April 2006 Archives
NC's Venture Picture: Good News & Bad News
CED released its 2005 Venture Report today.
The good news: North Carolina received its all-time highest national ranking (#8) in total venture capital investments in 2005, with a 40% year-over-year increase in total venture dollars.
The bad news: North Carolina’s seed stage investments dropped over 60% compared to 2004 levels.
Hot Sectors for Investing
H.I.G. Ventures' Craig Burson recently talked to us about the hottest sectors for investing:
"We continue to see tremendous opportunities in the digital media space, not only in the creation of content but in the ability to deliver that content to multiple devices. The gaming industry in particular continues to grow and is now larger than the motion picture industry."
Mark Falkroud offers some tips on landing a strategic/corporate partnership. Mark's company, PreFlight Ventures, also has some relevant online tools to connect with corporate partners. #
Is “Cleantech” the Next Big Thing?
What’s all the buzz about “cleantech”? Many top-tier VCs, such as Kleiner Perkins' John Doerr, are placing big bets on environmentally friendly startups.
Recent figures show that 2005 VC investments in cleantech totaled more than $1.6 billion, an increase of $423 million, or 34.9% over 2004. This total puts cleantech in fifth place (behind biotechnology, software, medical and telecommunications) among VC-backed sectors in the United States.
Check out this interesting blog post on bouncing back from adversity. It's clear that entrepreneurs must have a resilient spirit to battle the cyclical and unpredictable nature of startups. #
AeA has released its Cyberstates 2006 report on high-tech employment, exports and venture capital investments. North Carolina ranked 16th in the country with 134,600 high-tech workers. #
Money & Management: The Chicken-Egg Dynamic
Over the past few weeks, we've asked North Carolina entrepreneurs and investors to identify which is more important to startups: money or management.
To continue our series today, we asked GrowthFinance's Dave Gilroy to share his thoughts:
Check out this blog post on entrepreneurial proverbs. It's a good read for any potential or current entrepreneur.#
Brain Food for Entrepreneurial Minds
Looking for new business ideas? Check out Springwise, a global network offering an "idea database" in a wide range of industries. Topics include Telecom/Mobile, Marketing/Advertising, Gaming, Financial Services and more.
What are some other sources of "brain food" that you use to generate new ideas?
Staying Competitive in Life Sciences
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) has released a new life science strategy called "Innovations @ Emerging Intersections: A Strategy to Maintain the Research Triangle Region's Competitiveness in Life Sciences."
The study, announced during the annual BIO 2006 conference in Chicago, outlines the region's strategy for remaining a world leader in this highly competitive industry.
Raleigh-based Red Hat is "on fire" after acquiring Atlanta-based JBoss for approximately $350 million. Great news for Red Hat! #
STI's Karen LeVert: Build a Solid Team First
To continue our series on which is more important to startups (money or management), we asked Southeast TechInventures' Karen LeVert to share her thoughts:
"Both are SO critical, but if I must choose one in this moment I’d have to say having a solid team is most important."
Check out this CIO Magazine article on how small to mid-sized companies compete with larger players. This article was linked from Kauffman eVenturing, another great resource for high-growth entrepreneurs. #
Local VC Jason Caplain: Money vs. Management
To continue our series on which is more important to startups (money or management), we recently asked local VC Jason Caplain to share his thoughts:
"The fact is that both [money and management] are needed, but management is more important. Our opinion is that great management teams will always attract capital."
Check out this Q&A with David Spitz, a local entrepreneur who has founded and successfully exited multiple venture-backed software companies. #
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Recent Entries
- NC's Venture Picture: Good News & Bad News
- Hot Sectors for Investing
- Is “Cleantech” the Next Big Thing?
- Money & Management: The Chicken-Egg Dynamic
- Brain Food for Entrepreneurial Minds
- Staying Competitive in Life Sciences
- STI's Karen LeVert: Build a Solid Team First
- Local VC Jason Caplain: Money vs. Management