State of the Valley Report

Joint Venture Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley Community Foundation have released the 2012 Silicon Valley Index, providing a view on the state of the Valley.

From the article:

SAN JOSE and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – February 7, 2012 – Silicon Valley’s innovation engine is driving a recovery that leads the nation, but the persistent public sector fiscal crisis and other factors are slowing widespread economic gains, according to the 2012 Silicon Valley Index released today by Joint Venture Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

The comprehensive yearly study on the economic strength and overall health of Silicon Valley indicates the region that was the last to succumb to the recession now appears to be the first to emerge, paced by tech sector growth that is spawning new companies and creating jobs. Yet these narrow gains, the drag on public finance and housing and the constraints of Proposition 13 are keeping most residents from benefitting.

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February 8th, 2012 by HollandintheValley

Shakeout of the VC Landscape

An interesting article on SiliconValley.com describes the current landscape of VCs in Silicon Valley.

From the article:

Ever since the global stock meltdown of 2008, talk has simmered that the venture capital industry is headed for a shakeout that will result in fewer firms to fund startups.

But even as new numbers from the National Venture Capital Association show further evidence of consolidation, it’s increasingly clear this will be a quiet revolution, not a bloodletting.

“Venture firms don’t really die,” said Ashmeet Sidana of Menlo Park’s Foundation Capital. “They just fade away.”

With the pension funds and endowments that invest in venture firms becoming more choosy, many VCs are using a variety of tactics to stay afloat until — they hope — the stock markets become more receptive to initial public offerings.

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January 27th, 2012 by HollandintheValley