29th May 08: Venture in Europe - a case of the unappealing at present?
I have been doing quite a lot of thinking about venture in Europe and if you have followed my blog - undoubtedly know that I have fought for venture, cried over venture and worshipped at the feet of the venture God. #
About two years into my journey - I think I may have come to a conclusion. And, it surprises even me...I don't believe any more that venture in Europe is sustainable or competitive at this time. <sound of minor explosion>
Okay, that sound you heard - was every one of my venture colleagues, simultaneously deleting me from their email directory. Trust me that little statement is equivalent to my wearing white heels before Easter! Just not done...
Why might you ask do I hold this view? Well, over the past two years - I have been studying quite closely the early-stage companies that are emerging in the UK and Europe and aside from a notable exceptions (and no I don't mean Skype) - there just isn't that much to be said about European venture backed start-ups.
No doubt that you think - I must be irrational, when everyone else was heavily focused on buy-outs, I kept pushing venture as a good way to diversify the risk of your portfolio as I argued these good days aren't going to last forever. And now that large buy-out has gone the way of the dinosaurs for the moment anyway, and any other reasonable person would be pushing venture....I am saying quite the opposite.
Hmm...perhaps, I am wrong...but I just don't think so. I just have a sense, perhaps, a fifth sense that there has been some gradual shift in the venture space and the world of early-stage companies makes them a little less appealing for now anyway.
What does this mean for venture. Probably, not very much as this is just one woman's opinion. However, I would watch this space & as for me and where am I headed with Imdad...am tinkering with it at present and have a few ideas...reinvention is a good thing, it makes us sustainable for the longer term. Or as Darwin would say, it truly is a case of "survival of the fittest". This sentiment - I do believe.
- Posted by SRana on 28/05/2008.
- SRana's site
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