Venture Capital, Six Trends to Consider
Summary
From web to mobile and sensors, which allow the rise of IoT, from on-premise to SaaS based software, from SMS to communication platforms, from e-commerce to same day delivery, from social to mobile and VR gaming, from Peer to Peer lending to crowdfunding, from mpos to bitcoin, from traditional to 3D printing, several tech trends have emerged and become reality, following the usual period of hype and strong injections of capital (from angels, vcs and crowds), which allow consolidation.Vc is not only picking the right startup and taking part in board meetings some times a year but also creating a structure to help entrepreneurs thrive in the current landscape.A today’s vc firm should recognize the importance of participation as well as the potential of peer lending with the creation of communities and platforms featuring summits, workshops, market research, in-house tools and resources, etc.Downstream, others (Exitround) try to improve the “exit” processes by matching buyers and sellers, an obstacle that Europeans feel particularly tough to overcome.This trend is driven by the impressive growth of smartphone usage (as in other emerging markets), which increases the demand for location-based services such as entertainment, tourism and catering, mobile online gaming and personal finance.