Governments, development banks and investors poured billions of dollars to finance entrepreneurs in the ‘Valley of Death.’ Add in the millions of hours of human energy and thought devoted to creating solutions too, and the investment is truly staggering. Yet the Valley of Death still exists.

Conventional thought defines the Valley of Death as a market failure. But is it? Or is the Valley simply the rational behavior of investors to risk? If the Valley is a reaction to risk and not a market failure, then perhaps we need to reframe the discussion: what initiatives might influence investor behavior to close the gap that separates entrepreneurs and investment in this critical stage of SME development?

I delivered a program at the invitation of the World Bank and its investment arm, the International Finance Corporation, titled ‘Bridging the Valley of Death.’ In it I discuss solutions that match the behavior of investors to risk and encourage investment to early stage tech SMEs in the Valley of Death.

‘Path to Commercialization,’ an IVI Master Class in Mentoring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Scaling Up Entrepreneurship,’ an IVI Master Class in Mentoring.

Webinar, ‘Path to Commercialization: Scaling Up Innovation’

‘Entrepreneurship & Capital:  the Engines that Power an Economy Forward’

‘International Partnering & Network Creation’

‘Path to Commercialization (for Kazakhstan technology)’

‘More Edisons Needed, not Einsteins’

‘Investment Strategies in Russian Private Equity’

‘Financing Innovation (in Croatia)’

‘Organizating for New Start-Up Creation (around university technology, Rusnano)’

‘VC/PE in East Europe & the Former Soviet Union (MBA class, Michigan State University’

‘Scaling Up Innovation in Russia’

‘Clusters & VC for Scaling Up Innovation in Russia’

‘Workshop by Nastas in Luxembourg:  Implementation of the Technology Performance Fund in Europe’

‘Workshop by Nastas in Canada:  Implementation of the Venture Loan Fund in Canada’

‘Workshop by Nastas in Kazakhstan:  Problems in Joint Stock Companies, Issues & Solutions’

‘Workshop by Nastas in France:  Value Creation in European Private Equity’

 ‘Nastas Presentation in World Bank Workshop:  New Directions in African Private Equity’

‘New Directions in Russian Private Equity’

‘Nastas Workshop in Paris, France:  Quasi-Equity, a New Model for European Private Equity’

‘Nastas Presentation to the Kazak Duma: The Global Competition for Capital’

 

 

 

 

 

 

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