Can Venture Capital Be Truly Global?
Globalization has changed venture capital. VCs can no longer boast that they won't invest if the company is more than an hour away. Some VCs have set up joint ventures in Europe, India and China; others have dispatched partners and junior staffers. What is the impact on the entrepreneurs who have long depended on VCs not just for money but for introductions and access to their networks? A panel of experienced investors will discuss the new landscape and share their perceptions of how their missions have changed with the globalization of the economy. How are they sourcing and vetting companies? How do their investment interests vary by region? How valuable are cross-borders investments? Or should they even consider going global?
Mobile: New Business Models, New Markets
As companies across the wireless value chain develop their 2011 strategic plans, they face an increasingly competitive and complex market. Many of the world’s leading mobile operators, manufacturers, and solutions providers must identify growth opportunities in mobile devices, smart phones, wireless network strategies, mobile media and messaging, and enterprise services. Will 2010 be the year when new use cases and emerging business models start to make their mark? What can we expect from the consumer market? And what are the latest trends in the wireless enterprise space?
Lessons Learned: the Path to Success
Initially, almost every startup begins with zero assets, no profits, few resources, and perhaps a handful of people, possibly even just the entrepreneurs. By the second year the company should have grown through sales of its products or services, and increased the number of employees, in addition to the original founders. At this point the company should focus all of its resources on snaring a strategic customer, which is the best customer that can make the company an attractive acquisition. This of course is an ideal scheme in an ideal market. In our real world, how do burgeoning companies grow from alpha to a strong, mature company with various exit opportunities? How do they become an alluring acquisition target?
Funding: Where is the Money?
The recession has made it harder for venture-capital firms to raise funds, causing already picky investors to become even more selective about the firms they choose to fund. Competition for venture capital has always been fierce, but the economic meltdown has intensified the battle, forcing companies that would have been able to secure funding a few years ago out of the game. Venture capitalists raised $8 billion in 83 funds during the first nine months of 2009, down from the $18.9 billion raised by 141 funds in 2008, according to a Dow Jones report. Given this climate what are startups alternative sources of survival? What should burgeoning companies do to make themselves stand out in the startups pool?
Where to Invest in 2011 and Beyond?
Silicon Valley is dead, say some industry insiders. So where are the hot new geographies and startup sectors that venture capital will deploy funding? First, the new mantra for entrepreneurs of budding startups is "capital efficiency." What this means is venture firms are looking at regions that can build promising companies capable of producing more product for less cash, offering better ROI. That path has often led to China and India but has also seen favorable returns in Europe. For example, some industry estimates put the ROI on China upstarts at 10x what a startup investment in the United States returns. Also, smaller, more-focused investments from smaller funds are proving better vehicles for GPs to produce returns to their LPs. Along with capital efficiency, manufacturing-intensive investments are taking a back seat to funding priorities of intellectual property and software, among others. Come study the global startup landscape and learn where the smart money is going from the likes of Accel and others.
Corporate Governance: a Delicate Dance
Corporate governance is a multi-faceted subject and the relationship between board members, investors, and company executives a complex dynamic. This roundtable will discuss these various relationships and the impact of a corporate governance system in economic efficiency. Another important theme discussed will be the importance of the accountability of certain individuals in an organization through certain mechanisms. How has Sarbanes-Oxley changed this system of accountability? How has it modified the dynamics within the corporate organization? A related but separate thread of discussions will focus on shareholders' welfare. Yet, another one on the stakeholder view and the corporate governance models around the world.
Going Global: Lost in the Translation
In times of recession, businesses must react to the new economic conditions by proactively seeking out new opportunities wherever they may be. Just because the global economy has stagnated in 2010 doesn’t mean that companies’ growth initiatives should follow suit. This roundtable will analyze how companies plan, scale and implement international expansion as well as the simple and compelling reasons for going global: Build more brand and shareholder value, add revenue sources and growth markets, reduce dependence on your home market, leverage existing corporate technology, etc.
Monetizing the Social Network
Ad-funded social networks will provide the bulk of revenues in the mobile user-generated content space by 2013, according to a new report from Juniper Research. The report also expects the number of active users of mobile social-networking sites to rise from 54 million in 2008 to nearly 730 million in 2013. How can carriers, social networks, and advertisers alike take advantage of this emerging market? Are there any methods of revenue generation for mobile social networks other that advertising, subscription services, and premium upgrades?
* Subject to change