Team, product, or market? The X factor of growth

There is this continuous debate on what matters the most. The right team, the product, or the market. Until recently, I would have argued the team before the product.  If you ask entrepreneurs or VCs which is most important, the most likely answer would be the team, partly because in the beginning of a startup, you know a lot more about the team than you do …

Next city. Think partnerships

Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.

Great power shifts to watch

Here are 10 trends to watch that will have a major impact going forward according to Thomas W. Malnight and Tracey S. Keys of IMD: 1. Social everything: New generations and their digital world stepping forward Social technologies are now a central part of everyday life and work. The social generations are reshaping companies from the inside, helping them to …

Angel investments: How not to fail

War stories. People love recounting the one time they caught a big fish, not the many futile hours they spent waiting for a bite. Investors love to recap the successful exchange traded investments they did, and tend to forget the unsuccessful ones. Angel investing is no different. Looking at the venture capital industry as a whole, we know for a …

Broken VC model: Pressure increases as VC goes mainstream

The financial crisis seemed to mark a turning point in the spectacular growth of alternative investments, such as managed investments in hedge funds, private equity, real estate, commodities, and infrastructure. Poor performance and liquidity problems led to massive redemptions. By now, however, those problems have subsided, and alternatives are back on track. As a matter of fact, alternative investments have reached a compounded …

What’s rocking in Copenhagen

Think about the big European tech startup cities, and London, Berlin – maybe Amsterdam, will probably come to mind. However, the Danes form an emerging scene that’s well worth paying attention to. A rich vein of technical and design talent is building a new generation of companies with an ambitious international outlook. And they are capable of growing these to major …