Return of Corporate Venture Investors

By Paul Kedrosky · March 18, 2008 · ·

Two data points make a trend, so I’m intrigued about the re-emergence of corporate venture groups after a long dormancy. Yesterday I heard about a new group out of Canwest, and today I was sent a link about a new venture investing group at, of all places, Best Buy. Ordinarily the arrival, en masse, of corporate venture investors marks a near term top in the venture market, but it’s hard to have a top when returns have been bumbling along the bottom for so long.

Related posts:

  1. Focused Funds and the Return of the Venture-Backed IPO
  2. Corporate Venturing on the Rise
  3. Dentists Make the Best Venture Investors
  4. More Bubble Trouble for Venture Investors
  5. Patricia Dunn Lectures on Corporate Governance

Comments

  1. Brent Buckner says:
    March 18, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    it’s hard to have a top when returns have been bumbling along the bottom for so long
    Perhaps you are optimistic in assessing “the bottom”. 0% isn’t necessarily a bottom….

  2. boucher says:
    March 18, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    I’m afraid the VC bottom has not yet been made. Things look very ugly for the next couple of years.
    Less capital for new VC funds after this years vaporization of hedge funds and their partners capital.
    Also investment banking lay offs and a consolidation of these firms will mean less IPO action. Finally terrible VC returns over the last eight years and a swing to less risk by pension funds, universities and insurance companies, etc. is taking place.