It's always an interesting week in venture capital. Discover the best stories, blog posts and other information inside the VC ecosystem in the US and in hotspots around the world. Onward dear reader…
VC HOME RUNS ARE IMPORTANT
Much has been made of the frequently stated goal of achieving "home runs" in the exits of VC portfolio companies.
The Equity Kicker: Why Home Runs Are Key
Based on the data from one of the world's largest limited partner investors in venture capital, Internet VC Nick Brisbourne says that venture capital firms generated “60%+ of their returns from just 10% of their capital, which was invested in companies that achieve home run exits of 5x or more.”
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING
Successful Internet VC Bijan Sabet has a heartfelt post up on the consequences of fear and of not sharing those fears:
Bijan Sabet: Real. Honest. Fear
The comment section below the post also has good entrepreneur insights into the effects of uncommunicated fear among entrepreneurs.
EUROPEAN VC DOWNTURN
VentureWire has the numbers out for third quarter 2012 dealmaking in technology venture capital throughout Europe, and they aren't pretty.
Venture Capital Dispatch: European Venture Investment and Exits Fall
Q3 saw a 22% decline in the number of deals and an 11% decline in total investment, compared to the same period in 2011. M&A was also down 39%.
VCs AND BLOGS
A new study is out purporting to show the effect of the blogosphere on venture financing decisions.
Utah Policy: New Study on Blogs and Venture Capital
Among the findings, the report says that VCs are more influenced by a relatively few number of top technology blogs than large numbers of less popular blogs.
DEPRESSION AND ENTREPRENEURS
Successful Internet VC Brad Feld has a heartfelt post up on his blog about a subject that doesn't get discussed very often.
FeldThoughts: Depression and Entrepreneurs
He details his own struggles with depression and acknowledges that entrepreneurs frequently have to deal with a "wide range of stresses and emotions that often have overwhelming intensity".
DOWNSIDES OF BEING A VC
This conversation thread on Quora has been around for a while, but it is illustrative of the issues that VCs face in their own work.
Quora: The Worst Part of Being a VC
Entrepreneurs can benefit from this info because it sheds light on the internal considerations that VCs face when investing.
CORPORATE VENTURE CAPITAL STAYING POWER?
The up and down nature of corporate (strategic) venture capital investing is well documented.
Boston Consulting Group: Corporate VC Is Here to Stay
The report says that the pressure to innovate is fueling the surge in corporate venture capital interest in startup companies.
THE BEST VC PITCH
VC Greg Gottesman has heard more than 7,500 pitches in his career.
StarkRavingVC: The Best VC Pitch Ever (Humor)
He says that the "Ice Cream Glove” was the best one he's ever seen…