It’s fascinating to be an angel investor, but do most angels actually make positive returns? And even more important, how long until they get liquidity? The theoretical returns look extremely attractive; we’ve identified 12 different studies showing annual returns of 18-54%. But the bad news: according to CB Insights, the average time for VCs to...
[Continue Reading]How enterprise can learn from the innovation economy
One of the core functions of a VC is to identify the next generation of disruptive companies. I presented last month to a Microsoft senior executive offsite on how large corporations can do the same, to inform their investing, M&A, and competitive intelligence. My presentation was based on my research on deal origination best practices...
[Continue Reading]How to lose fat and gain muscle with venture capital
Both founders and researchers in healthcare are spending far too much of their energy in areas where they’re not going to make maximum impact. Most health problems are self-inflicted, but the innovation economy doesn’t reflect the power of preventive healthcare. Dr. An Nguyen and I just completed an analysis of VC and research funding compared...
[Continue Reading]Venture capital superheroes
CB Insights just included ffVC in 13 Micro VCs We’re Watching, along with a (highly inaccurate) superhero graphic. CB Insights has become a very influential data source in the industry. In fact, I recently had dinner with a well-known VC who said that he was surprised to see the CB Insights database includes investments his...
[Continue Reading]Please don’t pitch a venture capitalist without this checklist
I’m surprised at how many funding pitches I get which lack some of the basic information which investors require before funding. I think this stems from two causes: 1) Lack of basic knowledge of the information investors require. But I would hope that a reasonably competent founder could easily educate herself about what information an...
[Continue Reading]Seeking investors to participate in study on innovation in asset management
I’ve written in the past on how the investing industry is overdue for innovation. I’m now launching a research project to better understand the emerging investment opportunities. We are seeking Partner-level investment professionals at hedge funds, mutual funds, VCs, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, family offices, and other institutional investors to interview for this research...
[Continue Reading]