaba is leading the $200 million round. The other investor in the round is SAIF Partners, noted the report. With the $200 million funding, Paytm has a valuation of $1.1 billion. The move on the part of Alibaba gives it a bigger presence in India’s eCommerce market, which is dominated by Amazon and Flipkart. Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal, which is also backed by Alibaba, have been fighting to gain the number one position in the market and are spending a lot of money to enhance their delivery capabilities and lure shoppers via promotions and discounts. The report noted that Amazon has already pledged $5 billion in India to be the leader in eCommerce. Details: http://bit.ly/2kyEq5N

Forbes.com has an informative article offering six tips for getting started in raising venture capital. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2jTTw3A

Evan Vitale – Venture Capital News Update!

January 30, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Wow! Did January go by fast or what just happened? Anyhow, let’s see what stories are making headlines in the world of venture capital.

Entrepreneur.com has an interesting article on “5 Ways Venture Capital Can Steal Your Dream” which basically describes those to fail to gain VC funds might be better off than those to do. The article can be found here: http://bit.ly/2jOtjVG

If the topic of venture capital is new to you and your business, then Forbes has the answer with its article “New To Raising Venture Capital? Six Tips For Getting Started.” The full article is here: http://bit.ly/2kwguyo

Is venture capital’s approach to building startups the latest industry to get upended by technology? Jack Abraham, founder of a startup studio called Atomic Management LLC, thinks so. His firm comes up with ideas and then builds and funds its startups from scratch, essentially mashing together the roles of founder and investor.

Find out more how “Atomic, With First Fund, Looks to Upend the Venture-Capital Model” on The Wall Street Journal website http://on.wsj.com/2iVLRGE

Meanwhile, Koubei has raised $1.1 billion in its first round of funding with outside investors, according to an article at pymnts.com.

Koubei, an affiliate of Alibaba, announced the fundraising in conjunction with reporting earnings, Koubei generated RMB 73.1 billion ($10.5 billion) in payment volume transacted through Alipay during the December quarter, representing a 52 percent increase over the prior quarter. In January, Koubei completed a $1.1 billion equity financing led by Silver Lake, CDH Investments, Yunfeng Capital and Primavera Capital. This transaction provides Koubei with a strong capital base to execute on its growth strategy, Alibaba said in a news release. Check out the full article here: http://bit.ly/2jtdjKn

And finally, ValueWalk.com has released an interesting piece showing “15 Charts That Illustrate How The US Venture Capital Industry Looked in 2016.” Check them out here: http://bit.ly/2k4a4d4

Evan Vitale – Will 2017 Be Good For VC?

January 23, 2017 by Evan Vitale

By Evan Vitale

Let’s take a look at what stories are making headlines in the world of venture capital for the week ending January 13, 2017.

According to Forbes.com, the new year is off to a buzzing, changing and yet controversial start. Venture Capital, writes the contributor, is poised to be a powerful factory in the coming renaissance. Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2k3SP9k

It is probably no surprise that a lot of people start a new business, but they are not great candidates for a venture capital investment. How can you know if your company is “ripe” for a venture capital opportunity?

Learn more and find out the answer to this all-important question in a new article by Black Enterprise: http://bit.ly/2jYpjl5

TechCrunch.com has published a nice piece – “Venture capital in 2017 is when the rubber hits the road for returns” noting that 2016 was the largest year for VC fundraising since 2000 when the venture capital industry raised $101.4 billion. What’s ahead for VC in 2017? Details here: http://tcrn.ch/2jyrcqX

The Silicon Slopes Tech Summit drew large crowds on its first day—particularly for a session on venture capital that was standing room only in a large auditorium at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The panelists, seasoned veterans in the VC community, traded war stories about major deals won and lost and offered advice for entrepreneurs.

The panel was moderated by David Hornik, general partner with August Capital. Hornik has focused his investments in software companies; some of his investments include Splunk, Evite, WePay and Bill.com. Despite those great successes, he bemoaned some of the great ones that got away—like Uber, which he passed on in its early days. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2jEUUIW

Finally, the Washington Post has published an article: “It appears we’ve reached the end of a venture capital cycle. Now what?” Writer Jonathan Aberman is concerned. Find out why here: http://wapo.st/2jcjtyc

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