When we Germans do something, we do it up right.
(VentureCapital Magazine, June 2010)
June 10, 2010
Over 10 years ago, when Germany discovered small cap stocks and even tennis stars and talk show hosts thought they should get into venture capital investing, the sound of the bubble bursting was louder there than it was elsewhere in the world.
Now, when the most recent study by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology states that venture capitalists are no longer interested in early stage investment due to the low level of business orientation of company founders, early stage investment is essentially being relegated to the realm of subsidy, and every institutional limited partner knows that that is sovereign governmental territory, where private capital has no business being.
As with exits, Germany brings up the rear when it comes to private funds for venture capital in Europe. We should do everything we can to change that!