Friction points to ‘Scaling Up’ – Page 2

Part II: The Cultures of Risk—Financing the Startup of Start-up Communities

Subjects in this post: 1.) The Cultural Divide: What Investors ‘Buy’ 2.) What Investors Fear 3.) The Culture of Venture Capital: Friend or Foe? Last time in Part I, I discussed: 1.) First, Three Definitions 2.) The Russia Tech Scene 3.) Growth in Russia 4.) What Changed for Growth to Emerge 5.) The Spark that Ignited the Start-up of Russia Read Part I. Read the Introduction to the series. Summary from Part I: Beginning about 2006, innovation became a priority…

Michigan State Univ., Silicon Valley, Hungary & Emerging Markets

On 2 February I spoke to graduate and undergraduate students of Dr. Zsuzsanna Fluck at Michigan State University (MSU). Zsuzsanna teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in private equity and venture capital at the Eli Broad Graduate School of Business. Zsuzsanna is also the director of MSU’s Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity & Entrepreneurial Finance. A few weeks ago I delivered this same lecture to graduate students enrolled in the private equity class of Dr. David Brophy, Ross Graduate School…

The Valley of Death. Market Failure? Or Rational Behavior of Investors to Risk?

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,…