Puttin’ on the Hits (Part 3): The Impact of Hit Centric Venture Capital on Tech Companies

Extending the argument I’ve made in previous posts on the same subject (Part 1 and Part 2), this post explores the impact of the hits model of venture investing on early and mid-stage tech companies

The Innovator’s Immigrant Dilemma

Sometime in the next twelve months Congress will again begin debate on comprehensive immigration reform. Much of that debate will likely center on illegal immigration. But for those of us in the startup/venture world, it is the immigration policies related to skilled foreign nationals where the focus is most needed. The current rules and regulations that govern whether a skilled foreign professional can legally work in the United-States have an impact on the country’s ability to compete globally. If the U.S. wants to maintain its status as the world’s leading innovator, changes need to be made. The world’s leading innovator has an immigrant dilemma.

What ever happened to profits?

At last week’s NVCA Annual Meeting, there was a lot of talk about getting the exit market revved up again. The NVCA unveiled their Four Pillar strategy for getting the IPO markets back in action. I agree that regulatory relief would be helpful and it would be really great if we cultivated (once again) relationships with bankers, accountants and advisers whose livelihood is inextricably linked with our business. What was missing at the meeting, however, was a critical discussion of the underlying changes in the industry that are undermining our ability to create a viable crop of IPO candidates.